Global Community Corrections Initiative

According to the latest World Prison Population List (2024), it is estimated that there are currently over 10.99 million individuals incarcerated in prisons around the world today, and if the reports on the number of offenders in pre-trial or administrative detention in China and North Korea are accurate, the world prison population total is estimated to be closer to 11.5 million. Although we do not yet have complete data on the size of the global community corrections population, researchers from our Global Community Corrections Initiative have offered preliminary estimates on the size of the global community corrections population, which they estimate to be about 12.5 million. When combined, the total global corrections population is currently 24 million, with 52% of that total representing individuals under community correctional control. However, these estimates are preliminary, and it is currently not possible to provide an accurate assessment of the size of the community corrections system globally, let alone details on individuals under various forms of community release, the types of programs offered, and the staffing resources of these programs. We need to know much more about how alternatives to incarceration have been utilized globally.

This knowledge gap begs numerous questions: How many offenders are placed in community corrections systems around the globe? What are the key design features of these community corrections systems? And what do we know about the effectiveness of community corrections? The Global Community Corrections Initiative will provide answers to these questions, while also creating a unique "one-stop shopping" resource center that provides access to a full range of community corrections program design, implementation, and evaluation materials.