States across the country saw changes in their prison admissions and populations due to supervision violations in 2020. But some states were already experiencing reductions in violation admissions and population prior to the pandemic. This snapshot shows available supervision violation data for Alabama from 2018 through 2020.
Admissions
From 2018 to 2020, Alabama saw a 22 percent decline in the number of prison admissions due to supervision violations.
The breakdown
Total Admissions
Violation Admissions
Technical Violation Admissions
2018
14054
6080
2780
2019
14148
6360
2722
2020
10080
4761
2080
Total
2018
2019
2020
Total admissions
14,054
14,148
10,080
Total Violation admissions
6,080
6,360
4,761
Probation admissions
3,752
3,968
3,144
Parole admissions
2,328
2,392
1,617
Total Technical Violation admissions
2,780
2,722
2,080
Probation admissions
1,683
1,596
1,838
Parole admissions
1,097
1,126
242
Total New Offense admissions
3,300
3,638
2,681
Probation admissions
2,069
2,372
1,306
Parole admissions
1,231
1,266
1,375
Population
From 2018 to 2019, Alabama saw a 9 percent decline in the number of people in prison due to supervision violations.
The breakdown
Total Population
Violation Population
Technical Violation Population
2018
27157
306
306
2019
27922
278
278
Total
2018
2019
2020
Total population
27,157
27,922
Total Violation population
306
278
Probation population
171
164
Parole population
135
114
Total Technical Violation population
306
278
Probation population
171
164
Parole population
135
114
Total New Offense population
0
0
Probation population
0
0
Parole population
0
0
Additional State Notes
Data are not available for Alabama's 2020 population. The state also did not provide new offense population data for 2018 through 2020. Prison admissions due to probation and parole violations in Alabama include short incarceration stays in state-funded custody (1- to 180-day sanctions). The state passed a law in 2015 allowing short incarceration stays to be used as supervision sanctions.
Whether an incarceration is the result of a new offense or technical violation is often difficult and problematic to delineate, even in states with available data. Most states do not consider a supervision violation to be the result of a new offense unless a new felony conviction is present, meaning technical violations may include misdemeanor convictions or new arrests. "Prison" includes county jail if the county was reimbursed by the state for a person’s incarceration, which occurs in some, but not all, states. Supervision violations may include revocations (i.e., unsuccessful terminations of a supervision and completion of a sentence in prison or jail) or short-term sanctions (i.e., probation or parole jurisdiction is maintained and the person is incarcerated for a short period of time in prison or jail). Not all states impose or include short-term sanctions in their count of supervision violations.
