NCJ Number
178286
Date Published
1999
Length
111 pages
Annotation
Existing data and published information related to the management of violent offenders are presented to assist State policymakers in reviewing changes in their prison and parole populations and prison resources and comparing the systems in their State with those of other jurisdictions.
Abstract
The data and information are primarily self-reported in surveys conducted by Federal agencies and criminal justice organizations. State-by-state profiles present trends in prison and parole populations during 1977-97, incarceration rates per 100,000 population, the prison population in relation to capacity, State prisoners in local jails or elsewhere, offender demographics, offenders with life and long-term sentences, the number of adult correctional facilities and full-time employees, the number of inmates ages 50 and older, and State use of Federal funds for prison construction. The introduction notes that the inmate population in State prisons has more than doubled since 1985 and that more than 1,000 inmates are added to State prisons each week. The increase in prison populations is linked to the increasing number of inmates in prison for violent and drug law offenses. In addition, parole violators who are returned to prison now represent more than one-third of prison admissions. The Violent Offender Incarceration and Truth-in-Sentencing Incentive Grant Program has provided more than $1.45 billion to the States through June 1999 for the construction and expansion of prisons and jails for violent offenders. The amount of time that offenders spend in prison has increased and is expected to increase further as violent offenders serve longer sentences due to the implementation of truth in sentencing and other changes in State sentencing laws. Figures and tables