Imprisonment Rate Drops to Lowest in 20 Years

Inmates at the Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, Calif., on Aug. 28, 2007. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The portion of Americans imprisoned has declined by more than 2 percent in 2017, making the rate drop to its lowest since 1997.

The rate has been steadily decreasing since it recorded highs of 506 per 100,000 residents in 2006 and 2007 to 440 per 100,000 in 2017, according to a recent report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) (pdf).