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