U. S. Department of Justice 

Bureau of Justice Statistics 

Historical Corrections 

Statistics in the 

United States, 

1850- 1984 
U.S. Department of Justice 


Bureau of Justice Statistics 


Historical Corrections 

Statistics in the 

United States, 

1850- 1984 

BY 

Margaret Werner Cahalan 

with the assistance of 

Lee Anne Parsons 

Westat, Inc. 

Rockville, Md. 

NCJ - 102529 


December 1986 

U.S. Department of Justice 

Bureau of Justice Statistics 

Steven R. Schlesinger 

Director 

Joseph M. Bessette 

Deputy Director 

Benjamin H. Renshaw 

Deputy Director 

Report of work performed by Westat, Inc. 

This report was supported by grant number 84-BJ-CX-005, 

awarded to Westat, Inc., Rockville, Md., by the Bureau of 

Justice Statistics under the Omnibus Control and Safe Streets 

Act of 2968, as amended. 

Points of view or opinions stated in this document are those 

of the author and do not necessarily represent the official 

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. 

BJS authorizes any person to reproduce, publish, translate, or 

otherwise use all or any part of the copyrighted material in 

this publication, with the exception of those items indicating 

that they are copyrighted or reprinted by permission of any 

source other than Westat, Inc. 
Copyright " 1986 by Margaret Cahalan and Lee Parsons 

Ths report. or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form 

without permission or the authors. Copyrighted material used 

in this report is done so by permission. Further reproduction 

is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

This report was prepared under Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) Data Analysis Program, Grant 

Number 84-BJ-CX-0005. I would especially like to thank David Hinners of BJS who served as 

Project Monitor and provided valuable suggestions, access to unpublished data, helpful review 

of the work, and firm patience and encouragement. I would also like to thank Patrick Langan, 

and Lawrence Greenfeld of BJS for overall review and additional information on available 

reports. Barbara Allen-Hagen of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention 

(OJJDP) and Melissa Sickman of BJS carefully reviewed and provided suggestions for 

clarification and improvement of the chapter on juvenile facilities. 

Lee Parsons had the major responsibility for table preparation. Jody Klein and Scotty Fallah 

also worked on preparation of the tables. The tables were typed by Donna Williams, Debby 

McMurray, Eleanor Austin, and Rebecca Downes. Heather Banks and Judy Padilla provided 

much needed editing of the manuscript and tables. 

I was fortunate to have the support of Westat Vice Presidents Lance Hodes and Dave Bayless, 

both of whom provided extra encouragement and corporate resources for project completion. 

I would like to express sincere appreciation for the assistance pro\ided by all these people in the 

preparation of this report. 

I would also like to thank the American Correctional Association for permission to include their 

tables on military prisons; Northeastern University Press for permission to include information 

on capital punishment from the work Lena1 Homicide by Bowers, Pierce, and McDevitt; and 

Donne11 Pappenfort, Tom Young, and Chris Marlow for permission to use information from the 

University of Chicago School of Social Services Administration's National Survey of Residential 

Group Care Facilities. Tables included from these sources are printed by permission and are 

not to be printed elsewhere without permission of the authors or publishers. 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 


I. INTRODUCTION 

The Census Bureau, 1 

Institutional Population Series, 1 

Early Census Institutional Population 

Reports (1 850- 1890), 1 

Census Institutional Population 

Reports of 1904- 1933 (Separate 

Reports), 2 

Census Institutional Population 

Reports of 1940- 1980 (Combined 

Reports), 3 

Prisoners in State and Federal 

Prisons and Reformatories Series: 

1926-1946, 4 

Judicial Criminal Statistics, 4 

Health, Education, and Welfare, 5 

The Office of Education, 5 

The U.S. Children's Bureau, 5 

The Justice Department, 5 

The Federal Bureau of Prisons, 5 

Annual Report of the Attorney 

General of the United 

States, 6 

Report of the Work of the 

Federal Bureau of Prisons, 6 

Bureau of Prisons Statistical 

Report, 6 

Prisoners in State and Federal 

Prisons and Reformatories, 6 

The Law Enforcement Assistance 

Administration (LEAA)/National 

Criminal Justice Information and 

Statistics Service (NCJISS), 7 

National Prisoner Statistics, 7 

The Jail Reports, 7 

Children in Custody, 7 

Parole and Probation Statistics, 7 

The Bureau of Justice Statistics, 8 

Structure of the Report, 8 

11. CAPITAL PUNISHMENT STATISTICS 

Executions, 9 

The Legal Status of the Death 

Penalty, 12 

Regional Comparisons, 12 

Number Received Under Sentence of 

Death, 17 

Removals fro,m the Sentence of 

Death, 17 

Executions by the Military, by the 

Federal Government, and of 

Women, 22 

111. 	 STATE AND FEDERAL PRISON 

STATISTICS 

Summary of Statistics, 27 

Persons Present and Received in 

State and Federal Prisons and 

Reformatories, 27 

Numbers Received, 31 

Sentences, 31 

Offense Distribution of State and 

Federal Prisoners, 44 

Type of Release, 49 

Time Served Before Release, 49 

Prior Commitments and Recidivism, 53 

Demographic and Other Characteristics of State and Federal 

Prisoners, 64 

Facilities and Staff, 64 

IV. JAIL STATISTICS 

Overview of Reports Available, 73 

Census Bureau Reports, 73 

The Law Enforcement Assistance 

Administration and Bureau of 

Justice Statistics Reports, 74 

Summary of National Jail Statistics, 74 

Number of Persons Present in Jails: 

1880-1983, 74 

The Relative Use of Jails and the 

Adjudication Status of Those 

Present, 75 

Jail Commitments and Admissions, 75 

Type and Length of Sentence, 83 

Offense Distribution of Jail 

Inmates, 83 

Data on Release (Type of Release 

and Time Served), 88 

Characteristics of Jail Prisoners, 88 

Prior Commitments, 92 

The Number of Jails, 92 

Characteristics of Jails and Jail 

Inmates as Reported in the 

Surveys of the 1970's and 

1980's, 95 

V. 	 STATISTICS OF INSTITUTIONS FOR 

JUVENILE DELINQUENTS 

Overview of Available Data, 101 

Barnard and the Bureau of 

Education Reports, 101 
TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) 

The Census Bureau Reports, 102 


The U.S. Children's Bureau, 103 


The Children in Custody Re-


ports, 103 


The National Survey of Residential 


Group Care Facilities, 103 


Summary of National Statistics on 


Juvenile Correctional Facilities, 103 


The Number and Rate per 100,000 


Present, 103 


Comparison of Early Series, 107 


Comparison of Recent Studies, 107 


A Note on the Number of 


Facilities, 112 


Location of Juveniles in Correctional 


Facilities, 112 


Commitments to Juvenile Facil-


ities, 117 


Type and Length of Sentence, 117 


Offense Information, 120 


Length of Stay and Type of 


Release, 120 


Additional Characteristics of the 


Youth Present and of the 


Facilities, 128 


VI. FEDERAL PRISON STATISTICS 

Justice Department Statistics on Federal 


Prisoners, 143 


Persons Present and Received Under 


Federal Jurisdiction, 144 


Federal Prisoners in Jails, 144 


Offense Distribution, 151 


Sentence and Length of Time 


Served, 160 


Type of Release, 160 


Recidivism, 160 


Demographic Characteristics, 167 


VII. 	 PAROLE AND PROBATION 

STATISTICS 

The Legislative Spread of Parole and 


Probation, 169 


Use of Parole as a Method of 


Release, 172 


The Use of Probation, 172 


The Numbers Present on Probation and 


Parole, 172 


Organization and Caseload Size, 177 


Length of Parole, 177 


Parole Outcome, 177 


VIII. 	 COMBINED INFORhlATION ON 

INCARCERATION 

Those Present on the Day of the 


Survey, 191 


The Possibility of Undercounts in the 


1923 Census, 191 


Military Prisoners, 199 


Relative Use, 199 


Offense Distribution, 199 


Characteristics, 202 


APPENDIX A. A SUMMARY OF 

INSTITUTIONALIZATION RATES AS 

REPORTEDBYTHECENSUS 

BUREAU 

Data Sources, 207 


1850- 1950, 207 


1904 to 1933, 209 


1940 to 1980, 209 


APPENDIX B. PERSONS EXECUTED 

UNDER STATE AUTHORITY BY 

STATE BY DECADE 

APPENDIX C. MILITARY PRISON 

TABLES 

APPENDIX D. SOURCES 

Government Sources of Corrections 


Statistics, 135 


Non-Government Sources Used, 244 


APPENDIX E. SOME THOUGHTS 

ABOUT CURRENT STATISTICS 
TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) 

List of Tables 

Executions per Decade Under Civil 

Authority and Illegal Lynchings: 

1890- 1984, 10 

Illegal Lynchings by Race and 

Offense by Decade: 1880-1962, 11 

Abolition of the Death Penalty by 

Jurisdiction in the United States by 

the Time of Furman Decision, 13 

Regional Comparison of Total Persons Executed Under State Authority 

by Decade: 1890-1983, 14 

Regional Comparison of Nonwhite 

Persons Executed Under State 

Authority by Decade: 1890-1984, 15 

Illegal Lynchings by State and Race: 

1882- 1962, 16 

Number of Persons Received Under 

Sentence of Death: 1904-1984, 18 

Number Present Under Sentence of 

Death on Day of the Survey by Sex, 

Race, Offense, Age, and Elapsed 

Time for Years in Which Data Are 

Available: 1880- 1984, 19 

Offenses of Those Received Under 

Sentence of Death: 1961-1981, 20 

Persons Removed from Sentence of 

Death Other Than by Execution: 

1960-1984, 21 

Executions by Military: 1930-

1983, 23 

Federal Executions in the United 

States, by Year, Offense, Race, and 

State: 1930- 1963, 24 

Women Executed Under Civil 

Authority in the United States, by 

Year, Offense, Race, and State: 

1930- 1962, 25 

Earliest Census Data on Prisons: 

1850- 1870, 28 

Persons Present in State and Federal 

Prisons on the Day of Survey, 

Census Data: 1880-1980, 29 

Persons Present per 100,000 U.S. 

Population in State and Federal 

Prisons and Reformatories by Region 

and State, Census Data: 1880-

1980, 30 

Number of Persons Present and Rate 

per 100,000 U.S. Population in State 

and Federal Prisons and Reformatories by State and Region, Justice 

Data: 1950-1984, 32 

Comparison Census and Justice Figures for Number Reported Present 

in State and Federal Correctional 

Facilities, Available Years: 1950-

1984, 33 

Rate per 100,000 Population and 

Rate per 100,000 Aged 20-44 Present in State and Federal Prisons and 

Reformatories by Decade: 1880-

1983, Summary Table, 34 

Number and Rate per 100,000 

Population of Sentenced Prisoners in 

State and Federal Institutions: 1925- 

1982, 35 

Number and Rate per 100,000 of 

State and Federal Prisoners Received 

from Court: 1904-1983, 36 

Number of Prisoners Received from 

Court in State and Federal Prisons 

and Reformatories by State by 

Decade: 1904- 1980, 37 
TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) 


List of Tables (continued) 


Rate per 100,000 Population of 

Prisoners Received from Court in 

State and Federal Prisons and 

Reformatories by State by Decade: 

1904- 1980, 38 

Percentage Having Sentence of 1 

Year or Longer by Place Found: 

1880. 39 

Average Sentence in Years for Total 

in Prison and Jails by Sex, Region, 

Race, Nativity, and Offense: 

1890, 39 

Percentage Which Commitments 

Under Indeterminate Sentence Were 

of Total Commitments: 1923 and 

1910, 41 

Use of Definite vs. Indeterminate 

Sentences by Sex for State and Federal Prisoners Received: 1926-

1960, 41 

h4edian Sentence in Months by 

Offense and Sentence Type of 

Prisoners Received for Selected 

Years: 1923-1960. 42 

Median Sentence in Months by 

Offense for Selected Years, Prisoners 

Received: 1923- 198 1. 43 

Percentage Distribution of Offenses 

of Prisoners Received During Given 

Year in State and Federal Prisons 

and Reformatories: 19 10- 198 1, 45 

Percentage Distribution of Offenses 

Reported for Prisoners Received in 

State Prisons and Reformatories 

During Selected Years: 1923-

1981, 46 

Percentage Distribution of Offenses 

Reported for Inmates Present on a 

Given Day in State and Federal 

Prisons: 1923 and 1974, 47 

3-20 Percentage Distribution of Offenses 

Reported for Persons Present in State 

Prisons: 1960, 1974, and 1979, 48 

3-21 Type of Release of Prisoners in State 

and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 1923- 1982, 50 

3-22 Average Duration of Stay on Day of 

Survey by Place of Incarceration as 

Reported by Census: 1880, 51 

3-23 Comparison Average Time Served 

With Median Time Served in 

Months, Selected Years: 1923-

1960. 52 

3-24 	 Median Months Served in State 

Prisons and Reformatories by State 

by Type of Release, Selected Years: 

