U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
Bureau of Justice Statistics

Special Report
NCJ 176989

Profile of State Prisoners under Age 18, 1985-97

By Kevin J. Strom
BJS Statistician 

Note to readers of the ASCII version:
This file is text only without graphics and many of the tables. 
The full report including tables and graphics in .pdf format
is available from: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/pspa1897.htm.

Highlights

* On December 31, 1997, less than 1% of inmates in State prison
were under age 18, a proportion that has remained stable since
the mid-1980's.   

* The number of offenders under age 18 admitted to State prison
has more than doubled from 3,400 in 1985 to 7,400 in 1997,
consistently representing about 2% of new admissions in each of
the 13 years.

Persons under 18 held 
in State prison at yearend

           Number  Percent of
           held    all inmates
    1985    2,300      0.5%
    1990    3,600      0.5
    1993    4,700      0.6
    1995    5,300      0.5
    1997    5,400      0.5

* In 1997, 61% of persons admitted to State prison under age 18
had been convicted of a violent offense compared to 52% in 1985.
 

Persons under 18 admitted 
to State prison

         Number of   Violent 
         admissions  percent
    1985    3,400       52%
    1990    5,100       45
    1993    6,300       52
    1995    7,600       57
    1997    7,400       61

* The violent arrest rate for persons under age 18 did not
change dramatically between 1980 and 1988, but increased over
60% from 1988 and 1994, then fell 23% from 1994 to 1997.

Characteristics of State prisoners  
under 18 in 1997
                   Admitted    Held in
                   to prison   prison
Gender
Male                  97%        92%
Female                 3          8
Race/Hispanic origin
White non-Hispanic    25%        19%
Black non-Hispanic    58         60
Hispanic              15         13
Other                  2          8
Most serious offense
Violent               61%        69%
Property              22         15
Drugs                 11         11
Public-order           5          5

* Relative to the number of arrests, the likelihood of
incarceration in State prison has increased for offenders under
age 18.  In 1997, 33 persons were sentenced to prison for
violent offenses for every 1,000 arrests for violent offenses,
up from 18 per 1,000 violent arrests in 1985. 

* Among persons under age 18 sentenced to State prison in 1997,
the average maximum sentence for violent offenses was about 8
years, and the minimum time expected to be served was nearly 5
years.

Sentence and minimum time to be served for persons under 18
admitted to State prison

                        Average in months
                         All              Violent
Maximum sentence--
1985                   86 mo           109 mo
1997                   82               98

Minimum time to be served
1985                   35 mo            47 mo
1997                   44               59

Defendants under age 18 are prosecuted in either adult courts or
juvenile courts, with State statutes defining the maximum age of
juvenile court jurisdiction.  In three States (Connecticut, New
York, and North Carolina) all offenders age 16 or older are
excluded from the juvenile system and handled in adult court. 
In 10 States (Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts,
Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Texas, and
Wisconsin) all offenders age 17 or older are automatically
proceeded against in adult court.  In the remaining 37 States
and the District of Columbia, all defendants age 18 or older are
processed as adults in criminal court.

Defendants whose ages are below these State-specified ranges can
be statutorily excluded from juvenile court because of age and
offense seriousness or can be transferred to adult court.  As of
1997, all States had at least one mechanism that allowed persons
under age 18 to be handled in the adult criminal system.  

A wide range of correctional responses exists for persons under
18 sentenced as adults.  A small, but unknown, percentage of
State prisoners were sentenced in juvenile court.  Most States
allow certain categories of offenders under 18 to be
incarcerated in adult prisons and housed with older inmates.

States utilize three general types of transfer mechanisms   

States use different provisions for transferring persons under
age 18 to criminal court.  These include statutory exclusion
laws, prosecutorial direct-file provisions, and judicial waiver.
 As documented in State Legislative Responses to Violent
Juvenile Crime: 1996-97 Update by Patricia Torbet and Linda
Szymanski (NCJ 172835), all but 10 States modified their
transfer statutes from 1992 to 1995. 

Statutory exclusion laws (also called mandatory transfer)
automatically exclude certain offenders under age 18 from
juvenile court jurisdiction, with legislatures typically
specifying age and offense criteria.  As of 1997, 28 States had
some type of statutory exclusion law in place.  

