NCJ Number
155542
Date Published
1993
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This report presents 1995 and 1996 projections for the State jail felony population in Texas by region and gender which show that the demand for female housing in State prison facilities has significantly increased since 1980.
Abstract
In 1980, only 6.2 percent of offenders receiving prison sentences were females; by 1987 and 1992, this percentage increased to 7.6 percent and 15 percent, respectively. In contrast, the capacity of female prisons was about 5 percent of total prison capacity. The Texas Criminal Justice Policy Council (CJPC) projected that 21,998 paper ready convicted offenders would be awaiting transfer to prison in county jails by August 1991, of which 3,300 would be females. By 1995, 1 year after the implementation of sentencing reform in Texas, the CJPC estimates that 10,338 paper ready convicted offenders will be in the county jail backlog, of which 1,551 will be females. Adequate planning for female State jail capacity is critical, considering that most crimes for which females are convicted are classified as State jail felonies. The CJPC projects that the State jail felony population in State jail facilities will be 4,976 by August 1995, of which 1,019 (20 percent) will be females. By August 1996, the State jail felony population in these facilities will be 14,401, of which 2,958 will be females. The CJPC projection to the year 2000 shows that 66,998 offenders will be housed in State jail facilities, 13,714 of which will be females. Male and female jail populations are projected by Texas region, and an appendix lists proposed regions for the State jail system. 4 tables