1923-1982, 54 

3-25 	 Median Months Served in State and 

Federal Prisons and Reformatories 

by Offense by Type of Release, 

Selected Years: 1923- 1982, 58 

3-20 	 Median Time Served in Months by 

Sex for Selected Offenses: 1923, 60 

3-27 	 Median Time Served in Months by 

First Releases on Sentences From 

State Institutions by Region, Race, 

and Offense: 1952, 60 

3-28 	 Median Time Served in Months in 

State Institutions by Offense by 

Race: 1937, 1952, and 1964, 61 

3-29 	 Prior Commitment Data, Selected 

Years: 1890- 1938, 62 

3-30A 	Prior Conviction History at Time of 

Entry to State Prison in 1979, 63 

3-30B 	 Percentage of Releases Returned to 

Prison, by State, Year of Release, 

and Follow-up Peri3d, 63 
TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) 


List of Tables (continued) 


Characteristics of Persons in State 


and Federal Prisons, Institutional 


Population Census Data: 1910-


1980, 65 


Characteristics of Prisoners Received 


in State and Federal Prisons and 


Reformatories by Age, Sex, and 


Race: 1910- 1982, 66 


Characteristics of Those Committed 


to State and Federal Prisons in First 


6 Months of 1923, 67 


Profile of State Prison Admissions: 


1979, 68 


Number of Federal and State Institu- 


tions Reported by Census Bureau 


and Justice Department, Selected 


Years: 1890- 1982/83, 69 


Staff of State and Federal Prisons 


and Reformatories: 1926-1958, 70 


Inmate-Staff Ratio by State, Federal 


and State Prisons and Reformatories: 


1926-1958, 71 


Number of Staff and Inmate-Staff 


Ratio in State Prisons and 


Reformatories, by State: 197 1 -


1979, 72 


Total Number of Jail Inmates by 


State: 1880-1983. 76 


Jail Inmates by State per 100,000 


Population: 1880- 1983, 77 


Number and Rate per 100,000 


Population for Sentenced Jail 


Prisoners Present by Region and 


State: 1910-1970. 78 


Place of Incarceration of Persons 


Reported Present on a Given Day 


During the Year: 1880, 1933, 1970, 


1983, 79 


Adjudication Status of Jail Inmates, 


Available Years: 1880- 1983. 80 


Admissions and Releases for the 


Annual Period Ending June 30, 


1983, by Legal Status, Sex, and 


Region, 81 


Jail Commitments Under Sentence 


by Type of Sentence: 1910-1933, 82 


Number and Rate per 100,000 Jail 


Commitments Under Sentence by 


Region: 1923 and 1933; and Jail 


Commitments by Type of Sentence 


and Region: 1923, 84 


Sentence Length by Offense for 


Those Persons Received in Jails 


Under Sentence of Imprisonment 


Only: 1923, 85 


Percentage Distribution of Offenses 


Reported for Sentenced Offenders 


Received in Jails in 1910, 1923, and 


1933, 86 


Percentage Distribution of Offenses 


Reported for Inmates Present in Jails 


on a Given Day: 1923, 1933, 1972, 


and 1978, 87 


Percentage Distribution of Prisoners 


Released by Type of Release and 


Type of Sentence: 1923, 89 


Percentage Distribution of Time 


Served by Those Released From Jails 


by Offense: 1923, 89 


Median Time Served by Male 


Prisoners Discharged, by Color, 


Nativity, and Offense (Selected 


Offenses), by Regions: 1933, 90 


Characteristics of Persons in Jails: 


1910-1983, 91 

TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) 


List of Tables (continued) 


Country of Birth of Foreign-Born 


Persons Committed to Jails: 1923 


(Rate per 100,000 Population in 


Country) and 1933 (Percent of 


Total); Percentage Distribution of 


Commitments to Jails by Nativity 


and Race: 1923 and 1910; Persons 


Present in Jails by Nativity and Race 


1923. 93 


Percentage Distribution of Prior 


Commitments of Those Received 


Under Sentence in Jails: 1923, 94 


Jail Prisoners Received, by Offense 


and Previous Commitments: 


1933, 94 


Selected Jail Characteristics Reported 


by the 1970 Jail Census, 96 


Selected Jail Characteristics as 


Reported in 1972 Jail Survey, 97 


Selected Demographic and Prearrest 


Characteristics of Jail Inmates as 


Reported in the 1978 Jail Survey, 98 


Adult Inmates Held Because of 


Crowding at Other Facilities, by 


Type of Jurisdiction for Which Held, 


and Region, February 15, 1978 and 


June 30, 1983, 99 


Number of Inmates per Employee, 


by Occupational Category and Size 


of Facility, June 30, 1983, 99 


Number Present in Institutions for 


Juvenile Delinquents by State, 


Census Data: 1880- 1980, 104 


Persons Present in Facilities for 

Juvenile Delinquents per 100,000 

U.S. Population Aged 10-20 by 


State, Census Data: 1880- 1980, 105 


Average Daily Population Present 

and Rates per 100,000 U.S. Population Aged 10-20 in Public and Private Juvenile Correctional Facilities 

as Reported by Children in Custody: 

1979 and 1982, 106 


Comparison of Number of Facilities 


and Residents Present in Office of 


Education Reports of 1868, 1872, 


1880, 1890, 1904, 1910, and 1917 


with Census Report of 1880, 1890, 


1904, 1910, and 1923, 108 


Comparison of Number of Residents 


and Facilities Reported by Census 


(1960- 1980), University of Chicago 


(1966 and 1981), and Children in 


Custody (1974, 1979, and 1982), 109 


Comparison of Total Reported 


Present and Rate per 100,000 of 


Population Aged 15-19 as Reported 


in Census Bureau (1960- 1980), 


University of Chicago (1966 and 


1981), and Children in Custody 


(1974- 1982/83), 110 


Location of Juveniles in Correctional 


Facilities, Census Data: 1880, 1890, 


1923, 1960, 1970, 1980, 113 


Comparison by Race and by Region 


of Place of Commitment of Those 


Under 18: 1910, 113 


Location of Admissions of Juveniles 


to Correctional Facilities: 1904-


1923, 114 


Comparison of Number Present with 


Number Admitted: Selected Years 


1904-1982, 115 


Admissions and Departures from 


Public and Private Juvenile Correc- 


tional Facilities, Children in 


Custody: 1971-1982, 116 

TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) 


List of Tables (continued) 


5-12 Terms of Sentence as Reported 

Office of Education Report 

Reform Schools: 1868, 118 

in 

on 

5-13 Sentence Length and Type by Place 

of Commitment for Those Under 18: 

1910, 119 

5-14 Percentage Distribution by Term of 

Commitment of Juvenile Delinquents 

Received from Court by Sex and 

Selected Offenses and Reasons for 

Commitment: 1933, 119 

5- 15 Physical Environment and Custodial 

Status of Juvenile Present in Public 

and Private Juvenile Correctional 

Facilities: 1977- 1982183, 121 

5-16 Offenses Distribution of Those 

Present in Juvenile Facilities for 

1880, 1890, and 1910, 122 

5- 17 Percentage Distribution of Offense 

of Juveniles Committed to Juvenile 

Facilities: 1910 and 1933, 123 

5- 18 Reason Held for Juveniles Present in 

Public and Private Juvenile Correctional Facilities: 1977- 1982183, 124 

5- 19A Percentage Distribution of Offenses 

of Delinquents (Juveniles Only) 

Present in Public Juvenile Custody 

Facilities: 1982183, 125 

5-19B 	 Offenses of Delinquents in Private 

Juvenile Custody Facilities: 

1982/83, 126 

5-20 	 Information on Time in Care and 

Type of Release from Differing 

Sources: 1868, 1923, 1953-1967, 

1977- 1982, and 1966 and 1981, 127 

5-21 	 Reform Schools Included and 

Method of Release, Office of 

Education Report: 1868, 129 

Movement of Population in Public 

Institutions for Juvenile Delinquents 

by Sex: 1933, 129 

Number Present, Rate per 100,000 

Population Aged 15-19, Sex, Race, 

Nativity, and Age of Persons in 

Juvenile Correctional Facilities, 

Census Data: 1880- 1980, 130 

Summary of Statistics Reported to 

Office of Education Concerning 

Reform Schools: 1868, 131 

Summary of Data Reported by 

Office of Education Annual Reports: 

1868-1912, 131 

Characteristics of Persons Present in 

Correctional Facilities for Juveniles 

by Region: 1890, 132 

Selected Characteristics of Juvenile 

Delinquents Admitted to and 

Released from Institutions for 

Juvenile Delinquents: First 6 Months 

of 1923, 133 

Percentage Distribution by Previous 

Institutional or Probational History 

of Juvenile Delinquents Received 

from Courts by Race and Sex: 1933, 

134 

Percentage Distribution of Juvenile 

Delinquents Received from Courts 

According to Persons with Whom 

Living at Time of Commitment: 

1933, 134 

Characteristics of Public Juvenile 

Custody Residents, Children's 

Bureau Series: 1945- 1967, 136 

Demographic Characteristics of 

Juveniles Present in Public and 

Private Facilities for Juvenile 

Offenders, Children in Custody 

Series: 1971-1982183, 137 
TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) 


List of Tables (continued) 


Number of Juvenile Facilities 

Included in Surveys by Control, 

Type, and Survey Sponsor: 1880-

1982, 138 

Characteristics of Public Juvenile 

Custody Facilities, Children's Bureau 

Series: 1956- 1967, 139 

Physical Environment and Security 

Level of Public and Private Juvenile 

Correctional Facilities, Children in 

Custody Series: 1977-1982/83, 140 

Type of Facility, Staff, Per Capita 

Cost, and Occupancy Rate of Public 

and Private Juvenile Correctional 

Facilities, Children in Custody 

Reports: 1971-1982/83, 141 

Federal Prisoners Present: Selected 

Years 1886-1925, 145 

Average Population of Institutions 

Administered by the Federal Bureau 

of Prisons for Each Fiscal Year 

Ended June 30: 1896 to 1945, 145 

Average Number of Federal 

Prisoners (All Facilities) for Fiscal 

Years 1931- 1960, 146 

Population and Movement of 

Sentenced Prisoners in Federal 

Institutions, Fiscal Years 1935-

1970, 147 

Movement of Prisoners in Federal 

Institutions, Fiscal Years 197 1 

Through 1984, 148 

Federal Commitments to State and 

Federal Facilities: Selected Years 

1886-1933, 149 

Sentenced Federal Prisoners 

Received from Courts in Federal, 

State, and Local Facilities: 193 1 -

1960, 149 

Prisoners Received from Courts in 

Federal Institutions, Fiscal Years: 

1961-1984, 149 

Number and Rate per 100,000 U.S. 

Population of Persons Present and 

Received in Federal Institutions and 

Percent Federal of Total State and 

Federal Prisoners: Selected Years 

1910-1983, 150 

Percentage Distribution of Offenses 

for Total Federal Prisoners Received 

in State and Federal Facilities: 

Selected Years 1886- 1925, 152 

Proportion of Liquor Law Violators, 

Other "New" Offenders, Counterfeiters, and Other "Old" Offenders 

Among Court Commitments to 

Federal Institutions by Fiscal 

Periods: July 1, 1909 to June 30, 

1935. 153 

Percentage Distribution of Offenses 

of Sentenced Federal Prisoners 

Received in Federal, State, and 

Local Institutions: Selected Years 

1930-1960, 154 

Percentage Distribution of Offenses 

of Federal Sentenced Prisoners 

Received from Court into Federal 

Institutions: Selected Years 1970-

1984, 155 

Percentage Distribution of Offenses 

of Sentenced Federal Prisoners 

Received in Federal Institutions: 

Selected Years 1923- 1983. 156 

Percentage Distribution of Offenses 

of Those Present in Federal 

Facilities: Selected Years 1910-

1940, 157 
TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) 


List of Tables (continued) 


6- 13 	 Percentage Distribution of Offenses 

of Persons Present in Federal 

Facilities: Selected Years 1945-

1984. 158 

6-14A 	Percentage Distribution by Time 

Served for Principal Types of 

Discharges from Federal Institutions 

by Fiscal Years: July 1, 1930 to June 

30, 1933, 159 

6-14B 	 Average Time Served, by Type of 

Discharge for Jail Discharges, by 

Fiscal Years: Ju!y 1, 1930 to June 

30, 1933, 159 

6-14C 	 Average Time Served, by Offense, 

for Jail Discharges Each Fiscal Year: 

July 1, 1930 to June 30, 1933, 159 

6-15 	 Length of Sentence and Time Served 

by Offense. Parole Releases from 

Federal Institutions Together with 

Average Length of Sentence and 

Average Time Served for Male 

Parolees by Offense: Fiscal Year 

Ended June 30, 1940, 161 

6-16 	 Average Sentence Length in Months 

by Offense of First Release from 

Federal Institutions: Selected Years 

1955-i983, 162 

6-17 	 Average Time Served and Percent of 

Sentence Served for First Release 

from Federal Facilities by Offense: 

Selected Years 1955- 1983, 163 

6- 18 	 Percentage Distribution of Federal 

Prisoners' Type of Release from 

State and Federal Institutions: 