Prosecutor direct-file provisions give prosecutors the ability
to file certain juvenile cases in either juvenile or criminal
court.  In 1997, 15 States had direct-file statutes in place.

Judicial waiver allows juvenile court judges to waive
jurisdiction over a juvenile case and transfer it to criminal
court.  There are three general forms of judicial waiver:  

* In 1997, 46 States and the District of Columbia allowed
discretionary waiver, giving juvenile judges the ability to
waive juvenile cases at their discretion.
                               
* 14 States had mandatory waiver statutes in which a juvenile
court judge, after finding probable cause, is required to waive
jurisdiction. 

* 14 States and the District of Columbia had presumptive waiver
provisions, in which certain categories of juvenile offenders
must be waived unless they prove they are amenable to juvenile
rehabilitation. 

This report includes data on all persons under age 18 in State
prison, regardless of whether the individual was under the
original jurisdiction of the juvenile or adult criminal system.

Box 
Number of persons under age 18 held in juvenile or adult
correctional facilities, 1997

         Total number
         of persons
         under 18    State    Local   Juvenile facilities/c   Incarceration
         in custody  prison/a jails/b  Public   Private       rate/d
1997       100,510    5,400    9,100   63,670   22,340         509 

a/See Methodology for calculation of State prison population
estimates.
b/Jail estimates are midyear counts from the Annual Survey of
Jails.
c/Data on persons held in juvenile facilities are from the
Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement (1997).  These data
include only persons under age 18 committed or detained in
juvenile facilities and exclude status offenders and
nonoffenders. In the Federal system, persons under 18 sentenced
to prison are confined in contract juvenile correctional
facilities.
d/Rates are based on the number of persons under age 18 in
custody per 100,000 U.S. residents ages 13 to 17 on July 1,
1997, and have been adjusted for Census undercount. 

5% of confined persons under 18 were held in State prison

In 1997 law enforcement agencies made an estimated 2.8 million
arrests of persons under age 18, including 123,000 arrests for
violent Index offenses and 700,000 for property Index crimes. 
Although State prison admissions relative to arrests increased
from 1985 to 1997, most confined young offenders continued to be
held in juvenile correctional facilities.  

At yearend 1997 an estimated 100,510 persons under age 18 were
in custody of adult or juvenile correctional facilities in the
United States.  About 86,000 or 86% of these offenders were held
in public (64%) or private (22%) juvenile facilities, 9% were
held in local jails, and 5% were confined in State prisons.

Comparable statistics do not exist for years before 1997, the
first year for the Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement
Facilities.  Prior to 1997 juvenile facility figures were drawn
from the Children in Custody survey, collecting aggregate data
on persons  in juvenile facilities.  This survey did not
distinguish between delinquents and nondelinquents under 18.

Incarceration rates were higher among offenders 18 or older than
among persons under age 18

Relative to the number of U.S. residents ages 13 to 17, the rate
of incarceration for persons under 18 in 1997 was 509 inmates
per 100,000 U.S. residents.  This rate includes all delinquents
under age 18 in custody of juvenile or adult correctional
facilities.  The incarceration rate was greater for offenders
age 18 or older held in State or Federal prison or in local
jails.  Overall, in 1997 there were 864 inmates per 100,000 U.S.
adult residents.
End of box

States using blended sentences link adult and juvenile systems

Many States have developed blended sentencing options that allow
the juvenile or criminal court to impose sanctions in both the
juvenile and adult correctional systems (OJJDP, 1996).  Statutes
in Minnesota, Connecticut, and Montana are examples of
sentencing options in which the juvenile court can impose a
sanction that typically suspends the adult portion of the
sentence barring a future violation of the law.  Statutes in
Arkansas and Missouri are examples where the criminal court can
administer a blended sentence, with the adult sanction often
suspended unless there is a violation.

States vary in their correctional responses for persons under 18
sentenced as adults

Among the incarceration practices for offenders under age 18
sentenced as adults, States apply straight adult incarceration,
graduated incarceration, and segregated incarceration.  (See
page 10 for further discussion.)      

