Legislative Analyst's Office

How much does it cost to incarcerate an inmate?

California’s Annual Costs to
Incarcerate an Inmate in Prison

2021‑22

Type of Expenditure	Per Inmate Costs
Security	$44,918
Inmate Health Care	$33,453
Medical care	23,290
Psychiatric services	5,341
Pharmaceuticals	3,156
Dental care	1,666
Facility Operations and Records	$9,510
Facility operations (maintenance, utilities, etc.)	6,015
Classification services	2,363
Maintenance of inmate records	911
Reception, testing, assignment	193
Transportation	27
Administration	$9,508
Inmate Support	$4,723
Food	2,456
Inmate employment and canteen	1,259
Clothing	382
Religious activities	158
Inmate activities	469
Rehabilitation Programs	$3,652
Academic education	1,689
Cognitive behavioral therapy	1,422
Vocational training	541
Miscellaneous	$367
Total	$106,131
Note: Detail may not add due to rounding.

It costs an average of about $106,000 per year to incarcerate an inmate in prison in California.
About three-quarters of these costs are for security and inmate health care.
Since 2010-11, the average annual cost has increased by about $57,000 or about 117 percent. This includes an increase of $20,800 for security and $19,000 for inmate health care. Significant drivers of this increase in costs were employee compensation and activation of a new health care facility. In addition, the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic also contributed to higher costs in 2021-22.

Last Updated: January 2022