Selected Years 1895- 1925. 164 

6-19A 	Percentage Distribution of Type of 

Release of Federal Prisoners 

Released from State and Federal 

Institutions: Selected Years 193 1 -

1960, 164 

Percentage Distribution of Type of 

Release of Federal Prisoners 

Released from Federal Institutions 

Only: Selected Years 1935- 1960, 165 

Percentage Distribution of Type of 

Release of Federal Prisoners 

Released from Federal Institutions: 

Selected Years 1970- 1982, 165 

Recidivism of Federal Offenders 

Received from Court: Selected Years 

1895-1984, 166 

Sex, Nativity, Race, Marital Status, 

Age, Habit of Life, and Literacy of 

Federal Prisoners Received from 

Court: Selected Years 1886-

1960. 168 

The Extent to Which Parole Is Used 

in the States: 1936, 170 

Comparison of Extent of Parole with 

Type of Sentence (1936), 171 

Progress in Adoption of Adult 

Probation Statutes: 1878- 1938, 173 

States Having Suspension of Sentence 

Statutes Only: 1938, 173 

Defendants Placed on Probation or 

Given Suspended Sentence With or 

Without Supervision, by States: 

1935, 174 

Defendants Sentenced to Probation 

or Suspended Sentence, by Offense, 

in 30 States: 1935. 174 

Defendants Convicted and Sentenced, by Type of Sentence, by 

States: 1940, 175 

Movement of Paroled Prisoners, for 

a Selected Group of States: 

1931, 176 
TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) 


List of Tables (continued) 


Some Characteristics of Corrections 

in the United States: 1965, 178 

Some National Characteristics of 

Correction: 1965, 179 

Number of Adults and Juveniles 

Under Probation or Parole Supervision on September 1, 1976, by 

Sex, 180 

Number of Persons Under Probation 

or Parole Supervision on September 

1, 1976 Compared to the Number of 

Persons in Confinement (State and 

Local Governments Only), 180 

Comparison of the Sentenced Prison 

Population to the Probation and 

Parole Populations: 1979- 1983, 181 

The Combined Correctional Population: 1983. 181 

Estimated Adult Prison Releases and 

Parole Entries, State and Federal: 

1965, 1970, 1975 (By Region), 182 

Number of Persons Present on Parole 

and Rate per 100,000 of Population 

Aged 10-20: Selected Years 1976-

1983, 183 

Probation Population by State: 1977, 

1979, and 1983, 184 

Prisoners Released on Parole, by 

Kind of Supervision, for a Selected 

Group of States: 1931, 185 

Average Caseload in Probation and 


Parole: 1965, 185 


Number of State and Local Agencies 


Performing Probation or Parole 


Functions, by Level of Government, 


September 1, 1976, 186 


xvi 

Number and Percentage of State and 

Local Probation Agencies That 

Conducted Presentence Investigations 

During 1975 Distributed by Proportion of Agency Workload Accounted 

for by Investigations, 186 

Parole Periods Terminated, by 

Method of Termination, for a 

Selected Group of States: 1931, 187 

Length of Parole Periods Terminated 

by Final Discharge, for a Selected 

Group of States: 1931, 187 

Average Length of Parole Period by 

Region: 1965, 188 

Parole Outcome in First Year After 

Release for Males Paroled in 1969, 

1970, and 1971, United States, 189 

Total Persons and Rate per 100,000 

U.S. Population Reported Present in 

Adult and Juvenile Correctional 

Facilities: 1850-1983, 192 

Persons Reported Present on a Given 

Day During the Year in State and 

Federal Prisons, Jails, and Juvenile 

Facilities: 1880- 1983, 193 

Rate of Incarceration per 100,000 

Population in the Age Categories 

Most Represented in Correctional 

Institutions: 1880- 1982, 194 

Combined Totals of Persons Present 

in Local (Jails), State, and Federal 

Correctional Facilities by State: 

1880, 1890, 1950-1983, 195 

Combined Totals of Rates per 

100,000 Persons Present in Local, 

State, and Federal Correctional 

Facilities by State: 1880, 1890, 

1950-1983, 196 
TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) 


List of Tables (continued) 


Special Comparison 1910, 1922, and 

1923: Prisoners Reported Present 

and Number of Adult Institutions 

Included in the Census, 198 

Percentage Distribution of Offenses 

Reported for Jail, State, and Federal 

Inmates Present on a Given Day 

During the Year: Selected Years 

1880- 1972173, 200 

Percent Distribution of Offenses 

Reported for Jail, State, and Federal 

Inmates Received: 1910, 1923, 201 

Characteristics of Those Present in 

Prisons and Jails in 1890 by 

Region, 203 

Number and Rate of Institutionalized Persons as Counted by U.S. 

Census: 1850- 1890. 208 

Number and Rate of Institutionalized Persons as Counted by U.S. 

Census: 1904- 1933, 210 

Number and Rate of Persons Under 

Care: 1940- 1980, 212 

Persons Executed Under State 

Authority by State by Decade: 

1864-1984, 217 

Movement of Population in Principal 

Military and Naval Prisons: 

1933, 225 

Prisoners Received from Courts, by 

Length of Sentence and Offense, for 

Principal Military and Naval Prisons: 

1933, 225 

Prisoners Received from Courts, by 

Race and Nativity and by Age, for 

Principal Military and Naval Prisons: 

1933, 225 

Prisoners Discharged from Principal 

Military and Naval Prisons, by 

Method of Discharge and Offense, 

and by Time Served: 1933, 226 

Prisoners Discharged from Principal 

Military and Naval Prisons, by Time 

Served and Offense, and by Length 

of Sentence: 1933, 226 

Army General Prisoners Present on 

December 31, in United States 

Disciplinary Barracks, Rehabilitation 

Centers, and Federal Institutions: 

1940 to 1946, 227 

Movement of Population, Army 

General Prisoners in United States 

Disciplinary Barracks and Rehabilitation Centers: 1946, 227 

General Courts-Martial Prisoners 

Present on June 30, in United States 

Naval Places of Confinement: 1940 

to 1946, 227 

Average Daily Population of U.S. 

Army Confinement and Correctional 

Facilities, by Facility, 1973-82, 228 

Normal Capacity and Average Population of U.S. Army Correctional 

Centers, by Location, 1982, 229 

Normal Capacity and Average Population of U.S. Navy Correctional 

Centers, by Location, 1982, 230 

Normal Capacity and Average Population of U.S. Marine Corps Correctional Centers, by Location, 

1982. 231 

Normal Capacity and Average Population of U.S. Air Force Correctional 

Center, 1981, 231 
CHAPTER I 

INTRODUCTION 

This work presents summary tables and 

commentary for published national 

government reports on corrections statistics 

for the period of U.S. history from 1850 

(the date of the first national reports on the 

topic) to 1984. Historical comparison within 

this area has often been difficult because of 

the change over time in the agencies 

responsible for data collection, differences 

in reporting units, and the fact that separate 

reports have usually been issued covering 

local, State, Federal, and juvenile levels. In 

many cases these reports did not have a 

wide distribution and are currently 

unavailable in libraries. 

In preparing this report, we attempted to 

locate and review all published government 

reports covering national corrections 

statistics since 1850. It is hoped that, in 

addition to providing summary comparisons 

over time, the work will provide a reference 

of available information for those interested 

in statistical planning and further historical 

research. A review of the data items 

included and the style of reporting in a 

given period can also provide insight into 

major issues of concern and the ideological 

perspectives of the time. 

Over the period, the primary entities 

responsible for government data collection 

in the area of corrections have been the 

Census Bureau and several agencies within 

the Department of Justice. In addition, data 

related to juveniles have been collected by 

the Office of Education and the Children's 

Bureau. This chapter presents a brief 

history of the data collection efforts and an 

overview of the structure and limitations of 

the report. 

THE CENSUS BUREAU 

Institutio~lal Population Series 

The earliest national data concerning use of 

incarceration come from the Census Bureau 

in conjunction with the Decennial Census of 

1850. Later the Census Bureau developed 

two yearly series; "Prisoners in State and 

Federal Institutions." which continued under 

the Census until 1946, and "Judicial 

Criminal Statistics," begun in 1932 and 

discontinued in the 1940's. 

Between 1880 and 1933 at 10-year intervals, 

the Census reports on institutional 

population included considerable detail and 

analysis. Later reports (between 1940 and 

1980) consisted primarily of tables and omit 

data items specific to crime. The Census 

reports are the only source of national jail 

statistics prior to the 1970 survey conducted 

by the Law Enforcement Assistance 

Administration (LEAA). 

Early Census Institutional Population 

Reports (1850-1890) 

Characteristically, the first reports issued by 

the Census Bureau in 1850 were labeled the 

"statistics of crime." At this time no 

statistics were collected on incidence of 

crime, and the number of those convicted 

of crime or imprisoned was discussed with 

qualifications as an indicator of crime itself. 

Between 1850 and 1870 statistics collected at 

the decennial census were secured by means 

of a special schedule for "social statistics" 

which were completed by assistant U.S. 

marshals for each town or civil subdivision. 

This schedule covered a variety of topics 

including: taxation, wages, schools, 

libraries, churches, and pauperism. 

Information was obtained on the total 

number of criminals convicted and those 

present on June 1 of the year. In 1870, for 

the first time information was obtained on 

the race of prisoners. The major problem 

with these collections was the absence of a 

clear definition of terms such as 

"conviction," "criminals," and "prisons," and 

the data are not generally accepted as 

comparable to later reports. 

In 1880, the census of prisoners was part of 

a larger effort to collect information on 

what were called the "Defective, Dependent 

and Delinquent Classes." The report 

included statistics on inhabitants of 

almshouses, mental institutions, and other 

institutions of the time (see Appendix A). 

In this census a new method was followed 

which involved a special supplemental 

schedule for individual returns of all prison 

inhabitants. The form specified that the 
returns were to include every State or local 

prison, penitentiary, reformatory, workhouse and jail. 

The 1880 and 1890 reports were done under 

the leadership of F.H. Wines, son of the 

prison reformer and writer. While the 1880 

report involved delays in analysis (it was not 

published until 1888) and ran out of funds 

before all the information could be 

tabulated, both the 1880 and 1890 reports 

contained considerably more information 

than previously available and were noted for 

their completeness of coverage. The 1880 

report also included some of the first 

statistics of police. Statistics were not yet 

collected on the movement of prisoners, but 

concentrated on those present on the day of 

the survey. 

Census Institutional Population Reports of 

1904- 1933 (Separate Reports) 

Between the 1890 Census and that of 1900, 

an act was passed by the U.S. Congress 

creating a permanent Bureau of the Census. 

A provision of this act specified that the 

collection of statistics of special classes, 

among which prisoners were included, could 

not take place until after the statistics of 

agriculture and manufacture were 

completed. The prison report was thus not 

begun until three years after the census of 

population and could not utilize the usual 

census enumerators. In most instances the 

prison officials served as enumerators. 

The 1904 report, and those up to 1933, 

excluded those in jails who were not under 

sentence, and the 1904 report in addition 

excluded those in jail for nonpayment of 

fines. Also excluded were those in military 

prisons. These groups had been included in 

the 1880 and 1890 reports. For the first 

time, however, the 1904 report included 

those committed during the entire year, 

rather than only those present on a given 

day and made commitments the focus of 

analysis. 

In explaining this departure from previous 

reports and the importance of the inclusion 

of commitments, the 1904 report notes: 

It was recognized that such a 

departure was necessary to correct 

a view of the present day 

movement of the prison population. 

Tabulations of the number found 

in prisons on a fixed date without 

regard to the time when their 

imprisonment began will not show 

the actual growth or diminution of 

the prison population between any 

given dates; and the deductions 

drawn from the personal facts 

about prisoners lose significance 

when statistics relate alike to those 

convicts who have already entered 

into previous enumerations and to 

the most recent additions to the 

convicted criminal class (Census 

Bureau, "Prisoners and Juvenile 

Delinquents, 1904;" p. 12) 

It was also noted in 1904 that a record of 

discharges would considerably enhance the 

value of the reports, but this was not 

included until 1923. 

In 1880 and 1890, one large report with 

separate sections covering each type of 

institution (e.g., mental institutions, 

almshouses, prisons and jails) had been 

produced. In 1904 and 1910, separate 

reports were issued for the functionally 

different types of institutions, and a 

correctional facility report was issued 

covering jails, State, Federal, and juvenile 

institutions. In the Census reports between 

1880 and 1910 most of the characteristic 

data are presented only for combined totals 

for prisons and jails. 

Topics covered in the reports of 1904 and 

1910 included: offense, sentence, age, sex, 

race, nativity, country of birth, marital 

condition, literacy, and occupation. A 

considerable focus of the analysis was the 

question of which countries were 

responsible for the most and differing types 

of criminality as measured by the number 

of immigrants from that country committed 

to prison. 

In 1923 institutions for juvenile delinquents 

were included not with the prison and jail 

report as in previous years but in a volume 

entitled, "Children Under Institutional 

Care," which also included homes for the 

dependent and neglected and foster care. 

This placement reflects the strong movement 

of the time to keep those who were not 
adults out of prisons and jails, and to make 

and view correctional institutions for 

juveniles as different from prisons and jails 

as possible. 

