A checked claim
38,000 prisoners were released from federal prison
Joe Biden · The final 2020 presidential debate · October 22, 2020 · Race: President of the United States
The checks
Each in the checker's own words. This site does not restate another organization's finding in its own voice.
FactChecking the Final 2020 Presidential Debate
Our check against the record
The record does not settle it
The record: Past Inmate Population Totals (BOP_pastPopulationTotals.csv)
The numbers behind this figure, as a table
| Series | When | people |
|---|---|---|
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 1980 | 24,640 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 1981 | 26,313 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 1982 | 30,531 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 1983 | 33,216 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 1984 | 35,795 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 1985 | 40,330 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 1986 | 46,055 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 1987 | 49,378 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 1988 | 50,513 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 1989 | 57,762 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 1990 | 64,936 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 1991 | 71,508 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 1992 | 79,678 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 1993 | 88,565 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 1994 | 95,162 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 1995 | 100,958 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 1996 | 105,443 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 1997 | 112,289 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 1998 | 122,316 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 1999 | 133,689 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 2000 | 145,125 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 2001 | 156,572 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 2002 | 163,436 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 2003 | 172,499 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 2004 | 179,895 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 2005 | 187,394 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 2006 | 192,584 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 2007 | 200,020 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 2008 | 201,668 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 2009 | 208,759 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 2010 | 210,227 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 2011 | 217,768 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 2012 | 218,687 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 2013 | 219,298 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 2014 | 214,149 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 2015 | 205,723 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 2016 | 192,170 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 2017 | 185,617 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 2018 | 181,698 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 2019 | 177,214 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 2020 | 155,562 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 2021 | 155,826 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 2022 | 159,090 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 2023 | 158,424 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 2024 | 158,864 |
| Federal prison population at fiscal year end | 2025 | 155,270 |
Context
He was describing criminal-justice changes under the Obama administration.
Topics: Criminal justice.
Other claims by Joe Biden
Sources
- FactChecking the Final 2020 Presidential Debate · FactCheck.org · 2020-10-23 · accessed 2026-09-18
- Past Inmate Population Totals (BOP_pastPopulationTotals.csv) · Federal Bureau of Prisons · accessed 2026-09-19
Cite and data
Cite this page as:
Cracked Buckeye, "Joe Biden: "38,000 prisoners were released from federal prison"", https://crackedbuckeye.com/claims/2020-10-22-joe-biden-38000-prisoners-released/, built 2026-11-03, accessed [date].
How to cite · Report a correction · Built 2026-11-03