Half of 1% of State inmates were under age 18 at yearend 1997

Approximately 5,400 State prisoners were under age 18 on
December 31, 1997, up from 2,300 at yearend 1985 (table 1). 
These figures reflect the estimated 1-day count of persons under
18 in custody of State prison authorities.  As a percentage of
all inmates, State prisoners under age 18 have consistently
represented about  0.5% of the State prison population since the
mid-1980's.  The total State prison population increased from
about 451,800 inmates at yearend 1985 to 1,075,000 at yearend
1997. 

Prison admissions rose 7% per year among persons under age 18 

New admissions (or new court commitments) of offenders under age
18 increased from 3,400 in 1985 to an estimated 7,400 persons in
1997, representing an annual increase of about 7% per year
(figure 1).  The number of persons admitted under 18 peaked at
7,600 in 1995, then decreased slightly during 1996 and 1997.

Box
Nearly three-fourths of State inmates under age 18 were black or
Hispanic  

                         State prison inmates inmate
                                           Age 18 or
Characteristic           Under  18         older
 
Gender
Male                        92 %              94%
Female                       8                 6
 
Race/Hispanic origin
White*                      19 %              34%
Black*                      60                46
Hispanic                    13                17
Other                        8                 3
 
Most serious offense
Violent offenses            69 %              47%
Murder/nonnegligent 
   manslaughter             13                13
Rape/sexual assault          2                 9
Robbery                     37                14
Assault                     13                 9
 
Property offenses           15 %              22%
Burglary                     8                11
Larceny                      5                 4
 
Drug offenses               11 %              21%
 
Public-order offenses        5 %              10%
 
*Excludes Hispanics.

The majority of State prisoners under age 18 were black or
Hispanic, according to the 1997 Survey of Inmates in State
Correctional Facilities.  An estimated 60% of the inmates under
18 were black, 19% were white, 13% were Hispanic, and 8% were
Asian or American Indian.   Most State inmates under age 18 were
male (92%).

About 7 in 10 State inmates under age 18 in 1997 were
incarcerated for a violent offense, including 37% for robbery,
13% for murder, and 13% for aggravated assault.  An additional
15% of inmates under 18 were confined for property crimes, 11%
for drug offenses, and 6% for public-order offenses.
End of box

On average, the increase in new admissions was greater among
persons under age 18 (up 7% per year) than for persons of all
ages entering  prison (up 5% per year).  The total number of
persons admitted to State prison as new court commitments rose 
from 183,100 in 1985 to 323,000 in 1990, and then increased more
slowly to 334,500 in 1997.  

The National Corrections Reporting Program (NCRP) generally
reports about 90% of all admissions.  The data presented in this
report were reestimated to reflect national totals for
admissions among persons under age 18.  (See Methodology for
details.)  To ensure greater comparability across jurisdictions,
cases in this analysis were restricted to offenders whose
sentence was greater than 1 year.  As a result of these
procedures, the estimates in this report differ from those
produced in the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Prevention's (OJJDP) Juvenile Victims and Offenders: 1999
National Report (NCJ 178257).

The number of persons under age 18 admitted for violent offenses
nearly tripled in 13 years

Violent offenses were the main component to the growth in
under-18 prison admissions between 1985 and 1997, representing
70% of the total increase.  During 1997, 4,510 persons under 18
were admitted to State prison for violent offenses, up from
about 1,730 in 1985 (table 2).  As a percentage of all persons
admitted under 18, violent admissions rose from 52% in 1985 to
61% in 1997.   

The largest increases among persons admitted under 18 were for
robbery and aggravated assault.  The number admitted for robbery
nearly tripled between 1985 and 1997 (from 930 to 2,360) and the
number admitted for aggravated assault increased more than
fourfold (from 230 to 1,060).  

The number of offenders under age 18 admitted to prison for drug
offenses increased twelvefold (from 70 to 840) between 1985 to
1997.  By 1997 drug offenders made up 11% of admissions among
persons under 18 compared to 2% in 1985.  In contrast, the
percentage admitted for property offenses decreased from 42% in
1985 to 22% in 1997.  This drop was largely a consequence of a
sharp decline in the percentage of offenders under 18 admitted
for burglary.  

