The population of Virginia’s state and federal prisons posted a 10.5% decline between 2021 and 2022 — the largest drop of any state, according to new Department of Justice data. Oregon saw the second largest decline at 5.2%. Many states saw increases in their prison populations, as reported by WRIC news.
The total prison population for Virginia in 2022 was 27,162. The numbers do not include inmates of local jails.
The fall-off in prison population was especially marked among females — 18%. The DOJ report did not break down state-by-state prison populations by race.
With the exception of drug offenses, which declined, the crime rate per 100,000 population increased in almost all categories in 2022, according to the Virginia State Police “2022 Crime in Virginia” report.
— JAB
