Missouri’s prisons are getting fewer inmates, but the crowding problems remain. Missouri gains 2.58 inmates a day – part of a big increase that began in 1994 and reached its zenith of eight new inmates per day. The Department of Corrections says it has spent a ot of time and money building new prisons, but even two new facilities won’t give the Department much breathing room. Missouri currently has 61,000 people on probation and parole, plus 28,000 behind bars.