NCJ Number
67659
Date Published
1978
Length
35 pages
Annotation
THE TOTAL NUMBER OF INMATES (82) SERVING A LIFE SENTENCE AT THE INDIANA REFORMATORY AS OF JULY 5, 1978 WERE THE SUBJECTS OF A STATISTICAL SURVEY, THE RESULTING DATA ARE TABULATED IN THIS REPORT.
Abstract
DESCRIBED AS THE SECOND PART OF A FOUR-PART STATISTICAL REPORT ON THE SEGMENT OF THE INDIANA PRISON POPULATION SERVING A LIFE SENTENCE, THIS REPORT WAS PREPARED BY THE DIVISION OF RESEARCH AND STATISTICS OF THE STATE OF INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS IN 1978. ALL THE LIFERS (82) IN THE INDIANA REFORMATORY WERE SURVEYED FOR THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY. A 27-ITEM QUESTIONNAIRE WAS DEVELOPED TO COLLECT THE DATA, FOR WHICH THE INMATE'S INSTITUTIONAL PACKET WAS THE SOURCE. CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO A VARIETY OF DESCRIPTIVE VARIABLES, THE DATA ON THE INDIANA REFORMATORY INMATES CURRENTLY SERVING A LIFE SENTENCE ARE TABULATED IN 25 TABLES APPENDED TO THE BRIEF NARRATIVE SECTION OF THIS REPORT. A STATISTICALLY CREATED MODEL OF THE TYPICAL LIFER AT THE INDIANA REFORMATORY IN JULY 1, 1978 HAS THE FOLLOWING CHARACTERISTICS: HE IS A WHITE 28 YEAR OLD MALE, WHO WAS SINGLE AND UNEMPLOYED AT THE TIME THE INSTANT OFFENSE WAS COMMITTED (TYPICALLY, FIRST-DEGREE MURDER). HE KILLED A STRANGER WITH A HANDGUN AND WAS NEITHER DRUNK NOR UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF DRUGS WHEN THE CRIME WAS COMMITTED. THIS IS HIS FIRST FELONY COMMITMENT AND HE HAS SERVED APPROXIMATELY 4 YEARS OF HIS SENTENCE, RECEIVING THREE DISCIPLINARY WRITE-UPS DURING HIS FIRST TWO YEARS (FOR BEING OUT OF PLACE AND FOR INSOLENCE) PLUS ONE WRITE-UP FOR REFUSING AN ORDER DURING THE LAST TWO YEARS. THE TABULAR DATA PRESENTED IN THIS REPORT INCLUDE INMATE'S AGES AT THE TIME OF INSTANT OFFENSES, RACIAL COMPOSITION, ALL COMMITTING OFFENSES, CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING THE CRIME, AND DATA REFLECTING INMATES' ADJUSTMENT OR MALADJUSTMENT TO CONFINEMENT. STATISTICAL TABLES ARE APPENDED.