In 1996, 9,160 persons under 18 were convicted of violent
felonies; nearly 4,200 were sent to prison

In 1996, the latest year for which felony conviction data are
available, nearly 138,500 persons ages 13 to 17 were arrested
for violent offenses, including murder, nonnegligent
manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, and
other sexual assault (table 3).  For comparable violent
offenses, State courts convicted more than 9,100 persons under
18 and State prisons admitted 4,180 persons under age 18.  The
majority of persons arrested under age 18 in 1996 were handled
in the juvenile justice system. 

Although data on individual cases tracked from time of arrest to
final disposition are not available for persons under age 18,
simple ratios of convictions to arrests and prison admissions to
convictions approximate the likelihood of conviction and
incarceration given an arrest.  These ratios suggest that of
persons under age 18 in criminal court, those arrested for
murder and robbery were the most likely to receive a prison
sentence.  

In 1996 for every 1,000 persons under age 18 arrested for
murder, there were 354 persons convicted of murder in State
court and 177 persons sentenced to prison.  For every 1,000
persons under age 18 arrested for robbery, there were 92
convicted of robbery and 48 sentenced to prison. These ratios
were substantially lower among other offense types.  

As aggregates these rates are not based on individual cases
tracked through the criminal system.  Persons  arrested for one
offense may be convicted of a different crime.  Cases initiated
in one year may be disposed of in subsequent years.  In
addition, persons arrested or convicted under 18 may not be
under 18 at the time of prison admission.    

State prison admissions grew faster than arrests

Between 1985 and 1997, the likelihood of incarceration relative
to arrests increased for persons under age 18 (table 4).  In
1997 an estimated 33 persons under 18 were admitted to State
prison for violent offenses for every 1,000 arrests, up from 18
per 1,000 violent arrests in 1985.

The number of admissions relative to arrests grew for murder,
sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and drug offenses
between 1985 and 1997.  In this period the number of admissions
per 1,000 arrests for robbery, drug offenses, and aggravated
assault more than doubled.  For every 1,000 arrests for robbery,
29 persons under age 18 entered prison in 1985 and 63 persons in
1997. For every 1,000 arrests for aggravated assault, 6 persons
under age 18 entered prison in 1985 and 16 persons in 1997. 
Among those under age 18 arrested for property offenses, the
likelihood of prison, lower than for violent offenses,
fluctuated across the 13 years.

Box
Nearly two-thirds of offenders admitted to State prison under
age 18 were sentenced for a violent offense compared to a third
of those ages 18-24

An estimated 111,100  offenders under age 25 were admitted to
State prison as new court commitments in 1997.  At the time of
admission, 51% were ages 21 to 24, 42% were 18 to 20, and 7%
were under 18. 

Persons admitted under 18 were more likely to be  black males
sentenced to prison for a violent offense, especially robbery
and aggravated assault (not shown in table).

Nearly 30% of offenders admitted under 18 in 1997 were black
males convicted of robbery or aggravated assault, compared to
16% of those ages 18 to 20 and 11% of persons 21 to 24.

               Persons admitted as new
               court commitments, 1997
             Under 18          18-20             21-24
 
Total         100 %             100 %             100 %
 
Gender
Male           97 %              96 %              94 %
Female          3                 4                 6
 
Race/Hispanic origin
White*         25 %              31 %              30 %
Black*         58                50                47
Hispanic       15                17                21
Other           2                 2                 2
 
Most serious offense
Violent        61 %              39 %              32 %
Property       21                30                28
Drug           11                22                31
Public-order    5                 7                 8
 
 
Note:  Includes only offenders with a sentence of more than 1 year.
Detail may not add to total due to rounding.
*Excludes Hispanics
End of box

Prison admissions more than doubled among male offenders 
under age 18

From 1985 to 1997, the number of black and white males admitted
under age 18 to State prison more than doubled (table 5).  In
1997, 4,300 black males under 18 entered State prison, compared
to 1,900 in 1985.  An increase in admissions for violent
offenses, largely robbery, from 1,180 to 2,730 was responsible
for 65% of the overall growth.  Increased admissions for drugs
accounted for another 25%.  
  
A similar pattern of growth in violent offenders existed for
white males under age 18.  The number of white males under age
18 admitted to State prison doubled between 1985 and 1997, from
1,300 to 2,600.  Admissions for violent offenses accounted for
73% of the total growth in admissions of young white males. 
Property offenses accounted for an additional 13% of the growth.
 