In 1933 separate reports were issued for 

jails, State and Federal prisons (part of the 

yearly series), and juveniles. The report on 

juveniles in corrections was now separate 

from that of children in other institutions. 

There had been a reaction to placing those 

in homes for dependent children in the 

same report with delinquents. 

The 1923 reports, which had been preceded 

by preparatory surveys in 1917 and 1922, 

were the first to include discharge data of 

any kind, and covered such things as type 

of release and time served. In addition to 

the information included in previous 

reports, the 1923 report for the first time 

included information on prior commitment, 

and a special supplementary volume was 

issued entitled, "Prisoner's Antecedents." 

This volume contained an analysis of the 

background of those committed to State and 

Federal prisons. 

The analysis presented in the reports for 

1923 has probably not been equaled in terms 

of information available for one year. 

However, there is some possibility of 

undercounts for the total number present 

and received in jails, since many institutions 

which had been included in a preparatory 

survey conducted in 1922 were not included 

in the actual census (see Chapter VIII). The 

1933 survey followed much the same pattern 

as the 1923 report, but focused somewhat 

more exclusively on movement statistics. 

Census I~lstitutional Populatio~i Reports of 

1940-1980 (Combined Reports) 

Between 1940 and 1980 the Census of 

Institutions was again done in conjunction 

with the decennial census, and information 

was presented in one report for those 

present in all types of functionally different 

institutions. Information collected was the 

same for all types of institutions and was 

limited to age, sex, race, marital status, 

education, and sometimes occupation and 

nativity. The surveys no longer contained 

data items related to the person's crilninal 

status (except in 1960 when a special 

schedule was included, the results of which 

were published by the Bureau of Prisons 

rather than as part of the institutional 

population report). The institutional 

population report includes data by State and 

metro-status. There is little or no text 

except that concerning survey methods. 

In 1940 the analysis was done in conjunction with analysis of the labor force and 

the reports present data only for those 14 

years of age or older. The report also does 

not separate juvenile and adult State 

facilities. The 1940 report, and all 

subsequent reports, included all persons 

present in jails, not only those under 

sentence, as did the 1904 to 1933 reports. 

Beginning with 1950, the institutional 

population reports were done in conjunction 

with analysis of the characteristics of 

families. The 1950 report presents complete 

count data on the age, race, and sex of 

those in each of the types of institutions 

and 3.5 percent sample data on metrostatus, nativity, citizenship, school 

enrollment, education, marital status, 

mobility, and income. Information was 

frequently obtained from institutional 

records rather than direct interview and was 

reported to contain a higher degree of 

missing data than the general census of 

population. 

All characteristic statistics in the 1960 

report on institutional population are based 

on a 25 percent sample. The report presents 

data on much the same inmate 

characteristics as the 1950 report, but 

includes data on number and size of 

institutions which were not included in the 

1940 and 1950 report. Categories of shortterm facilities for juveniles were redefined 

somewhat in each of the censuses since 

1940. 

The 1970 and 1980 reports include those in 

non-institutional group quarters (defined as 

having more than 6 unrelated inhabitants in 

1970 and 10 in 1980). Institutions, 

however, are distinguished from other group 

quarters because they involve care or 

custody and are included independent of 

size. Institutions were classified as special 

places and, rather than the self-enumeration 

used in the population survey, enumerators 

visited each facility. In 1980 each separate 

budget unit was classified as a separate 
institution, unlike the procedure in 1970 

when the unit was the institution as a 

whole. This resulted in considerably 

different estimates of the number of 

institutions for each of the reports. The 

1970 Census estimates are much closer to 

those of the Justice Department and 

American Correctional Association counts 

for the same period, than are those in 1980. 

The characteristic statistics presented in the 

1970 and 1980 reports are based on about an 

overall 20 percent sample; however, for 

1970 the sample size varies, depending on 

the data item. Complete count statistics, not 

broken down by type of institution, are 

included in general population reports for 

population areas. Definitions are generally 

comparable between 1960 and 1980, but 

those for short-term and treatment facilities 

for juveniles vary. Some information is 

broken down by size of institution. 

Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and 

Reformatories Series: 1926- 1946 

Building upon the 1923 effort, in 1926 the 

Census Bureau initiated a yearly series on 

prisoners in State and Federal prisons and 

reformatories. This series has been 

continued with many modifications, as 

"National Prisoner Statistics," by differing 

agencies in the Justice Department until the 

present. 

The Census Bureau prison reports were able 

to obtain data from almost all States. 

Exceptions were Georgia, Alabama, 

Mississippi, and Michigan for several years 

and other States for single years. In certain 

years estimates were made of the missing 

State data. In the 1930's the series began to 

include a section on executions and military 

prisons, and a section was included from the 

beginning on staff and expenditures. 

Although the number of persons present on 

the day of the survey is reported, almost all 

of the characteristic information is on 

prisoners received and released. Data 

presented usually included: age, race, 

nativity, marital status, type and length of 

sentence, offense, type of release and time 

served. Considerable analyses are related to 

examining sentence differences and the 

impact of the use of determinate versus 

indeterminate sentence. 

While many of the data are comparable, this 

series like the Census of Institutional 

Populations suffers from the changes of 

reporting units. For example, changes in 

whether the average or median is given for 

time served, and the length of reporting 

categories for sentence make direct time 

series analysis difficult. The reports also 

began to distinguish between felony and 

misdemeanor sentences and eventually 

limited analysis of characteristics to those 

under felony commitment. In some years 

detailed infornation is presented only for 

male piisoners. Despite these limitations, 

these reports present the most consistent 

national yearly reports available on State 

and Federal prisons. Later reports have in 

general been less detailed and consistent. 

Until the mid 1940's, with the exception of 

reports done on the Federal prison system 

by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the 

Census Bureau was responsible for all 

national data collection in the area of adult 

corrections. In 1946 in keeping with a 

policy that removed the Census Bureau from 

publishing this type of data, the series was 

discontinued and transferred to the Federal 

Bureau of Prisons in 1949. In the interim 

period (1947-49), the Census Bureau 

continued to collect data which was later 

published by the Bureau of Prisons. 

Judicial Criminal Statistics 

In 1932 the Census Bureau began a series on 

court statistics, which was to be regarded as 

less successful than the prison series. This 

more difficult series was discontinued in the 

early 1940's and has not yet been continued. 

The purpose of initiating the series was 

described as follows: 

It is the purpose of the Census 

Bureau, through cooperation with 

the several States, to develop a 

national system of collecting judicial criminal statistics which will 

be mutually advantageous to the 

States and the Federal government...It is hoped that eventually 

each State will adopt the Census 

forms and classifications. If this is 
done, one report for the court will 

suffice for the State and for the 

Federal government, the statistics 

of different States will be compiled 

on the same basis, and needless 

duplication of work and expense 

will be avoided (Census Bureau, 

"Judicial Criminal Statistics: 1933;" 

p.1) 

Unfortunately this goal has not yet been 

achieved. In the first year of data 

collection, 16 States were included. At its 

peak the series included 30 States. When 

the series was discontinued there were 27. 

Considerable problems were encountered 

because of the differing laws and court 

procedures in each State, and cautions 

concerning comparisons by State were made. 

The reports attempted to include all courts 

which held jurisdiction over felony cases 

and did not include the work of minor 

courts or grand juries. If the same court 

held jurisdiction over both minor and 

felony cases, information on minor cases 

was included. Data were included on 

offenses charged and disposition of cases. 

These reports are the first source of national 

probation data. A major reason given for 

the discontinuation of the series was the 

difficulty encountered in obtaining 

comparable data from the States. 

Somewhat similar data were collected under 

the Uniform Crime Reports Program 

between 1955- 1977. During this period 

information was included on the judicial 

disposition of arrests. 

HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE 

The Office of Education 

The earliest government information on 

juveniles in correctional facilities comes 

from the "Annual Report of the United 

States Commissioner of Education," which 

contained yearly tables on the characteristics 

of reform schools from 1870 to 1917. 

The U.S. Children's Bureau 

Beginning in 1927 and continuing until 

1967, the Children's Bureau collected some 

statistics on the juvenile courts. Initially 

these covered only about 15 percent of the 

population; by 1943 coverage was about 37 

percent and by 1955 data were obtained by 

means of a representative sample. 

Information included place of detention, 

disposition, age, sex, and type of case. 

For the 1933 Institutional Census, the 

Children's Bureau had cooperated with the 

Census Bureau on the report of "Children in 

Public Institutions for Delinquent Children" 

and the report on "Children Under 

Institutional Care and in Foster Homes." 

Beginning in 1945, the Children's Bureau 

initiated a yearly series on Children Served 

by Public Institutions. Initially coverage 

included complete reports from only 36 

States. By 1967 all States but Nevada were 

reporting. The series remained limited to 

public institutions. Later reports were 

issued separately for delinquent and 

dependent children. In 1971, this series was 

transferred to the Justice Department's 

LEAA, which continued the reports under 

the title "Children in Custody." 

THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 

Since about 1886, the Attorney General and 

later the Justice Department had been 

legally mandated to collect yearly statistics 

on Federal Prisoners, but the Justice 

Department did not become involved in 

collecting data on State prisons until the 

Census Bureau dropped reporting in this 

area in 1946. Since then, three agencies 

within the Justice Department have been 

responsible for national corrections statistics: 

the Federal Bureau of Prisons (1946-1970), 

the Law Enforcement Assistance 

Administration (197 1 - 1979), and the Bureau 

of Justice Statistics (1980-current). 

The Federal Bureau of Prisons 

Statistics on Federal prisons have been 

collected on a yearly basis since before the 

establishment of a Federal prison system. 

Until 1900, it was the usual practice to 

house Federal prisoners in State prisons. In 

1895 a Federal prison was opened at 

Leavenworth, Kansas and in 1902 at 

Atlanta, Georgia, and the practice of 

housing Federal prisoners in State facilities 

began to decline. Although the format has 

changed over the period since Federal 
prisons began, relatively speaking more 

information is available about prisoners at 

this level than for State and jail inmates. 

Annual Report of the Attorney General of 

the United States 

Until 1930, the reports on Federal prisons 

and Federal parole and probation were 

included in the Attorney General's yearly 

report. They were initially in the format of 

reports by the individual prisons to the 

Attorney General. They included, in 

addition to information on prisoners, details 

on budgets and work done by prisoners. 

Congress had required that certain 

information be kept on Federal prisoners 

including information on previous 

commitments and sentences. When Federal 

parole and probation became options in 

1910 and 1925, information on these 

decisions was also included. 

Report of the Work of the Federal Bureau 

of Prisons 

In 1930 the Federal Prison Office was 

reorganized and given separate Bureau 

status. After this, separate yearly reports 

were issued by the Bureau under the title, 

"Report of the Work of the Federal Bureau 

of Prisons." In addition to prison statistics, 

the report contained public relations 

information on programs and progress of 

the Bureau, which had been mandated to set 

an example to States for prison treatment 

and management. 

Bureau of Prisons Statistical Report 

In the early 1960's, with the advent of an 

office of planning and analysis within the 

Bureau, reports began to be issued which 

contained only statistical tables, under the 

title of "Statistical Tables" or "Statistical 

Report." This format continues to the 

present. 

Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and 

Reformatories 

When the Census Bureau discontinued its 

series on prisoners in State and Federal 

prisons and reformatories in 1946, there was 

a three-year period in which the Census 

Bureau continued to collect the information 

but did not publish reports. The series was 

evidently in danger of being discontinued 

entirely, according to American Correctional 

Association resolutions of the time, urgently 

asking that funds be appropriated so that 

the Federal Bureau of Prisons could take 

over the series and the effort not be 

abandoned. In 1950 the program was 

officially transferred to the Bureau of 

Prisons. Between 1950 and 1970, 47 

bulletins and 7 special reports were issued. 

The first several covered information on the 

years between 1946 and 1950. Between 

1950 and 1964, two bulletins a year were 

issued, one on prisoners in State and Federal 

prisons and one on executions. For a brief 

period, between 1958 and 1962, a third 

yearly bulletin was issued concerning 

personnel in penal institutions. The yearly 

bulletins contained less information on 

prisoner characteristics, sentence, and time 

served than did the Census reports. 

The special reports, covering the years 1950, 

1951, 1952-1953, 1960 and 1964, present 

information similar to that in the previous 

yearly Census reports. The focus of several 

of the special reports was prisoners released. 

Two reports were issued covering 1960, one 

on characteristics of State prisoners (using 

Census data) and one on releases from State 

and Federal prisons. In 1964 only State 

prisoners were included in the reports. 

Certain changes were made in reporting 

categories. Time-served data were now 

calculated only for first releases (this had 

been done only for 1940 in the Census 

series). As had been the case for the last 

years of the Census series, only those with 

commitments of one year or longer were 

included in presenting the data. State 

participation increased up to 1964 to include 

those States which had not or had 

irregularly participated in the Census 

Bureau series. However, the 1970 special 

report on characteristics of State prisoners, 

done at a time when the transfer to LEAA 

was occurring, included only 33 States. A 

note at the beginning of the report states 

that several State responses were not 

obtained in time to be included. National 

totals were not done for this year on many 

characteristics. (Certain tables to follow 

utilize these data; notation is made that the 

data are based on only 33 States). 
Consistent with the increased interest in 

capital punishment, the bulletins on this 

topic expanded coverage over the period 

1950 to 1970 to include data not only on 

executions, but also on the numbers 

receiving and removed from the death 

sentence. 

The Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA)/National Criminal Justice 

Information and Statistics Service (NCJISS) 

National Prisoner Statistics 

In 197 1, the National Prisoner Statistics 

program was transferred to newly created 

Law Enforcement Assistance Administration 

(LEAA), National Criminal Justice 

Information and Statistics Service. After 

1972, the Bureau of the Census acted as the 

collection agent for LEAA and was 

responsible for compiling the statistical data 

required for the program. 

With the creation of LEAA and the 

initiation of several new series, data 

collection efforts in the area of criminal 

justice were greatly expanded. The series 

covered such areas as Victimization, 

Children in Custody, Employment and 

Expenditure, State Court Case Loads, 

Criminal Justice Agencies, and Probation 

and Parole, as well as special non-series 

studies. However, yearly published reports 

on those in State and Federal prisons did 

not return to the level of detail of the 

Census Bureau reports from 1924-1946, or 

the special reports of the Federal Bureau of 

Prisons. With the increased use of 

computers, much additional information 

became available only from data tapes. 

Yearly bulletins were issued on those 

present, received, and released in State and 

Federal prisons, as well as on capital 

punishment. Information in the yearly 

reports on State and Federal prisons now 

presented only very limited information on 

prisoner characteristics. More detailed 

information on characteristics is available 

from special surveys conducted in 1973 and 

1979. These special reports on State 

prisoners focused on those present on the 

day of the survey; they did not collect 

movement statistics which had been the 

primary focus of the Census and Bureau of 

Prison series. 

The Jail Reports 

When LEAA was initiated, apart from 

Census Bureau reports done at 10-year 

intervals, no national reports had been done 

on jails. The last Census Bureau report on 

jails to contain special criminal justice 

related information such as offenses or 

sentence data had been in 1933. LEAA 

initiated Jail Surveys covering the years 

1970, 1972, and 1978. These counted 

inmates present on the day of the survey, 

rather than received during the year. 

Children in Custody 

In 1971, the Juvenile Detention and 

Correctional Facility Census was initiated. 

The census was designed by LEAA and 

HEW and carried out by the Census Bureau. 

Subsequent surveys have been conducted in 

1974, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1982, and 1985. 

Beginning in 1974, private facilities were 

included and separate reports published. 

The series is currently under the Office of 

Juvenile Justice and Delinquency 

Prevention. 

Parole and Probation Statistics 

While some information is available on the 

use of parole from State and Federal 

discharge data, almost no national statistics 

on such things as the number of persons on 

parole and probation are available (except at 

the Federal level) until the last 20 years. In 

1965, the National Council on Crime and 

Delinquency began the Uniform Parole 

Reporting project. This project attempted 

to collect national parole statistics and 

published data for certain years in the 

Uniform Parole Reports Newsletter. With 

an LEAA grant in 1975, a special study was 

done of parole and probation systems and of 

the feasibility of yearly reporting. The first 

NCCDILEAA Uniform Parole reports 

covered the years 1976 and 1977. The first 

National Probation Report covered data 

from 1979. Currently BJS publishes 

national probation and parole data. 
The Bureau of Justice Statistics 

When LEAA was discontinued and the 

Justice System Improvement Act passed in 

1979, the Bureau of Justice Statistics became 

responsible for most criminal justice related 

government statistics. Exceptions are the 

F.B.I. Uniform Crime Reports, the reports 

of the Federal Prison system, and the 

Children in Custody series of the Office of 

Juvenile Justice and Delinquency 

Prevention. 

BJS has continued and regularized most 

correction-related series begun under LEAA 

and has added some additional data and 

reports. Special analytical reports and 

bulletins have been issued utilizing data not 

currently regularly published on such things 

as offenses and sentences of those received 

and time served of those released. These 

statistics had been regularly included in the 

Census Bureau series of 1926-1946 and 

included by the Federal Bureau of Prisons 

in special reports in the years between 1950 

and 1970 when they were responsible for 

reporting. However, they had not been 

included in the yearly State and Federal 

Prison reports in the 1970's. 

STRUCTURE OF THE REPORT 

Chapter I1 summarizes information on 

capital punishment including data on illegal 

lynchings, which it is necessary to include 

in order to understand any regional 

comparisons of the use of executions. 

Chapters 111, IV, and V present statistics on 

State and Federal, jail, and juvenile 

facilities, respectively. Chapter VI presents 

information from Federal reports on Federal 

prisoners only and Chapter VII presents 

limited information on probation and parole. 

Chapter VIIl combines information on 

Federal, State, jail and juvenile facilities to 

provide an overall picture of incarceration 

levels since 1850. 

Appendix A presents a summary of Census 

reports on the use of other forms of 

institutionalization since 1850. 

Appendix B presents tallied data on capital 

punishment; .Appendix C presents collected 

tables on military prisoners; Appendix D 

presents a listing of major sources of 

corrections statistics; and Appendix E 

discusses some implications of the historical 

review for current statistical efforts. 

This report almost exclusively relies on 

government statistics. An exception is the 

information on capital punishment and 

illegal lynchings for which data compiled by 

independent researchers has been used. 

Selected data on probation and parole 

collected by the National Council of Crime 

and Delinquency and data collected by the 

University of Chicago on juveniles in 

correctional facilities have also been 

included. 

The report is limited to statistics of 

corrections and, except for limited 

information on probation gained from the 

Census series on Judicial Criminal Statistics, 

excludes court statistics. The report has also 

not attempted to review expenditure data, 

which has been collected at various times 

since 1880. 
CHAPTER I1 

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT STATISTICS 

In reporting mortality statistics, the 

population census of 1850 listed the cause 

of death of 21 persons as execution; the 

1860 census, 59 persons; and the 1870 

census, 3 1 persons. However, national 

government statistics separately addressing 

capital punishment date from 1880, when 

the Census Bureau special report on 

"Dependent, Defective and Delinquent" 

listed 80 persons as "present under the 

sentence of death" on the day of the survey. 

Information on persons under capital 

sentence was first reported in 1904, when 

106 persons were listed as received under 

this sentence. Government information is 

available only at 10-year intervals from the 

decennial reports until 1930, when the 

Census Bureau series, "Prisoners in State 

Prisons and Reformatories," began to 

contain a section on executions. After the 

series was transferred to the Bureau of 

Prisons in 1947, separate special reports 

were issued. The series has continued with 

the subsequent transfers of the National 

Prisoner Statistics series to the Law 

Enforcement Assistance Administration 

(LEAA) in 1971 and to the Bureau of 

Justice Statistics (BJS) in 1980. Information 

is now included on legal developments and 

on the movement of those under sentence of 

death. 

Because of the seriousness of capital 

punishment and the corresponding concern 

with this form of punishment as a moral 

and legal issue, additional information 

covering years before government reports 

were issued is available from nongovernmental sources. Bowers, Pierce, and 

McDevitt in their book, Lena1 Homicide, 

combine information on both State and local 

executions beginning in the 1890's and on 

State executions after the first Stateimposed execution in 1864. Information 

used by Bowers et al. on local executions 

was obtained from compilations by Bye, 

Bedau, Barnes, Teeters, and Sellin (see 

tables for complete citations). Information 

on persons executed under State authority 

before 1930 can be obtained from a 

complete listing complied by Teeters and 

Zibulka in the 1960's and updated by Espy 

in the 1970's. A listing of illegal lynchings, 

dating from the year 1882, has been 

compiled by the Department of Records and 

Research, Tuskegee Institute, Alabama. 

The tables to follow combine information 

from these sources and include new 

tabulations mnde from the Teeters, Zibulka, 

and Espy listing of persons executed under 

State authority. Also included are several 

Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) historical 

tables. Each table contains explanatory 

notes. 

Executions 

Table 2-1 summarizes executions and 

lynchings per decade for the period 1890 to 

1984. In this period a total of about 8516 

persons were executed and 3543 were 

reported lynched. The number of illegal 

lynchings outnumbered legal executions 

until after 1900 (Table 2-2). Legal and 

illegal executions have declined consistently 

over the period except for the decade of the 

1930's and the recent large increases in the 

1980's. 

Almost three-fourths (73 percent) of those 

lynched between 1890 and 1962 (the date of 

the last recorded lynching) were black, and 

in the same period, 54 percent of those 

executed were nonwhite. About 90 percent 

of those dying under State authority were 

executed for homicide. Only 41 percent of 

illegal lynchings were for homicide (Tables 

2-1 and 2-2). 

Appendix Table B-1 presents a tabulation 

made from the Teeters, Zebulka, and Espy 

listing of those executed by State by decade 

from 1864 to 1984. 
Table 2-1. Executions per Decade Under Civil Authority and Illegal Lynchings: 1890-1984 

1890'sa 1900's 1910's 1920's 1930's 1940's 1950's 1960's 1970's 1980's1984 Total 

Total Under State Authority 155 289 636 1,038 1,523 1,177 684 192 3 29 5,726 

Race 

Number Nonwhite 

Percent Nonwhite 

Race Unknown 

70 

55% 

(27) 

157 

62% 

(37) 

286 

47% 

(26) 

48 1 

49% 

(51) 

74 5 

52% 

(79) 

706 

63% 

(55) 

36 1 

56% 

(32) 

99 

52% 

(1 

1 

33% 

(0) 

9 

31% 

(0) 

2,915 

54% 

(308) 

Offense 

Murder 

Rape 

Other 

Offense Unknown 

Total Under Local Authority 1,060 901 406 131 147 110 35 0 0 0 2,790 

Total Under Clvll Authorlty 

(State and Local) 1,215 1,190 1,042 1,169 1,670 1,287 71 9 192 3 29 8,516 

Illegal Lynchings 1,540 89 5 62 1 31 5 130 33 8 1 b b 3,543 

Total per Decade 

(Legal and Illegal) 2,755 1,995 1,663 1,484 1,800 1,292 72 1 192 3 29 12,059 

Notes: 

a. 	 The earllest recorded execution under State authorlty was ln 1864. Between 1864 and 1890, 57 persons were reported executed 

under State authorlty. 

b. 	 No lynchings reported after 1962. 

Sources: 

State Authorlty: 	 Data for 1890-1980 tabulated from llstlng complled by Negley K. Teeters and Charles J. Zlbulka, 1864 to 1967, and 

revlsed by M. Watt Espy, Jr. Llstlng publlshed In Bowers, Wllllarn; Plerce, Glen; and McDevltt, John, Legal Homlclde: 

Death as Punlshrnent In Amerlca 1864-1982. Boston: Northeastern Unlverslty Press, 1984. Used by permlsslon. 

Local AuLhorlty: 	 Data taken from Table 2-3 In Bowers, Wllllam; Plerce, Glen; and McDevltt, John, Legal Homlclde: DeaLh as Punlshrnent 

In Amerlca 1864-1967. Boston: Northeastern Unlverslty Press, 1984. Used by permlsslon. Sources for table ~nclude: 

Bye, R.T., Capltal Punlshrnent In the Unlted States. Phlladelphla: The CommlLLee of Phllanthroplc Labor of Phlladelphla 

Yearly Meetlng of Frlends, 1919, pgs. 57-58, for 1890-1917; Bedau, The Death Penalty In Amerlca. New York: Anchor 

Press, 1967, pg. 35, for 1918-1920; Barnes, H.E., and Teeters, N.K., New Horlzons In Crlmlnology. Englewood Cllffs, 

N.J.: Prentlce-Hall, 1942, pg. 425, for 1921-1926; and Sellln, T., "A Note on Capltal Executions In the U.S." Brltlsh 

Journal of Delinquency 1:6, 1950, pg. 7, for 1927-1919. NPS and BJS Bulletins after 1930. 

Illegal Lynchlngs: 	 Table publlshed In Bureau of the Census, Hlstorlcal Statlstlcs of the Unlted States from Colonlal Tlrnes to 1957, and 

complled by Department of Records and Research, Tuskegee Institute, Alabama, prlnted In Ploskl, Harry, and Wllllarns, 

James; The Negro Almanac: A Reference Work on the Afro-Arnerlcan, 4th ed. New York: Wlley, 1983. Updates lncluded to 

Census Bureau table, 1960, pg. 218. 

1980-1 984: 	 Data taken from 

U.S. 	 Department of Justlce, Bureau of Justlce Statlstlcs; Washington, D.C. 

Bureau of Justlce Statlstlcs Bulletin; Capltal Punlshrnent 1984; 1985; pg. 7. 

The Legal Status of the Death Penalty 

The Bureau of Prisons and the Bureau of 

Justice Statistics have prepared tables 

summarizing the legal status of the death 

penalty within the States since 1846. Table 

2-3 presents some of this information. 

During the early 19th century, legislative 

efforts at capital punishment reform 

(limiting offenses and privatization) were 

more frequently passed than abolition 

legislation (Bowers et al., Lena1 Homicide; 

1983, p.8). Michigan, in 1847, was the first 

State to abolish execution. 

Between 1846 and the mid-1970's there 

have been periods of abolition in 25 States. 

In the mid-1950's, six States were abolition 

States (Michigan, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, 

Maine, Minnesota, North Dakota). By 1972, 

eight more States (Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon, 

Iowa, West Virginia, Vermont, New York, 

New Mexico) had abolished capital 

punishment. In Vermont, New York, and 

New Mexico, the death penalty was retained 

for killing a police officer. In addition, two 

States, New Jersey and California, had court 

orders prohibiting capital punishment. 

In June of 1972, in Furman vs. Georgia, the 

Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty 

as applied in the various States was arbitrary 

and constituted "cruel and unusual 

punishment" in violation of the Eighth 

Amendment. As a result, all U.S. death 

penalties were invalidated and more than 

600 prisoners had their sentences overturned 

(BJS, "Capital Punishment, 1982;" p.2). 

In the years following Furman, several 

States have enacted new capital punishment 

legislation. These have been of two types: 

those calling for mandatory imposition for 

specific crimes and those providing for 

guided discretion. In subsequent court 

cases, guided discretion laws have been 

upheld in Florida, Georgia, and Texas and 

mandatory laws have been struck down in 

Louisiana and North Carolina. The Court 

has also ruled that the death penalty is a 

disproportionate penalty for rape of an adult 

woman and that mitigating factors cannot be 

limited to those specified on a list. Another 

case has ruled that jurors cannot be 

excluded on the basis of being affected by 

the possibility of capital sentence. By the 

end of 1982, laws providing for capital 

punishment were in effect in 37 States and 

the Federal government. This was only two 

fewer States than before Furman. 

Regional Comparisons 

Using the listing compiled by Teeters, 

Zibulka, and Espy and published by Bowers 

et al., regional tabulations were done for the 

period 1890 to 1983 (Tables 2-4 and 2-5). 

Regional comparisons were also tabulated 

for lynchings, using data compiled by the 

Tuskegee Institute (Table 2-6). 

Proportionate to the population, executions 

and lynchings have occurred most 

frequently in the South and the West. While 

the percent of total U.S. population in the 

South has ranged between 31 and 33 since 

1890, this region has had 50 percent of the 

total executions under State authority and 83 

percent of illegal lynchings. The West had 

5 percent of the U.S. population in 1890 but 

19 percent in 1980. The West has had 15 

percent of State executions. The North East 

population has ranged from 28 percent in 

decades prior to 1930 to 22 percent in 1980 

and has had 24 percent of executions. The 

North Central area has utilized capital 

punishment least frequently, with a population ranging from 36 percent to 26 percent, 

yet only 11 percent of the executions. 

While overall the South has had relatively 

more executions than the West, when we 

compare the data by decade we see that the 

State execution rates were highest not in the 

South but in the West prior to 1930. 

Regional comparisons by race (Table 2-5) 

indicate that State executions per 100,000 

nonwhite population have been higher in 

the West than the South in every decade 

except 1970 and 1980. Also, in the period 

between 1910 and 1930, State execution 

rates for nonwhites were higher in the 
Table 2-3. Abolition of the Death Penalty by Jurisdiction in the 

United States by the Time of Furman Decision 

-- --- 

Period of Period of 

statea Abolition State Abolition 

b Michigan ~ennessee~ 


Rhode 1slandC Arizona 


Wisconsin Missouri 


Iowa Alaska
 d Maine Hawaii 


Maine Delaware 


Colorado Oregon 


~ansas~ Iowa 


Minnesota West Vi inia
 69 Washington Vermont . 


Oregon New yorkl 
 f North Dakota New ~exicoj 


South Dakota New Jersey k 


k California 

Notes: 

Iowa, Maine, and Oregon appear twice In the list because each has had 

two distinct periods of abolition. 

Death penalty retained for treason until 1963. 

Death penalty restored in 1882 for any life term convict who commits 

murder. 

In 1837, a law was passed to provide that no condemned person could be 

executed until 1 year after his sentencing, and then only upon a warrant 

from the governor. 

In 1872, a law was passed similar to the 1837 Maine statute (see note d 

above) . Death penalty retained for murder by a prisoner serving a life term for 

murder. 

Death penalty retained for rape. 

Death penalty retained for murder of a police officer on duty or guard 

or by a prisoner guilty of a prior murder, kidnapping for ransom, and 

killing or destruction of vital property by a group during wartime. 

Death penalty retained for murder of a police officer on duty, or of 

anyone by a prisoner under life sentence. 

Death penalty retained for the crime of killing a police officer or 

prison or jail guard while in the performance of his dutles, and in 

cases where the jury recommends the death penalty and the defendant 

commits a second capital felony after time for due deliberation following commission of the first capital felony. 

Death penalty abolished by State supreme court decision. 

Sources: 

Bowers, William; Pierce, Glen; and McDevitt, John, Legal Homicide: Death 

as Punishment in America 1864-1982. Boston: Northeastern University 

Press, 1984, pg. 9. Used with permission. 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons, National Prisoner Statistics; 

Capital Punishment: 1930-1 970; 1971 ; Table 16. 

13 

Table 2-5. Reglonal Comparison of Nonwhlte Persons Executed Under State Authority by Decade: 1890-1984 

Total Nonwhlte 

U.S. ~o~ulation~7,846 9,185 10,240 10,889 12,488 13,454 15,755 20,914 25,463 38,174 

North East 285 409 508 704 1,183 1,410 2,079 3,155 4,730 6,809 

North Central 49 7 557 609 856 1,345 1,503 2,341 3,616 4,931 6,671 

South 6,835 8,002 8,842 8,994 9,486 10,007 10,348 11,497 12,375 16,412 

West 230 21 8 281 336 47 5 534 987 2,223 3,417 8,282 

Nonwhlte Percent 

of Population 13 12 11 10 10 10 11 12 13 17 

North East 2 2 2 2 3 4 5 7 10 14 

North Central 2 2 2 3 3 4 5 7 9 11 

South 34 33 30 27 25 24 22 21 20 22 

West 7 5 4 4 4 4 5 8 10 19 

Total Known Nonwhlte 

Executions 35 83 286 48 1 744 703 352 95 1 9 

North East 3 15 43 8 5 56 66 32 10 c d 

North Central 6 17 16 44 51 43 26 6 c d 

South 11 34 21 2 326 601 553 267 65 1 d 

West 15 18 15 26 36 41 27 I4 c d 

Nonwhlte Percent 

of Total 

Executlons In 

Whlch Race Is Known 23 

North East 6 16 17 27 20 40 32 59 c d 

North Central 19 37 47 37 28 46 45 27 c d 

South 43 74 84 72 72 76 69 64 e d 

West 26 26 20 26 24 30 26 30 c d 

Rate per 100,000 

Nonwhlke per 

Decade .45 .90 2.79 4.42 5.96 5.23 2.23 .45 .004 d 

North East 1.05 3.67 8.46 12.07 4.73 4.68 1.54 .32 c 

North Central 1.21 3.05 2.63 5.14 3.78 2.86 1.11 .I7 c d 

South .I6 .42 2.40 3.62 6.34 5.53 2.58 .57 e d 

West 6.52 8.26 5.34 7.7b 7.58 7.68 2.74 .63 c d 

Notes: 

a. Data expressed In thousands. 

b. Rate 1s per total decade, not yearly, based on population at start of decade. 

c. No nonwhite executions In decade. 

d. Incomplete data. 

e. Only one nonwhlte execution in decade. 

Sources: 

Execution data: 	 Tabulated from a llstlna comoiled bv Nealev -, K. Teeters and Charles J. Zlbulka. 1864 to 1967. and revlsed bv 

M. Watt Espy, Jr. Llstlng published In Bowers, Wllllarn; Plerce, Glen; and McOevltt, John, Legal Homlclde: Death as 

Punlshrnent In Amerlca 1864-1982. Boston: Northeastern Unlverslty Press, 1984. 

U.S. Oepartment of Justlce, Bureau of Justlce Statlstlcs; Washlngton D.C. 

(1981-1983) 	 Bulletln: Capltal Punlshment 1983; 198h. 


(1984) Bulletln: Capltal Punlshment 1984; 1985; pg. 7. 


Populatlon data: 	 U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washlngton, O.C. 

(1890-1950) Hlstorlcal Statistics of the Unlted States, Colonlal Tlmes to 1957; 1960. 

(1960-1970) Hlstorlcal Statlstlcs of the Unlted States, Colonlal Tlrnes to 1970; 1975. 

(1980) Statlstlcal Abstract of the Unlted States: 1982-83; Table 36. 
Table 2-6. Illegal Lynchings by State and Race: 1882-1962~ 

Percent Percent 

Region and State Total Whites Blacks Black Region and State Total Whites Blacks Black 

U.S. North Central 

Percent of Total 

Northeast Ohio 

Indiana 

Vermont Illinois 

New York Michigan 

New Jersey Wisconsin 

Pennsylvania Minnesota 

Iowa 

Missouri 

North Dakota 

South Dakota 

Nebraska 

Kansas 

South 	 West 

Delaware Montana 

Maryland Idaho 

Virginia Wyoming 

West Virginia Colorado 

North Carolina New Mexico 

South Carolina Arizona 

Georgia Utah 

Florida Nevada 

Kentucky Washington 

Tennessee Oregon 

Alabama California 

Mississippi 

Arkansas 

Louisiana 

Oklahoma 

Texas 

Notes: 

a. No illegal lynchings have been reported since 1962. 

b. Percents calculated on fewer than 10 cases. 

Source: 	 Tabulations made from data compiled by the Department of Records and Research, Tuskegee Institute, Alabama; 

and published in: Ploski, Harry, and Williams, James; The Negro Almanac: A Reference Work on the AfroAmerican, 4th ed. New York: Wiley, 1983. 
North East than in the South or West. This 

disparity reflects the fact that illegal 

lynchings were occurring in the South and 

West much more frequently than in the 

North East. 

Number Received Under Sentence of Death 

Available statistics on capital punishment 

reflect the topics that have been of concern 

in various periods. As executions declined, 

data began to be collected on persons 

received on and removed from death row. 

Table 2-7 presents statistics on the number 

of persons received under the sentence of 

death from 1904 to 1984. Statistics prior to 

1950 are taken from data on the sentences 

of the total prisoners received, rather than 

from special capital punishment statistics. 

They therefore contain certain exclusions 

for various years, notably those from States 

that were not participating consistently in 

the Census Bureau yearly reporting between 

1926 and 1946. These include Georgia, 

Mississippi, Alabama, and Michigan (an 

abolition State) for years as noted in Table 

2-7. One report estimated that these 

accounted for about 8 percent of the total 

received. 

These statistics indicate that the number of 

prisoners reported received under sentence 

of death has ranged from a low of 42 in 

1973, the year after Furman, to a high of 

322, just two years later in 1975. Declines 

also occurred during World War 11. The 

first four years of the 1980's have averaged 

over 250 persons sentenced to death a year. 

This is the highest average for any decade 

in U.S. history since information has been 

kept. The percent of those receiving capital 

sentences who are nonwhite has ranged 

from a high of 61 percent in 1972 to a'low 

of 37 percent in 1980. 

Between 1960 and 1984, there were 4050 

persons reported received in State and 

Federal prisons under sentence of death. In 

the same period 228 persons were executed 

(192 in the 1960's and 21 in 1984 alone). 

At the end of 1984, there were 1405 persons 

awaiting execution, by far the largest 

number in U.S. history (Table 2-8). 

Table 2-9 gives the offense of those 

received under sentence of death from 1961 

to 1981. 

Removals from the Sentence of Death 

In the period before 1960, most persons 

received in prison under a death sentence 

were executed. In fact, in the 1930's and 

1940's slightly fewer persons were reported 

received under sentence of death in State 

and Federal prisons than were executed. 

This anomaly is because the data on 

executions are more complete than those on 

persons received under the death sentence, 

but the data do indicate that the sentence 

was usually carried out. (There were 

exclusions from the number of prisoners 

reported received from States such as 

Alabama and Georgia and some exclusions 

of local executions, for instance in Cook 

County, Illinois). 

By 1960, however, those received under the 

sentence of death far exceeded those 

executed. Increasingly those received under 

a death sentence had final dispositions other 

than execution (Table 2-10). In the 1960'~~ 

1125 persons were received and 192 persons 

were executed. In the 1970'~~ there were 

1644 persons received under the death 

sentence and 3 were executed. Between 

1968 and 1982, of the 2637 persons 

sentenced to death, 2038 persons had 

dispositions other than execution. These 

data indicate that not only are sentences of 

death selectilely given, but that once the 

sentence is handed down, it is very 

selectively enforced. The rise in the 

number awaiting executions in the 1980's 

indicates sentence changes are no longer 

occurring as frequently (BJS Bulletin, 

"Capital Punishment 1982"). In 1984, death 

sentences were removed for only 63 persons; 

there were 21 executions and 280 persons 

received under a sentence of death (BJS 

Bulletin, "Capital Punishment 1984"). 
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Table 2-8. Number Present Under Sentence of Death on Day of the Survey by Sex, Race, Offense, Age and 

Elapsed Time for Yeara in Which Data Are Available: 1880-1984 

Total umber^ Total 

Female 

Total 

Nonwhite 

Percent 

Nonwhite Murder 

Offense 

Rape Other 

Median 

Age 

in Years 

Median 

Elapsed 

Time in 

Months 

Notes: 

a. Data unknown or not obtained. 

b. Includes those present under death sentence in local facilities. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of Interior, Bureau of Census: Washington, D.C. 

