What does this measure?

The rate of incarcerations, per 10,000 residents, per year. Incarcerations include those who are detained while awaiting trial, civilly committed or criminally sentenced.

Why is this important?

Incarceration serves to remove offenders from a community, but also creates hardships upon families, such as a loss of income or caregiver, in addition to long-term effects on mental health for all involved. After incarceration, there are challenges in obtaining meaningful employment, leading to reductions in long-term productivity, recidivism and wide-spread effects on a community's social, health and educational systems. Incarceration rates may also help to evaluate how certain social programs are performing, leading to more effective measures for prevention.

How is our county doing?

In 2021, approximately 14 residents per 10,000 (or about 1,100 people) were incarcerated in Essex County, greater than the statewide rate of 9. The rate in Essex County has declined from a high of 24 per 10,000 in 2014.

How do we compare to similar counties?

Essex County had a rate over three times greater than Middlesex, which was 4 per 10,000 residents in 2021. Comparable data was not available for Lake, IL and Westchester, NY.

Notes about the data

Data includes all classifications of incarceration.