During 1985, an estimated 20 white males and 30 black males
under age 18 were admitted to State prison for drug offenses. 
In 1997 black males under age 18 outnumbered white males of the
same age by more than 5 to 1 (640 to 120 admissions for drug
offenses).

Nearly 6 out of 10 offenders admitted to State prison under age
18 were black

Fifty-eight percent of offenders admitted under 18 in 1997 were
black and 25% were white, representing a gradual change from
1990, when blacks comprised 61% of admissions and whites 21%
(table 6).  The racial characteristics of persons admitted under
18 had shifted more dramatically between 1985 and 1990.  During
this period the percentage of black admissions increased from
53% to 62%, and the percentage of whites fell from 32% to 21%. 
Hispanic admissions, as a proportion of all persons under age 18
entering State prison, have remained stable from 1985 to 1997. 
Two percent of persons admitted under age 18 in 1997 were Asian
or American Indian.  
 
Black offenders were more likely than offenders of other racial
groups to be admitted to prison for violent offenses.  For every
10 violent offenders admitted under age 18 in 1997, 6 were
black, 2 were white, and 2 were Hispanic.  Whites accounted for
more than half of property offenders admitted under age 18 in
1997.   

The vast majority of offenders admitted under age 18 were male,
with females representing about 3% of admissions in 1997.  Among
these young female offenders, 72% were sentenced to State prison
 for violent offenses, including 21% for assault, 33% for
robbery, and 9% for murder.

Age at admission decreased since the mid-1980's.  In 1997, 26%
of persons admitted under 18 were 16 or younger at time of
admission, including 5% who were under age 16.  In 1985 and
1990, 20% of offenders were 16 or younger at the time of
admission to prison.  

Nine out of ten offenders had not graduated from high school at
the time of admission.  Among persons admitted under 18 in 1997,
96% of blacks, 95% of Hispanics, and 90% of whites had not gone
beyond the 11th grade. 

Maximum sentences for violent offenders under age 18 were
shorter on average in 1997

Recent sentencing reforms are linked to reducing the difference
between the imposed sentence and the time actually served, and
to increasing time served (see Truth in Sentencing in State
Prisons. BJS Report, NCJ 170032).  The mean sentence length
imposed on offenders under 18 entering prison decreased from 86
months in 1985 to 82 months in 1997 (table 7).  However, the
projected minimum time expected to be served for persons under
18 increased between 1985 and 1997.  If parole eligibility
requirements, good-time credits, and early release policies are
taken into account, persons under 18 entering prison in 1997
were expected to serve a minimum of 44 months in prison, up from
35 months in 1985.

Among violent offenders entering prison under 18, sentences have
declined from an average of 109 months in 1985 to 98 months in
1997.  On average, violent offenders admitted under 18 in 1997
were expected to serve 12 months longer than those admitted in
1985 (or a minimum of 59 months versus 47 months).  
   
By offense, the largest monthly increase in average sentence
length between 1985 and 1997 was for murder offenders, up from
231 months to 244 months.  Offenders under 18 admitted to prison
for murder in 1997, without a life sentence, were expected to
serve 40 months longer than offenders admitted in 1985 (180
months versus 140 months).  

Overall, 3% of offenders admitted under age 18 in 1997 were
sentenced to life imprisonment.  Among those convicted of
murder/nonnegligent manslaughter, 32% were sentenced to life, 5%
were sentenced to life without parole, and 1% were sentenced to
death. 

The average sentence length for robbery offenders admitted under
18 declined from 89 months in 1985 to 85 months in 1997.  Yet,
the minimum time expected to be served for these offenders
increased 12 months over this time period, from 33 months to 45
months.  Among person under 18 sentenced for weapons offenses,
the average sentence length decreased 15 months between 1985 and
1997 (60 months to 45 months) but the minimum time to be served
increased from 22 months to 28 months.

Offenders under 18 admitted in 1997 for drug offenses were
sentenced to an average of 54 months in prison, a 7 month
decline from 1990.  These young offenders were expected to 
serve 4 months longer in 1997 than in 1990 (24 months versus 
20 months).  

