How are Prisoners Addressed in 2020 Redistricting Data?

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The Census Bureau tabulated prisoners as part of table P5, Group Quarters Population by Major Group Quarters Type, for the 2020 Census.  These tabulations are for total population only and do not provide breakdowns by race, ethnicity, or gender.

According to the Census Bureau, the population who meet the criteria below are included in counts for adults in Correctional Facilities. [1]

    1. People in federal and state prisons on Census Day—Prisoners are counted at the facility. Staff members are counted at the residence where they live and sleep most of the time. If staff members do not have a usual home elsewhere, they are counted at the facility.
    2. People in local jails and other municipal confinement facilities on Census Day—
      Prisoners are counted at the facility. Staff members are counted at the residence where they live and sleep most of the time. If staff members do not have a usual home elsewhere, they are counted at the facility.
    3. People in federal detention centers on Census Day, such as Metropolitan Correctional Centers, Metropolitan Detention Centers, Bureau of Indian Affairs Detention Centers, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Service Processing Centers, and ICE contract detention facilities—Prisoners are counted at the facility. Staff members are counted at the residence where they live and sleep most of the time. If staff members do not have a usual home elsewhere, they are counted at the facility.
    4. People in correctional residential facilities on Census Day, such as halfway houses, restitution centers, and prerelease, work release, and study centers—Residents are counted at the facility. Staff members are counted at the residence where they live and sleep most of the time. If staff members do not have a usual home elsewhere, they are
      counted at the facility.

Maptitude for Redistricting includes this prisoner counts exactly as the Census Bureau publishes them.

Some states have statutory requirements related to the tabulation and allocation of prisoners during the redistricting process. These states modify prisoner counts according to the statutory requirements and may make the data publicly available through their own websites.

See https://www.ncsl.org/research/redistricting/reallocating-incarcerated-persons-for-redistricting.aspx for additional information.

Footnotes

  1. Census Bureau, U. S. (n.d.). 2020 Census National Redistricting Data Summary File. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/2020/technical-documentation/complete-tech-docs/summary-file/2020Census_PL94_171Redistricting_NationalTechDoc.pdf.
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