Documentation
Data sources, methodology, and how to use the Facility Registry.
About the Data
The Facility Registry is built from the 2019 Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) Census of Jails (ICPSR 38323). This is the most recent comprehensive federal survey of jail facilities in the United States.
The dataset includes three files:
- DS0001 — Facility-level records (individual jails)
- DS0002 — Reporting-unit records (agencies that operate jails)
- DS0004 — Federal Bureau of Prisons facilities
Hierarchy
Facilities are organised into a three-level hierarchy:
- Jail Jurisdiction (JURISID) — the governing authority (typically a county or city)
- Reporting Unit (ID) — the agency that operates the facility (e.g. a sheriff's office)
- Facility (FACID) — an individual jail building or complex
Federal (BOP) facilities have no jurisdiction or reporting-unit parent.
Capacity per 100k
The "Per 100k" metric shown in the registry is the total rated jail bed capacity within a jurisdiction, divided by the jurisdiction's population (2019 Census county population estimates), multiplied by 100,000. All facilities in the same jurisdiction share this figure.
For city jails, the enclosing county population is used as an approximation, since city-level population data is not consistently available in the BJS survey.
Downloads
You can download facility data directly from the registry. In the full-screen table view, click the download button and choose a format:
- CSV — comma-separated values, compatible with Excel, Google Sheets, and most data tools
- JSON — structured data, useful for programmatic access
- GeoJSON — geographic features with point coordinates, for use with GIS tools and mapping libraries
Downloads reflect the currently active filters. To download all facilities, clear all filters first.
Geocoding
Facility locations (latitude/longitude) are derived from the addresses reported in the BJS Census of Jails, geocoded using the U.S. Census Bureau Geocoder. Facilities with missing or unresolvable addresses will not appear on the map but are included in the sidebar list and table view.
County boundaries are from the U.S. Atlas TopoJSON dataset. Base map tiles are provided by OpenFreeMap.
Source Code & Contact
The Jail Data Initiative is a project of the NYU Public Safety Lab. For questions about the data or to report issues, contact ojt212@nyu.edu.