A growing number of inmates released from prison had been
admitted under age 18 

In 1997 an estimated 9,300 inmates released from prison had been
admitted on their current sentence prior to their 18th birthday
(not shown in table).  This represented a 66% increase from
1985, when approximately 5,600 inmates were released from prison
who had been admitted under the age of 18.  Of persons released
from State prison in 1990, an estimated 6,500 had been admitted
on their current sentence while under age 18, an increase of 16%
from 1985.

Among persons admitted under 18, an increasing percentage are
released from prison unconditionally 

The percentage of offenders who had been admitted to prison
under 18 and  then released unconditionally grew from 1985 to
1997 (table 8).  Persons released unconditionally cannot be
returned to prison for any remaining portion of their current
sentence.  In 1997, 21% of offenders were released who had
served their entire prison sentence (or expired their sentence),
up from 17% in 1985.    

Among persons admitted under age 18 and exiting prison in 1997,
71% were released on a conditional basis, including 41% who were
released at the discretion of the parole board.  This
represented a decline from 1985, when 78% of comparable
offenders were released conditionally from State prison, 51% by
the parole board. 

Nearly half of prisoners released in 1997 were sentenced to
prison for a violent crime  

Among persons admitted to prison under age 18, sentences for
violent offenses accounted for 48% of persons released in 1997
and 58% of those released in 1985 (table 9).  The percentage of
drug offenders grew among released inmates, from 1% to 17%,
while the percentage of property offenders declined from 37% to
28%.  

Fifty-nine percent of persons admitted to prison under age 18
and released in 1997 were black, 21% were white, and 18% were of
Hispanic origin.   Compared to inmates released in 1985, the
proportion of whites decreased in the exiting population and the
proportion of Hispanics increased.  

Released violent offenders admitted under 18 had served 53% of
their sentences in 1997 and 46% in 1985

State prisoners admitted under age 18 and released for the first
time on their current offense in 1997, served on average 37
months, or 33 months in prison and 4 months in jail (table 10). 
This represented little change from prior years.  Offenders
admitted under 18 and released in 1990 served an average of 35
months, or 31 months in prison and 4 months in jail, while
comparable offenders released in 1985 served 37 months, 33
months in prison and 4 months in jail. 

The average total time served has fluctuated for violent
offenders under age 18.  Following an increase between 1985 to
1990 (44 months to 55 months), total time served for violent
offenders fell to 46 months for those released in 1997.  Only
violent offenders admitted under age 18 for murder/nonnegligent
manslaughter (69 months versus 106 months) and rape (63 months
versus 80 months) served appreciably longer sentences in 1997
than in 1985. 

The patterns of time served for nonviolent offenders differed
from that for violent offenders.  Between 1985 and 1997, the
average time served for property offenders increased from 26
months to 33 months.  The greatest increase among property
offenders, was for those sentenced for larceny/ theft who served
on average 18 months longer in 1997 than in 1985.  The average
total time served for drug offenses fell from 26 months in 1985
to 22 months in 1997.  

The proportion of the total sentence that offenders actually
served in jail and prison increased from 1985 to 1997.  Overall,
offenders admitted under 18 and released in 1997 served 50% of
their total maximum sentence compared to 46% in 1985.  During
this 13-year period, the proportion of the total sentence served
increased for both violent offenders (46% to 53%) and property
offenders (41% to 50%).  Drug offenders served the smallest
proportion of their given sentence, about 37% for those released
in 1997, up from 30% in 1990.  

Box
Persons under 18 admitted to facilities under contract to the
Federal Bureau of Prisons 

During fiscal year 1997, 189 persons under age 18 were admitted
to juvenile correctional facilities under contract to the
Federal Bureau of Prisons.  The Federal Bureau of Prisons does
not have its own facilities for persons under 18.  Half of these
offenders had been adjudicated delinquent for a violent offense
and nearly a third for a property offense.
 
Seventy-two percent of persons admitted under 18 were Native
Americans, 18% were white, 7% were black, and 3% were Asian. 
About 10% of persons admitted under 18 were of Hispanic origin. 
The majority of confined offenders were U.S. citizens (95%), 4%
were Mexican citizens, and 1% were citizens of Honduras or
Colombia.

