Tables prepared by

Matthew R. Durose Christopher J. Mumola

BJS Statistician BJS Policy Analyst

This report provides a description of the general

characteristics of prison populations serving time for

nonviolent crimes as they exit State prisons. Nonviolent crimes are defined as property, drug, and public

order offenses which do not involve a threat of harm

or an actual attack upon a victim. Typically, the most

frequently identified nonviolent crimes involve drug

trafficking, drug possession, burglary, and larceny.

To conduct this analysis, BJS utilized data collected

under two statistical programs — the National Recidivism Reporting Program which last collected data on

those discharged from prisons in 15 States in 1994

and the Survey of Inmates in State Correctional

Facilities last conducted in 1997. The survey was

based on a nationally representative sample of

inmates. This report examines the responses of

inmates who indicated to interviewers that they 

expected to be released within 6 months. 

Offense Characteristics of Nonviolent 

Prison Releasees

• About 3 out of 4 inmates leaving State prisons had

been convicted of a nonviolent crime (table 1).

Property offenders and drug offenders each

accounted for about a third of those exiting prisons.

• The single largest offense category of nonviolent

offenders discharged from prisons was drug trafficking, accounting for nearly 1 in 5 nonviolent releasees

(table 2).

Demographic Characteristics 

of Nonviolent Prison Releasees

• An estimated 9 of 10 nonviolent offenders

discharged from prison were male and about

two-thirds were under age 34 (tables 3, 4).

• Overall, about two-thirds of nonviolent releasees

were racial or ethnic minorities.

• Just over 4 in 10 released nonviolent prisoners had

less than a high school education and an additional 

1 in 4 had received a GED.

• Nearly two-thirds of nonviolent offenders discharged

from prisons indicated they had been using illegal

drugs in the month preceding the commitment

offense and about 4 in 10 reported using drugs 

at the time of the offense (table 5).

 • About 1 in 4 nonviolent releasees were alcohol

dependent prior to imprisonment, and a third were

using alcohol at the time of the offense.

Criminal History Characteristics of Nonviolent

Prison Releasees

• An estimated 95% of nonviolent releasees had an

arrest history preceding the arrest which resulted in

their imprisonment (table 6).

• More than 80% of those nonviolent offenders

released from prison have a prior conviction history.

• On average, the RAP sheets of nonviolent offenders

discharged from prison indicated 9.3 prior arrests and

4.1 prior convictions.

• Among nonviolent offenders, about a third had a

history of arrests for violent crimes. One in five had a

self-reported history of convictions for violence (table

7).

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Fact Sheet

U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs 

Profile of Nonviolent

Offenders Exiting State Prisons

 October 2004, NCJ 207081
• On average, nonviolent offenders discharged had

received a sentence of about 52 months and had

served an average of 16 months, about a third of their

sentence, prior to discharge (table 8).

• About 8% of nonviolent offenders used a weapon

during the current offense (table 9).

• In the aggregate, nonviolent offenders awaiting

release from prison were largely serious offenders as

indicated by several criteria. An estimated 88% of

these offenders reported one of the following: 

— use of a weapon in the current offense (8%)

— a prior violent conviction (22%)

— committing the current offense while 

on probation, parole, or escape (64%)

— two or more prior sentences (65%).

Recidivism of Nonviolent Prison Releasees

• Within 3 years of their release from prison, about 7

in 10 nonviolent releasees were rearrested for a new

crime; nearly half were reconvicted; and more than 

a quarter were returned to prison (table 10).

• Among nonviolent releasees, about 1 in 5 were

rearrested for a violent crime within 3 years of

discharge (table 11).

2 Profile of Nonviolent Offenders Exiting State Prisons

Source: BJS, Recidivism of Prisoners Released in 1994.

Other offenses 4,626 1.7

Public-order offenses 26,395 9.7

Drug offenses 88,708 32.6

Property offenses 91,157 33.5

Nonviolent offenses 210,886 77.5%

Violent offenses 61,225 22.5%

All offenses 272,111 100%

was serving a sentence Number Percent

Offense for which inmate Released offenders

Table 1. Offenders released in 1994 from prisons 

in 15 States

*Excludes persons of Hispanic origin.

Source: BJS, Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities, 1997.

Some college 14.1

High school graduate 17.4

GED 26.2

Some high school 34.0

8th grade or less 8.3%

Education

Other* 2.9

Hispanic 16.9

Black* 45.9

White* 34.3%

Race/Hispanic origin

55 or older 1.6

45-54 7.5

35-44 29.6

25-34 42.3

24 or younger 18.9%

Age

Female 11.4

Male 88.6%

Gender

Percent of nonviolent 

State prisoners expecting 

Characteristic release within 6 months

Table 3. Characteristics of nonviolent offenders 

expecting release from State prison, 1997

Source: BJS, Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities, 1997.

