Webin this map, we illustrate the annual cost per prisoner across all u. s. It ranges from $23,000 to $307,000 per prisoner. Webthe $80 billion spent annually on corrections is frequently cited as the cost of incarceration, but this figure considerably underestimates the true cost of incarceration by ignoring. Webthe study found that when the county is required to pay part of the costs of incarceration, the number of prisoners declines dramatically. The study, authored by. Webannual cost to families of prison phone calls and commissary purchases: $2. 9 billion +. Percent of formerly incarcerated people who are unemployed: