Pennsylvania profile (2024)

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Pennsylvania has an incarceration rate of 659 per 100,000 people (including prisons, jails, immigration detention, and juvenile justice facilities), meaning that it locks up a higher percentage of its people than almost any democratic country on earth. Read on to learn more about who is incarcerated in Pennsylvania and why.

73,000 people from Pennsylvania are behind bars

Rates of imprisonment have grown dramatically in the last 40 years

Also see these Pennsylvania graphs:

total numbers rather than rates.
Women’s prisons: Incarceration Rates | Total Population
Men’s prisons: Incarceration Rates | Total Population

Today, Pennsylvania’s incarceration rates stand out internationally

In the U.S., incarceration extends beyond prisons and local jails to include other systems of confinement. The U.S. and state incarceration rates in this graph include people held by these other parts of the justice system, so they may be slightly higher than the commonly reported incarceration rates that only include prisons and jails. Details on the data are available in States of Incarceration: The Global Context. We also have a version of this graph focusing on the incarceration of women.

People of color are overrepresented in prisons and jails

Pennsylvania's criminal justice system is more than just its prisons and jails

See detailed data on incarceration and supervision numbers and rates by state.

Reports and briefings about Pennsylvania's criminal legal system:

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Prisons in Pennsylvania force incarcerated people and their families — some of the most vulnerable members of society — to subsidize mass incarceration.
66% of people in Pennsylvania jails have not been convicted of a crime, meaning they're legally innocent. There are simple steps the state can take to reduce this number. Why isn't it?
Pennsylvania releases roughly 176,201 men and 43,287 women from its prisons and jails each year. What is it doing to support them upon reentry?
After implementing a restrictive mail-scanning policy purportedly to address drugs behind bars, the rate of positive drugs tests in Pennsylvania prisons is almost three times higher than before the policy was introduced.
Pennsylvania allows parole officers to restrict whom their clients can be around — even loved ones who are trying to help them
The parole board in Pennsylvania is releasing 46% fewer people and holding 34% fewer hearings since the pandemic started
Black people in Pennsylvania are incarcerated at a rate 7.5 times higher than white people.
Pennsylvania’s choice to criminalize “failure to appear” may be hurting public safety
The cost of incarcerating older people is incredibly high, and their risk of reincarceration is incredibly low, yet 15% of people in Pennsylvania prisons are over the age of 55. Why is the state keeping so many older people locked up?
Prisons in Northeastern states, like Pennsylvania, have seen the greatest increase in deaths during heatwaves.
Data from Philadelphia and other jurisdictions shows: Releasing people pretrial doesn't harm public safety
Pennsylvania makes it difficult or even risky for incarcerated journalists to tell their stories.
Pennsylvania is one of 20 states that locks up some people convicted of sex offenses in shadowy "civil commitment" facilities, long after their sentences are over — and often indefinitely
In Pennsylvania, 73,000 people are incarcerated and another 171,500 are on probation or parole.
Pennsylvania charges up to 25¢ for an e-message to or from prison.
Jails in Pennsylvania charge up to $3.15 for a 15-minute phone call, reaping profits for companies, while prisons charge up to 90¢ for a 15-minute phone call.
Pennsylvania prisons are replacing incarcerated people's personal mail with scans, stifling family contact
Bail companies in Pennsylvania have a track record of avoiding accountability, our report All Profit, No Risk and review of state-by-state evidence show
Report: Where people in prison come from: The geography of mass incarceration in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania granted extremely few commutations to incarcerated people in recent years, including during COVID-19
Some prisons in Pennsylvania are sited on uninhabitable, toxic wastelands
Pennsylvania suspended many of its $5 medical copays in prisons at the beginning of the pandemic, it should eliminate them completely.
If a person in Pennsylvania prisons has more than $10 in their commissary account they may not qualify for assistance to purchase essentials like hygiene items and postage.
Pennsylvania prisons charge families up to a 10% fee to transfer money to an incarcerated loved one.
With an incarceration rate of 659 per 100,000 residents, Pennsylvania locks up a higher percentage of its people than almost any democratic country on earth.
We gave Pennsylvania a "D-" grade in September 2021 for its response to the coronavirus in prisons.
In 2021, Pennsylvania became the first state to take steps to end prison gerrymandering through its redistricting commission.
Pennsylvania hinders jury diversity by excluding people with felony records and some prior misdemeanors
How many COVID-19 cases in Pennsylvania communities can be linked to outbreaks in correctional facilities? (data from our report Mass Incarceration, COVID-19, and Community Spread)
We graded the parole release systems of all 50 states - Pennsylvania gets an F
Pennsylvania incarcerates women at a rate of 129 per 100,000 residents — higher than almost any democratic country on earth.
People in Pennsylvania prisons earn as little as 19¢ an hour for their work.

Other resources

Research on Pennsylvania in our Research Library