Other public-order offenses 5.2

Driving while intoxicated 4.2

Violation of probation/parole 8.4

Weapons 4.7

Public-order offenses 22.5%

Other drug offenses 1.0

Trafficking 18.3

Possession 17.5

Drug offenses 36.8%

Other property 1.4

Stolen property 3.3

Fraud 6.2

Arson 1.0

Auto theft 3.6

Larceny 10.1

Burglary 15.0

Property offenses 40.6%

Percent of nonviolent 

State prisoners expecting 

release within 6 months

Current nonviolent 

offense

Table 2. Current offense of nonviolent offenders expecting

release from State prison, 1997
 

 Profile of Nonviolent Offenders Exiting State Prisons 3

Source: BJS, Recidivism of Prisoners Released in 1994.

Percent with at least 1 prior prison sentence 46.2%

Median number 3.0

Mean number of prior convictions 4.1

Any violent crime 10.2%

Any crime 84.3%

Percent with at least 1 prior conviction for —

Prior conviction

Median number 7.0

Mean number of prior arrests 9.3

Any violent crime 31.4%

Any crime 94.5%

Percent with at least 1 prior arrest for —

Prior arrest

Prior to the nonviolent offense for which the offender 

had served time and was released from State prison

Table 6. Prior criminal record of nonviolent offenders

released in 1994 from prisons in 15 States

Source: BJS, Recidivism of Prisoners Released in

1994.

45 or older 7.3

40-44 9.4

35-39 16.5

30-34 23.4

25-29 23.0

18-24 20.1

14-17 0.3%

Age at release

Non-Hispanic 75.3

Hispanic 24.7%

Hispanic origin

Other 1.0

Black 47.9

White 51.1%

Race

Female 9.7

Male 90.3%

Gender

Total 100%

 Percent of released

Characteristic nonviolent offenders

Table 4. Profile of nonviolent offenders

released in 1994 from prisons in 15 States

Source: BJS, Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities, 1997.

55.1%

Used either alcohol or drugs 

at time of offense

33.5

Used alcohol at time 

of the offense

26.7%

Reported indicators of 

alcohol dependence

Alcohol

At time of the offense 36.8

In the month before the offense 62.2%

Used drugs

Drugs

Percent of nonviolent 

State prisoners expecting 

release within 6 months

Table 5. Drug and alcohol abuse of nonviolent offenders

expecting release from State prison, 1997

Source: BJS, Recidivism of Prisoners Released in 1994.

nonviolent offenders 210,886

Number of released

33.4%

Percent of sentence

served before release

Median 11.3

Mean 16.1 months

Time served 

before release

Median 39.2

Mean 51.6 months

Sentence length

Percent of released 

nonviolent offenders

Characteristic

of prison sentence

Table 8. Sentence and time served of nonviolent offenders

released in 1994 from prisons in 15 States

Source: BJS, Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities, 1997.

5 or more 8.3

4 14.4

3 27.4

2 15.3

1 15.7

0 18.9%

Number of prior sentences to 

incarceration or probation

No prior convictions 18.8

None violent 59.0

At least 1 violent 22.2%

Prior convictions

Criminal history

Percent of nonviolent State 

prisoners expecting release 

within 6 months

Table 7. Criminal history of nonviolent offenders 

expecting release from State prison, 1997
4 Profile of Nonviolent Offenders Exiting State Prisons

Source: BJS, Recidivism of Prisoners Released in 1994.

3 years 69.1 48.4 26.7

2 years 61.0 38.4 19.9

1 year 45.8 22.9 11.1

6 months 31.1% 11.1% 5.3%

release Rearrested Reconvicted new sentence

Returned to

Time after prison with

Cumulative percent of released nonviolent

offenders who were —

Table 10. Recidivism rates of nonviolent offenders

released in 1994 from prisons in 15 States, by time after

release

Note: Percentages do not sum to 100 because some

offenders were rearrested for more than one type 

of offense.

Source: BJS, Recidivism of Prisoners Released in 1994.

Public-order offenses 28.6

Drug offenses 32.6

Property offenses 33.7

Violent offenses 19.9

All charges 69.1%

Rearrest charge within 3 years

Percent

rearrested

Table 11. Rearrest rates of the 210,886

nonviolent offenders released in 1994 

from prisons in 15 States, by charge 

at rearrest

Source: BJS, Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities, 1997.

Public-order offenses 19.5 26.5 67.5 70.0 100.0

Drug offenses 7.6 19.0 58.7 61.1 82.2

Property offenses 3.4 22.8 65.8 66.8 88.2

 All nonviolent offenses 8.4% 22.2% 63.6% 65.4% 88.4%

Any 

"serious offender"

indicator

Multiple 

prior

sentences

On probation/

parole/escape 

at time of offense

Prior violent

conviction

Used weapon

in current

offense

Type of

current offense

Percent of nonviolent State prisoners expecting release within 6 months

Table 9. "Serious offender" indicators of nonviolent offenders expecting release 

from State prison, by type of current offense, 1997