<P> It is estimated that 1 in 9 state government employees works in corrections . As the overall U.S. prison population declined in 2010, states are closing prisons . For instance, Virginia has removed 11 prisons since 2009 . Like other small towns, Boydton in Virginia has to contend with unemployment woes resulting from the closure of the Mecklenburg Correctional Center . </P> <P> Starting in September 2016, large, coordinated prison strikes took place in 11 states, with inmates claiming they are subjected to poor sanitary conditions and jobs that amount to forced labor and modern day slavery . Organizers, which include the Industrial Workers of the World labor union, assert it is the largest prison strike in U.S. history . </P> <P> Judicial, police, and corrections costs totaled $212 billion in 2011 according to the U.S. Census Bureau . In 2007, around $74 billion was spent on corrections according to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics . </P> <P> In 2014, among facilities operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the average cost of incarceration for federal inmates in fiscal year 2014 was $30,619.85 . The average annual cost to confine an inmate in a residential re-entry center was $28,999.25 . </P>

What percent of american jails have less than 99 beds