                   Percent admitted
Characteristic     under 18
 
Gender
Male                   95 %
Female                  5
 
Race
White                  18 %
Black                   7
American Indian        72
Asian                   3
 
Hispanic origin
Hispanic               11 %
Non-Hispanic           89
 
Offense type
Violent                52 %
Property               31
Drug                    6
Public-order           11
 
Country of origin
United States          95 %
Mexico                  4
Other                   1
 
Number of
admissions            189
  
Source:  Bureau of Prisons, Sentry system data file, fiscal year
ending September 30, 1997
End of box

Box
Among persons under age 18, 78% expected to be released by age 21

Correctional officials report the minimum time to be served, an
estimate of how long prisoners are expected to remain in prison,
given their sentence and release policies.

Of persons under age 18 when admitted to State prison in 1997,
an estimated 8% were expected to be released before their 18th
birthday.  Over a third of the offenders were expected to be
release before age 19, and over three-fourths before age 22.
Overall, 93% of offenders admitted under 18 in 1997 would have
served their minimum sentence in State prison before reaching
age 28.
End of box

Box
State correctional systems differ in their housing and program
assignments of inmates under age 18

States correctional responses available for persons under 18 who
are sentenced to prison include straight adult incarceration,
graduated incarceration, and segregated incarceration.  The
description of State correctional responses was summarized from
State Responses to Serious and Violent Juvenile Crime (OJJDP,
1996).
   
Straight adult incarceration refers to persons under 18
incarcerated as adults with little differentiation in
programming between inmates.  Most States allow underage inmates
to be housed in State correctional facilities with other adult
offenders.  Six States (Arizona, Hawaii, Kentucky, Montana,
Tennessee, and West Virginia) require separate housing for State
inmates under age 18.  In North Dakota and California no person
under age 16 can be held in an adult prison.    

Graduated incarceration is employed in 12 States (Delaware,
Georgia, Maryland, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon,
Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, and West Virginia). Inmates
under 18 begin their sentences in a juvenile facility until they
reach a certain age (usually 18).  The offender can then be
transferred to an adult facility to serve the remainder of the
sentence, or, if the State chooses, can be released.  The
mechanism for transferring or releasing offenders varies across
States.  

Eight States (Florida, South Carolina, Colorado, Kentucky, New
Mexico, Wisconsin, California, and New York) apply segregated
incarceration assigning certain underage offenders to specific
facilities based on age and programming needs.  In Florida
persons under 18 convicted in criminal court can be sentenced to
the youthful offender program that separates ages 14-18 from
ages 19-24.  These programs offer youthful offenders specialized
educational, vocational, and life skills training, as well as
substance abuse treatment.
End of box

Methodology

Data sources  

National Corrections Reporting Program (NCRP)

This report presents data primarily from the NCRP, which
collects individual level data for persons admitted to and
released from State prison in each calendar year.  These data
cover prisoners admitted to or released from custody regardless
of the jurisdiction where the prisoner was sentenced.  The
analysis is limited to prisoners with a total sentence of more
than a year.    

The NCRP data sets are available from the National Archive of
Criminal Justice Data at the University of Michigan and can be
downloaded via the Internet.  A codebook, explanatory notes, and
sample SPSS and SAS database setup files are included with each
data set.  The data sets for 1983 through 1996 are also
available on a series of nine CD-ROM's.  

National Prisoner Statistics (NPS)

The NPS program obtains year-end and midyear counts of prisoners
from departments of correction in each of the 50 States, the
District of Columbia, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons.  In an
effort to collect comparable data from all jurisdictions,
National Prisoner Statistics (NPS) distinguishes prisoners in
custody from those under State jurisdiction.  To have custody of
a prisoner, a State must hold that person in one of its
facilities.  Excluded from NPS counts are persons confined in
locally administered confinement facilities who are under the
jurisdiction of local authorities.  

Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities (SISCF)

The SISCF, conducted every 5 to 6  years, provides data on the
individual characteristics of prison inmates.  Based on
scientifically selected samples of facilities and of inmates
held in them, these surveys provide information unavailable from
any other source.  For this report, information on the sex,
race/Hispanic origin, and most serious offense of persons under
age 18 was drawn from the 1997 survey.

Annual Survey of Jails (ASJ) 

The ASJ collects information on the number of inmates held in
local jails.  Prior to 1994, jail inmate counts include only
persons under 18 defined by State statute as juveniles and
subject initially to juvenile court jurisdiction.  In 1994 the
definition was changed to include all persons under age 18.  

