TRENDS IN COMMITMENTS TO CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS - AN ANALYSIS FROM 1935 TO 1977

• NCJ Number: 63861
• Author(s): C METZLER
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 24 pages
• Corporate Author: Massachusetts Dept of Correction
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

TRENDS IN COMMITMENTS TO CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN MASSACHUSETTS ARE ANALYZED FOR THE YEARS 1935 TO 1977 WITH FOCUS ON SPECIFIC INMATE POPULATION CHANGES.

Abstract

DATA ON MASSACHUSETTS COURT COMMITMENTS TO CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS HAVE BEEN SYSTEMATICALLY COLLECTED IN MASSACHUSETTS SINCE 1935. DATA ELEMENTS INCLUDE THE TOTAL NUMBER OF COMMITMENTS, THE INSTITUTION TO WHICH COMMITTED OFFENSE, SENTENCE, AGE AT COMMITMENT, PRIOR INCARCERATIONS, AND EDUCATIONAL LEVEL. FOR THIS STUDY, A SAMPLE WAS DRAWN OF ALL COURT COMMITMENTS TO MASSCHUSETTS CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS FROM THE YEARS 1935 TO 1977, RESULTING IN A TOTAL OF 39,881 CASES. TIME-SERIES ANALYSIS WAS APPLIED TO THE TOTAL OF COURT COMMITMENTS TO INVESTIGATE THE EXISTENCE OF A TREND, AND STATISTICAL TESTS WERE EMPLOYED TO DETERMINE IF SIGNIFICANT TRENDS EXISTED FOR THE VARIABLES. FINDINGS INDICATED THAT COMMITMENTS TO MASSACHUSETTS CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS HAD INCREASED SLIGHTLY OVER THE YEARS 1935 TO 1977. THE NUMBER OF MALES COMMITTED TO STATE PRISON INCREASED, WHILE FEMALE COMMITMENTS DECREASED. SIGNIFICANT TRENDS ALSO OCCURRED IN OTHER VARIABLES. FOR THE OFFENSE VARIABLE, UPWARD TRENDS OCCURRED IN COMMITMENTS FOR OFFENSES AGAINST THE PERSON AND DRUG OFFENSES. UPWARD TRENDS ALSO OCCURRED IN NUMBERS OF WOMEN COMMITTED FOR OFFENSES AGAINST PROPERTY AND FOR PROSTITUTION. MEN COMMITTED TO THE STATE PRISON AND REFORMATORY ARE RECEIVING LONGER SENTENCES NOW THAN IN THE PAST, WHILE FEMALES SHOW A MIXED TREND. RATES OF WOMEN WITH SENTENCES OF YEAR OR LESS, OR WITH A SENTENCE BETWEEN 7 AND 10 YEARS, SHOWED AN UPWARD TREND, WHEREAS RATES FOR WOMEN SENTENCED FOR 2 YEARS SHOWED A DOWNWARD TREND. AGE AT COMMITMENT VARIED WITH THE INSTITUTION. MORE MEN AND WOMEN ARE COMMITTED TO THE STATE PRISON AT AN EARLIER AGE, AND MORE MEN ARE BEING SENTENCED TO THE REFORMATORY AT OLDER AGES THAN IN THE PAST. MALE COMMITMENTS TO THE STATE PRISON AND REFORMATORY HAD FEW PRIOR INCARCERATIONS NOW THAN EARLIER WHILE THE NUMBER OF WOMEN COMMITTED WHO WERE SERVING THEIR FIRST PRISON TERM INCREASED. FINALLY, THERE HAS BEEN AN UPWARD TREND IN THE EDUCATIONAL LEVEL OF COMMITMENTS OVER THE YEARS; MORE COMMITMENTS ARE HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES NOW THAN PREVIOUSLY. TABULAR DATA AND A BIBLIOGRAPHY ARE INCLUDED. (MJW)