NCJ Number
70863
Date Published
1980
Length
63 pages
Annotation
A statistical description of characteristics of court commitments to the Massachusetts Department of Corrections during 1979 presents data on offense, personal background, and criminal history.
Abstract
Correctional institutions for which data are provided include the facilities at Walpole, Concord, and Framingham. Tables were derived from a computerized data base developed by the Correction and Parole Management Information System. During 1979 there were 1,134 persons sentenced to the State correctional system. Forty-eight percent of the commitments were sentenced to Walpole, 36 percent to Concord, and 16 percent to Framingham. Eighty-four percent of those sentenced were male. The majority of commitments were for offenses against persons. The single offense for which individuals were most frequently convicted was armed robbery. The median age was 23 years old for total commitments. Twenty-eight percent of those committed were black, 6 percent were Hispanic, and 66 percent were white; there was one native American. The majority were single, did not serve in the military, and held manual or service jobs. The median educational level was 10th grade. Eighty-seven percent had been arrested at least once prior to the present offense arrest. Twenty-four percent had been incarcerated as juveniles. Overall, 54 percent had served time in some type of correctional facility, and 46 percent had served time as an adult. There was an increase in commitments for prostitution in 1979 as compared with 1978. Graphs and tables provide the bulk of the report; a glossary is included. (Author abstract modified)