National Judicial Reporting Program (NJRP)  

The NJRP is a biennial survey largely based on court and
prosecutors' records.  It compiles information on the number and
characteristics of persons convicted of a felony in State
criminal courts nationwide.  

Estimation procedures 

Estimating State prison admissions and releases

The NCRP generally reports over 90% of all State prison
admissions and releases.  In order to account for differences in
State participation and data reported and to draw year-to-year
comparisons, national totals were estimated for each year. 
These figures were estimated by multiplying the proportion of
new court commitments under age 18 reported in NCRP in each year
by the total number of new court commitments with a sentence of
more than 1 year (as reported in NPS).  To obtain
offense-specific estimates, the offense distribution of persons
admitted under age 18 was multiplied by the estimated number of
new court commitments under 18 for each year. 
 
To obtain national estimates for persons admitted under 18 by
race and gender, the proportion of male admissions under 18 by
race (NCRP) was multiplied by the total number of black and
white males admitted to State prison as new court commitments
(see table 1.20 in Correctional Populations in the United
States, 1996, NCJ 170013). 

To obtain national estimates for prison releases by age at
admission, the proportion of persons admitted under 18 in each
release year (NCRP) was multiplied by the total number of
releases with a sentence of more than 1 year (NPS).  Releases
excluded escapees, AWOL's, and transfers.

Estimating persons under 18 in State prison 

To calculate the number of persons under 18 in custody of State
prison authorities at yearend, the total number of State inmates
in custody (from NPS) was multiplied by the proportion of State
inmates under age 18 (from SISCF, 1986, 1991, 1997).  State
prison custody number for 1990 and 1995 were based on the Census
of State and Federal Correctional Facilities.

Estimating arrests of persons ages 13 to 17 from the FBI's
Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) 

To account for law enforcement agencies that did not report to
the UCR, among reporting agencies and for each Index offense,
the proportion of arrests of persons ages 13-17 to all arrests
for was calculated.  This proportion was then multiplied by the
FBI's nationally estimated number of arrests per offense, which
considers reporting and nonreporting agencies. 

Estimating State court conviction offenses for persons under age
18 

To account for cases in which the defendant's age at arrest was
unknown, the offense distribution for offenders under age 18 at 
the time of arrest, conviction, or sentencing was calculated. 
Then a national total for persons under 18 convicted in State
courts was generated (29,000 persons), which included an
adjustment for missing data from New York.  This readjusted
national total was multiplied by the distribution of conviction
offenses known for 21,000 persons under 18.    

References

Correctional Populations in the United States, 1995, BJS report,
NCJ 163916, May 1997.  

Correctional Populations in the United States, 1996, BJS report,
NCJ 170013, April 1999.

Crime in the United States, published annually 1985 - 97. FBI,
Uniform Crime Reports.

Juvenile Felony Defendants in Criminal Courts, BJS Special
Report, NCJ 165815, September 1998.

Juveniles Prosecuted in State Criminal Courts, BJS Special
Report, NCJ 164265, March 1997.

Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 1998, BJS Bulletin, NCJ
173414, March 1999.

Juvenile Arrests 1997. OJJDP, NCJ 173938, July 1999.

State Legislative Responses to Violent Juvenile Crime: 1996-97
Update. OJJDP, NCJ 172835, November 1998.

State Responses to Serious and Violent Juvenile Crime. OJJDP,
NCJ 161565, July 1996. 

Truth in Sentencing in State Prisons. BJS Special Report, NCJ
170032.  January 1999.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics is the statistical agency of
the 
U.S. Department of Justice.  Jan M. Chaiken, Ph.D., is director.

BJS Special Reports address a specific topic in depth from one
or more datasets that cover many topics.

Kevin J. Strom wrote this report under the supervision of Allen
J. Beck and Steven K. Smith.  Howard Snyder and Melissa Sickmund
from the National Center for Juvenile Justice provided
assistance and helpful comments, while Joseph Moone of OJJDP
supplied analysis on juvenile facility statistics.  At BJS,
Paula Ditton provided statistical assistance and review.  Tom
Hester and Tina Dorsey edited the report.  Jayne Robinson
prepared the report for publication.

February 2000, NCJ 176989

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