(1880) 	 Report on Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent Classes of the Population of the U.S.: 1880; 

1888; pg. 550. 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census: Washington, D.C. 

(1890-1910) 	 Prisoners and Juvenile Delinquents in the USA: 1910; 1918; pgs. 41-42. 


(1923) Prisoners: 1923: 1926: pgs. 111-112. 


U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons: Washington, D.C. 

(1953-1970) National Prisoner Statistics Bulletins: Numbers 10, 12, 14, 23, 28, 32, 37, 41, 42, 45, 46. 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, National Criminal Justice Information 

and Statistics Service: Washington, D.C. 

(1971-1979) National Prisoner Statistics Bulletins SD-NPS-CP; Numbers 1-8. 

U.S. 	 De~artment of Justice. Bureau of Justice Statistics: Washinaton. D.C. 

(1980-1983) 	 Bulletin: Capital Punishment; Numbers NCJ-709i5, NCJ-78600, NCJ-86484. 


(1984) Bulletin: Capital Punishment 1984: 1985: pgs. 6-7. 

Table 2-9. Offenses of Those Received Under Sentence of Death: 1961-1981 

Total 

Year Reported 0 ffense b Received Murder Rape Other 

Notes: 

a. Not available. 

b. Unrevised totals: Offense not available on revised totals. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons; Washington, D.C. 

(1961-1970) 	 National Prisoner Statistics Bulletins: Capital Punishment; 

Numbers 28, 32, 37, 41, 42, 45, 46. 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, National 

Criminal Justice Information and Statistics Service; Washington, D.C. 

(1 971 -1 979) National Prisoner Statistics Bulletins: Capital Punishment, 

SD-NPS-CP, Numbers 1-8. 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics; Washington, D.C. 

(1980-1981) 	 Capital Punishment; Numbers NCJ-70945 and NCJ-78600. 

(1984) Bulletin: Capital Punishment 1984; 1985; pg. 6. 
Table 2-10. Persons Removed from Sentence of Death Other Than by 

Execution: 1960-1984 

Year 

Persons 

Removed 

from Death 

Sentence 

Median 

Elapsed 

Time in 

Months from 

Sentencing 

Average 

Age 

Notes: 

a. Not available or not yet published. 

Sources : 

U.S. Department of Justice; Federal Bureau of Prisons: Washington, D.C. 

(1960-1969) National Prisoner Statistics Bulletins; Numbers 34,37,39,41,42. 

U.S. Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration; National 

Criminal Justice Information and Statistics Service: Washington, D.C. 

(1970-1975) National Prisoner Statistics: Capital Punishment: NPS-CP-1-3. 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics: Washinqton, D.C. 

(1977-1984) Bulletin: Capital Punishment 1984; 1985: pg. 7. 
Executions by the Military, by the Federal 

Gover~iment, and of Women 

In 1930, the Census Bureau began to include 

data on military executions, and these have 

been summarized by the Federal Bureau of 

Prisons (Table 2-11). Between 1930 and 

1983, there were 160 executions by the 

military. All executions in this period were 

by the Army and Air Force. The Navy has 

had no executions since 1849. Seven 

persons awaiting execution were removed 

from the sentence of death in 1983, when 

the military regulations under which the 

death sentence was imposed were ruled 

unconstitutional. Of the total number of 

persons executed by the military, 106 were 

for murder, 53 for rape, and 1 for 

desertion. 

Between 1930 and 1963 (the last year of a 

Federal execution), 32 persons were 

executed under the auspices of the civil 

Federal government (Table 2- 12). These 

included 15 for murder, 6 for kidnapping (5 

of which involved murder), and 12 for 

other offenses. Thirty-three women were 

executed between 1930 and 1962 (Table 2-

13). 

Between 1962 and 1984 there were no 

executions of women. In 1985, the first 

execution of a woman since 1962 occurred. 
Table 2-1 1. Executions by Military: 1930-1983~ 

Year 	 Number 

1930 	- 1941 


1941 - 1950 


1954 


1955 


1957 


1958 


1959 


1961 


1962 - 1983~ 


Total 


Notes: 

a. 	 Executions have been by the Army and Air Force. The Navy has executed no 

one since 1849. 

b. 	 In 1982, there were six persons under the sentence of death in the military. In 1983, regulations used were declared unconstitutional and seven 

persons were removed. New regulations were drafted by 1985. 

c. 	 Of the total, 106 of the executions have been for murder, 53 for rape, and 

1 for desertion. 

Source: 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prjsons; Washington, D.C. 

National Prisoner Statistics Bulletin Number 42; June 1968; pg. 3. 
Table 2-12. Federal Executions in the United States, by Year, Offense, Race, and State: 1930-1963 

Offense Race 

State in Which Executed 

American 

Year Total brder a Kidnapping otherb Mite Black Indian 

All 	 years 

Iowa 


Georgia 


Missouri 


New York 


Missouri (21, New York (2) 


Alaska 


California (3), Alaska ( 1), Florida (1) 


Wyoming 


Tennessee 


District of Columbia 


Alaska 


Kansas (2), Illinois (11, Indiana (1) 


Michigan (1 ) 

Indiana (I), Arizona (I), Oklahoma (1) 

Kansas 

Note: There have been no Federal executions since 1963. 

- Represents zero. 

a. 	 Under the Federal kidnapping statute prior to 1968, the death penalty could be imposed if the victim was not released unharmed. 

In all of the cases in this table but the one in 1936, the victim was killed by the kidnapper. 

b. 	 Includes two cases of rape on a Federal reservation (1957), two cases of espionage (1953), six cases of sabotage (1942), ard two 

cases of bank robbery with homicide (1938). 

Source: Complete table taken from 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Ehreau of Justice Statistics; Washington, D.C. 

Capital Punishment 1982; 1983; pg. 17. 

CHAPTER I11 

STATE AND FEDERAL PRISON 

STATISTICS 

This chapter concentrates on national data 

on State prisons and reformatories and 

includes Federal institutions insofar as they 

were traditionally included in national 

reports dealing with State prisons and 

reformatories. The extensive reports of the 

Federal Bureau of Prisons dealing 

exclusively with Federal prisons are 

summarized in Chapter VI. 

Comparatively more information is available 

on State and Federal prisons than on jails 

and correctional facilities for juveniles. 

However, national prison statistics have 

been transferred among several agencies, 

and reporting units have often changed with 

the change in agency sponsorship. The 

extent of State participation has also varied 

over time. 

In this chapter national reports are 

summarized from the following agencies: 

The Census Bureau's decennial series 

on Institutional Populations from 

1850-1980 and the yearly series on 

State and Federal Prisons and 

Reformatories between 1926 and 

1946; 

The Federal Bureau of Prisons' 

reports on State and Federal prisons 

between 1947 and 1970, in the 

National Prisoner Statistics series; 

w The Law Enforcement Assistance 

Administration's (LEAA) continuation 

of the National Prisoner Statistics 

series between 1970 and 1980; 

The Bureau of Justice Statistics' (BJS) 

reports and bulletins issued between 

1980 and 1984. 

SUMMARY OF STATISTICS 

Persons Present and Received in State and 

Federal Prisons and Reformatories 

As indicated in Chapter I, the earliest 

national statistics on persons in 

penitentiaries comes from the 1850 Census; 

however, this report and those in 1860 and 

1870 are not viewed as comparable in 

completeness to later reports. Table 3-1 

summarizes the number reported present 

and court convictions in the 1850-1870 

reports. The major problem with the court 

conviction data was the absence of a clear 

definition of terms such as "conviction" and 

"criminals". For example, in 1850 

Pennsylvania reported 2930 convictions and 

New York, 58,067. In the eyes of later 

census reporters these disparities indicated 

that differing definitions were being used. 

It was later reported that Pennsylvania had 

restricted reports to those convicted by a 

court of record, while New York had 

included convictions at police courts. In 

1860, an attempt was made to include less 

serious offenses and hence a much larger 

number of convictions is reported. 

The data between 1850 and 1870 on the 

number of persons in prison are viewed 

with only somewhat less suspicion. It is 

known that this was a period in which many 

States were establishing State prisons and 

reformatories. It may be that part of the 

large growth between the 1850 rate of 29 

per 100,000 and the 1880 rate of 61 per 

100,000 is due to growth of the system 

rather than lack of inclusiveness. Census 

taker F.H. Wines commented in 1880 that 

the rise in prison and jail population 

between 1850 and 1880 had been 

accompanied by a corresponding decrease in 

those present in almshouses (Census Office, 

"Report on Defective, Dependent and 

Delinquent Classes of the Population of the 

United States: 1880;" p.iv). 

Those reporting later Census results 

identified 1880 as the first Census report 

comparable to later reports (Census Bureau, 

"Prisoners and Juvenile Delinquents, 1910;" 

pp.10-13). Tables 3-2 and 3-3 present 

Census Bureau data on the number and rate 
Table 3-1. Earliest Census Data on Prisons: 1850-1870 

Census of criminalsa 

Year 

Convictions 

During Year Prisons on June 1 

Ratios per 100,000 

Convictions In Prison 

Notes: 

a. Data thought to be incomplete and inconsistent. 

b. A special effort was made in 1860 to include those convicted for 

minor offenses. 

Source: Complete table taken from 

U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1850-1870) 	 Prisoners and Juvenile Delinquents in the U.S.: 1910; 

1918; pg. 13. 
Table 3-2. Persons Present In State and Federal Prlsons on the Day of Survey, Census Data: 1880-1980 

Unlted States 30,659 45,233 57,U70 68,735 81,959 120,496 165,585 178,128 226,344 198,831 302,377 

Federal Institutions b b 1,641 1,904 4,664 12,964 19,260 (17,170) (25,020) (21,094) (41,085) 

State Instltutlons (30,659) (45,233) 55,429 66,831 77,295 107,532 146,325 (160,958) (201,324) (177,737) (261,292) 

Northeast 

Maine 

New Hampshire 154 11 6 160 147 138 124 262 238 152 246 259 

Vermont 143 91 274 170 316 412 343 31 8 31 0 299 354 

Massachusetts 1,085 1,530 1,958 1,966 1,448 2,124 2,993 3,639 3,829 3,385 2,535 

Rhode Island 107 122 451 421 466 366 308 385 348 482 769 

Connecticut 252 340 474 605 891 1,210 1,146 1,620 1.937 3.547 4.459 

New York 

Kew Jersey 

Pennsylvania 

North Central 

Ohio 

Indiana 

Illinois 

Mlchlaan 

Wisconsin 308 530 842 '953 l;l58 1;933 2,671 2; 041 2,703 3;336 4;052 

Minnesota 248 432 917 1,092 1,634 2,360 2,509 2,018 2,893 2,169 2,853 

Iowa 546 623 860 963 1,794 2,468 2,574 2,088 2,294 1,662 2,006 

Mlssouri 1,280 1,701 2,163 2,307 2,205 3,971 4,208 4,675 5,296 4,096 5,692 

North Dakota a 65 151 21 2 244 330 353 333 350 191 31 8 

South Dakota a 97 196 207 326 462 400 437 569 384 1.077 

Nebraska 

Kansas 

South 

Delaware 

Maryland 

~iskrict of Columbia a a a a a a 1,597 a a 112 1,398 

Vlrglnia 749 1,167 1,546 2,145 1,960 2,664 4,144 8,682 11,419 6,521 8,618 

West Virqinia 266 278 1,014 1,071 1,628 2,174 2,691 3,227 2,906 1,607 2,249 

North carollna 81I 1,422 674 710 1,046 2,232 4,272 8,694 11,006 7,466 16,526 

South Carollna 259 806 660 848 528 686 1,276 2,213 4,578 2,673 7,166 

Georqla a 1,729 1,915 2,638 3,738 a a 5,331 11,246 9.070 11,672 

~lorida 

Kentucky 

Tennessee 

Alabama 

Mlsslsslpp~ 

Arkansas 

Louisiana 

Oklahoma 

Texas 

West 

Montana 

Idaho 

Wyoming 

Colorado 

Uew Mexico 

Arizona 

Utah 

Nevada 

Washlnoton 

Oregon 

California 

Alaska 

Hawaii a a a a a a a a 540 267 737 

Notes: 

a. 	 Data not available. 

b. 	 There were no separate Federal lnstitutlons in 1880 and 1890. The total number of Federal prisoners in 1880 was 2,162 and 1890 was 3624. 

c. 	 Indlvldual State totals include those present in Federal institutions wlthin the State. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of the Interlor, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 


(1880) Report on the Oefectlve, Dependent and Delinquent Classes of the Population of the United States. As Returned at the Tenth 


census: 1880; 1888; pg. 485. 

