NCJ Number
46321
Date Published
1978
Length
3 pages
Annotation
STATISTICS ON U.S. PRISON POPULATIONS, COMPILED FOR LEAA BY THE BUREAU OF THE CENSUS THROUGH THE NATIONAL PRISONER STATISTICS PROGRAM, ARE PRESENTED.
Abstract
A BRIEF NARRATIVE AND A STATISTICAL TABLE COMPOSE THIS ADVANCE REPORT. A RECORD 292,325 PRISONERS WERE HELD IN CUSTODY BY FEDERAL AND STATE CORRECTIONAL AUTHORITIES ON DECEMBER 31, 1977. OF THESE, 7,093 PRISONERS THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES WERE HOUSED IN LOCAL JAILS FOR LACK OF SPACE IN STATE FACILITIES; A YEAR EARLIER THE FIGURE WAS 7,725. EVEN THOUGH THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF THE PRISON INMATES WERE SERVING SENTENCES OF AT LEAST A YEAR AND A DAY, 13,732 WERE SERVING SHORTER SENTENCES OR NO SENTENCES AT ALL. THERE WERE 12,055 WOMEN, REPRESENTING 4 PERCENT OF THE TOTAL, IN FEDERAL AND STATE PRISONS ON THE LAST DAY OF 1977. THE GROWTH RATE OF THE FEMALE PORTION OF THE PRISONER POPULATION DURING 1977 WAS TWICE AS HIGH AS THAT FOR MALES -- 10 PERCENT VERSUS 5 PERCENT. FEDERAL INSTITUTIONS HELD 30,920 PRISONERS, A RISE OF 6 PERCENT OVER THE NUMBER REPORTED ON THE LAST DAY OF 1976. FOR STATE JURISDICTIONS, THE NUMBER OF INMATES INCREASED 5 PERCENT, FROM 249,305 TO 261,405. TWELVE STATES REDUCED THEIR INMATE POPULATIONS DURING 1977; CALIFORNIA AND MISSISSIPPI EVIDENCED THE LARGEST DECLINES. AMONG THE 39 JURISDICTIONS EXPERIENCING NET INCREASES IN PRISONERS FOR 1977, FLORIDA POSTED THE LARGEST, FOLLOWED BY TEXAS, NEW YORK, MICHIGAN, AND LOUISIANA. INDIVIDUAL BREAKDOWNS BY STATE AND BY U.S. REGION ARE PROVIDED IN THE ACCOMPANYING TABLE FOR PREVIOUS AND CURRENT YEAR AND PERCENT CHANGE. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--DAS)