Some states have largely ended the War on Drugs. Other... | Prison Policy Initiative

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Chart showing the portions of New York and South Dakota's state prison populations that are incarcerated for a drug offense from 2000 to 2024. The portion of New York's state prison population that is incarcerated for drug offenses fell consistently from 2000 to 2012 before leveling out and then continuing to drop, while South Dakota's has been growing, starting at less than 14% in 2000, and reaching a peak of 33% in 2019.

Data Source: See the Data sources & methodology section of the full Whole Pie report. (Graph: Wendy Sawyer & Peter Wagner, 2025)

This graph originally appeared in Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2025.

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