$167, 731 is a lot of money

especially when it's the annual cost to feed, house and guard each inmate in your prisons.  But that's what it costs New York City for each of its inmates, of whom there are 12,287.  The city's per inmate costs are almost three times that of the state of New York and more than five times that of forty states.

The primary reason for these high costs is that there are just about two prisoners for every guard; personnel costs are 83% of the total costs.  Why so many guards are needed is a good question as 76% of the inmates in the city were waiting for their cases to be disposed.