(1890) Reoort on Crlme. Pauuerlsm. and Benevolence In the Unlted States at the Eleventh Census: 1890: , , art 11: 1895: oa. 11 , ,> 

U.5. ~epartmenk of commerce; ~urkau of 'census; Washington, 0.C. 

(1904, Prisoners in State and Federal Prlsons and Reformatories: 1926; 1929; pg. 4. 


1910, 


1923) 


(1930) Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 1929 and 1930; 1932; pg. 3. 


(1940) Prisoners in State and Federal Pr~sons and Reformatories: 1940; 1943; pg. 11. 


(1950) U.S. Census of Population 1950: Special Reports, Institutional Populat~on; 1953; pgs. 2C-72 to 2C-79. 


(1960) U.S. Census of Population, 1960: Subject Reports, Inmates of Institutions; 1963; pgs. 66-82. 


(1970) U.S. Census of Population, 1970: Subject Reports, Persons in Institutions and Other Group Quarters; 1973; pgs. 5, 74-77. 


(1980) 1980 Census of Population: Persons in Institutions and Other Group Quarters; 1984; pgs. 19, 73-76. 

Table 3-3. 	 Persons Present per 100,000 U.S. Population in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories 

by Region and State, Census Data: 1880-1980 

Region and State 1880 1890 1904~ 1910 1923~ 1930 1940 1950e 1960~ 1970e 1980e 

United States 

Federal Institutions 


State Institutions 


Northeast 


Maine 


New Hampshire 


Vermont 


Massachusetts 


Rhode Island 


Connecticut 


New York 


New Jersey 


Pennsylvania 


North Central 


Ohio 


Indiana 


Illinois 


Michigan 


Wisconsin 


Minnesota 


Iowa 


Missouri 


North Dakota 


South Dakota 


Nebraska 


Kansas 


South 


Delaware 


Maryland 


District of Columbia 


Virginia 


West Virginia 


North Carolina 


South Carolina 


Georgia 


Florida 


Kentucky 


Tennessee 


Alabama 


Mississippi 


Arkansas 


Louisiana 


Oklahoma 


Texas 


West 


Montana 


Idaho 


Wyoming 


Colorado 


New Mexico 


Arizona 


Utah 


Nevada 


Washington 


Oregon 


California 


Alaska 


Hawaii 


Notes: 

a. 	 Calculations based on estimated population for 1904 and 1923 and do not include Delaware and District of Columbia or 

Oklahoma in 1904. 

b. 	 There were no separate Federal institutions in 1880 and 1890. The total number of Federal prisoners in 1880 was 


2,162 and in 1890 was 3,624. 


c. 	 Data not available or not obtained. 

d. 	 Rate low because of States missing. 

e. 	 Individual State rates sometimes include those present in Federal institutions within the State. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of the Interior, Bureau of Census; Washington, O.C. 

(1880) Report on the Defective, Dependent and Delinquent Classes of the Population of the United States, As Returned 

st the Tenth Census: 1880; 1888; pg. 485. 

(1890) 	 Report on Crime, Pauperism, and Benevolence in the United States at the Eleventh Census: 1890, part 11; 1895; 

pg. 11. 

U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1904, Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 1926; 1929; pg. 4. 


1910, 


1923) 


(1930) Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 1929 and 1930; 1932; pg. 3. 


(1940) Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 1940; 1943; pg. 11. 


(1950) U.S. Census of Population 1950: Special Reports, Institutional Population; 1953; pgs. 20-72 to 20-79. 


(1960) U.S. Census of Population, 1960: Subject Reports, Inmates of Institutions; 1963; pgs. 66-82. 


(1970) U.5. Census of Population, 1970: Subject Reports, Persons in Institutions and Other Group Quarters; 1973; 


pgs. 5, 74-77. 

(1980) 1980 Census of Population: Persons in Institutions and Other Group Quarters; 1984; pgs. 19, 73-76. (1880- Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970, part I;1975; pgs. 22-37. 1970) 


(1980) Statistical Abstract of the United States: 1984; 1983. 

per 100,000 present by State in prisons from 

1880 to 1980. Table 3-4 presents similar 

Justice Department data for the years 1950 

to 1984. Table 3-5 specifically compares 

national totals for the Census Bureau and 

the Justice Department for 1950 to 1980. 

Table 3-6 presents rates per 100,000 total 

population and population aged 20 to 44 for 

national data at 10-year intervals since 1880. 

Table 3-7 presents the number and rate per 

100,000 under sentence in State and Federal 

prisons from 1925 to 1982. 

Unlike the jail and juvenile reports, the 

data from the Census Bureau and the Justice 

Department on the number present are 

relatively consistent (within 10,000) for 

most years in which there is overlap of 

collection. This consistency reflects the fact 

that State and Federal prisons are 

comparatively more easily defined and 

located than jails and facilities for juveniles 

(see Chapters IV and V). There are larger 

differences between the data for 1980 than 

the previous years. The Census estimate for 

Federal prisons is 17,000 more than reported 

by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and the 

total for State prisoners reported by the 

Census Bureau is 40,000 less than that 

reported by BJS for the same year. The 

combined totals are thus about 20,000 apart. 

It may be that part of the difference in 

Federal prisoners is related to differential 

counting of military prisoners, of which 

there were about 4000 in the early 1980'~~ 

and to inclusion of other Federal detainees. 

The numbers reported over the 100-year 

period indicate that the rates present in 

State and Federal prisons and reformatories 

per 100,000 total U.S. population have 

tripled between 1880 and 1984. In 1880 the 

rate was 61, and in 1984 it was 188. The 

rates per population aged 20 to 44 

demonstrate similar increases. The increase 

was not a steady one. Rates increased 

somewhat from 1880 up to 1910, were 

stable between 1910 and 1923, and then 

increased greatly during the Depression up 

to 1940. The rates then decreased somewhat 

between 1940 and 1950, increased into the 

1960's, decreased again around 1970, and 

have dramatically risen during the later 

1970's and 1980's. Regionally, rates in the 

South have increased the most over the 

period, and the South continues to have the 

largest prison population. 

Numbers Received 

Data on those received in prison during an 

entire year were first collected by the 

Census Bureau in 1904. At this time the 

statistic was presented to correct notions 

that were obtained by only looking at those 

present on the day of the survey. Data on 

the number of prisoners received annually 

were then included in the Census 

Institutional Population reports in 1910 and 

1923. When the yearly series was initiated 

in 1926, those received during the year 

became the basis for reporting detailed 

information rather than those present. 

Table 3-8 includes available yearly data on 

the number reported received from 1904 to 

1983. These rates have ranged from about 

35 to 45 per 100,000 in years before 1929 

and again in the late 19603, to about 75 per 

100,000 in the early 1980's. Tables 3-9 and 

3-10 present number and rate received, by 

State, at 10-year intervals. 

Sentences 

The first national information on sentencing 

comes from the 1880 Census report. Of the 

total population in penitentiaries, 99 percent 

were reported to be under sentence at the 

time of the survey (p.520) and 88 percent of 

these had sentences listed of over 1 year 

(Table 3-1 1). Comparable data for jails for 

the same year indicate that about 55 percent 

of the inmates were under sentence and of 

these only 8 percent had sentences of 1 year 

or longer. 

In 1890 data were not tallied on sentence by 

type of prison; however, extensive 

information was presented on average 

sentence of the total penal facility 

population by sex, race, nativity, and 

offense. This information is presented in 

Table 3-12. The average sentence ranged 

from 7.77 years for offenses against the 

person to .76 years for offenses against 

society. It was noted that the average 

sentence of blacks was 1 year longer and 

that of Chinese, 3 years longer than that of 
Table 3-4. 	 Number of Persons Present and Rate per 100,000 U.S. Population in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories 

by State and Reglon, Justice Data: 1950-1984 

Rate per 100,000~'~ 	 Number presenta 

Total 	 With sentences of Total With sentences of 

1 year or longerb 1 year or longerb 

Region and State 1950 1960 1970 1980 1984 1950 1960 1970 1980b 1984~ 

United States 110 119 

Federal Institutions 11 13 


State Institutions 99 106 


Northeast 


Maine 


New Hampshire 


Vermont 


Massachusetts 


Rhode Island 


Connecticut 


New York 


New Jersey 


Pennsylvania 


North Central 


Ohio 


Indiana 


Illinois 


Michigan 


Wisconsin 


Minnesota 


Iowa 


Missouri 


North Dakota 


South Dakota 


Nebraska 


Kansas 


South 114 133 


Delaware 49 49 


Maryland 168 171 


District of Col umbia 191 267 


Virginla 138 154 


West Vlrglnia 144 129 


North Carolina 


South Carolina 


Georgia 


Florida 


Kentucky 


Tennessee 


Alabama 


Mississippi 


Arkansas 


Louisiana 


Oklahoma 


Texas 


West 


Montana 


Idaho 


Wyoming 


Colorado 


New Mexico 


Arizona 


Utah 


Nevada 


Washington 


Oregon 


California 


Alaska 


Hawaii 


Notes: 

a. 	 Prisoners present on December 31. 

b. 	 Includes prisoners sentenced to more than a year; total number present in 1980 was 329,821 and in 1984, 463,866. 

c. 	 As rates were compiled individually, sum of State and Federal rates may not exactly equal United States rate. 

d. 	 Data not available or not obtained. 

e. 	 Figures estimated. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons; National Prisoner Statistics; Washington, D.C. 


(1950) Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions: 1950; 1954; pgs. 41, 44-45. 


(1960) Characteristics of State Prisoners: 1960; 1965; pg. 57. 


(1970) Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions for Adult Felons: 1968, 1969, 1970; Number 47; 


1972; pgs. 2, 10-11. 

U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics; Washington, D.C. 

(1980) Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics: 1983; 1984; pgs. 568, 570. 


(1984) Bulletin: Prisoners in 1984; 1985; pg. 2. 
 U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 


Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970, Part I; 1975; pgs. 22-37. 


Statistical Abstract of the United States: 1984; 1983. 

Table 3-5. 	 Comparison Census and Justice Figures for Number Reported 

Present in State and Federal Correctional Facilities, 

Available Years: 1950-1984 

State 

Federal Prisons and Federal 

Facilities Reformatories and State 

1950 (Census) 

(Justice) 

1960 (Census) 

(Justice) 

1970 (Census) 

(Justice) 

1980 (Census) 

1980 (~ustice)~ 

Notes: 

a. 	 Wot separately enumerated. 

b. 	 Revised totals. Reported to give complete coverage for institutions for adult offenders. 

c. 	 Totals are for all present. These differ from Table 3-4 which 

are only for those with sentences of 1 year or longer. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons; National Prisoner 

Statistics; Washington, D.C. 

(1950) Prisoners in State and Federal institutions: 

1950; 1954; pg. 6. 

(1960,1970) 	 Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions 

for Adult Felons: '1968, 1969, 1970; Number 47; 

1972; pg. 2. 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics; 

Washington, D.C. 

(1980) Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions on 

December 31, 1981 ; 1983; pg. 13. 

(1984) Bulletin: Prisoners in 1984; 1985; pg. 2. 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1950) U.S. Census Population 1950: Special Reports, 

Institutional Populations; 1953; pg. 2cll. 

(1960) U.S. Census of Population, 1960: Subject Reports, 

Inmates of Institutions; 1963; pgs. 13-14. 

(1970) Historical Statistics of the United States, 

Colonial Times to 1970; 1976; pgs. 419-420. 

(1980) 	 U.S. Census of Population, 1980: Subject Reports, 

Persons in Institutions and Group Quarters; 1984; 

pgs. 4-5. 
Table 3-6. Rate per 100,000 Population and Rate per 100,000 

and Federal Prisons and Reformatories by Decade: 

United States 

Population 

Year (~housands) 

1880 (Census) 50,155 

1890 (Census) 62,622 

1904 (Census) 82,165 

1910 (Census) 92,407 

1923 (Census) 111,950 

1933 (Census) 

1940 (Census) 132,457 

1950 (Justice) 151,868 

1960 (Justice) 

1970 (Justice) 203,810 

1980 (Justice) 227,700 

1983 (Justice) 234,200 

Notes: 

a. Estimated. 

United States 

Population 

Aged 20-44 

(Thousands) 

Number 

Present 

on Day of 

Survey 

18,007 

23,055 

31,632 

35,867 

43,196 

30,659 

45,233 

57,070 

68,735 

81,959 

51,260 

56,691 

165,585~ 

165,796~ 

64,366 

85,056 

89, 500a 

196,429 

329,821 

419,731 

b. Justice Department revised figure for 1940 was 173,706 

Sources: 

Aged 20-44 Present in State 

1880-1983, Summary Table 

Rate 

Rate per per 100,000 

100,000 Total Population 

Population Aged 20-44 

6 1 170 

7 2 196 

69 180 

74 192 

7 3 190 

125 323 

109 292 

96 305 

145 388 

179 469 

and for 1950, 166,123. 

U.S. 	 Department of the Interior, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1880) Report on the Defective, Dependent and Delinquent Classes of the Population 

of the United States, As Returned at the Tenth Census: 1880; 1888; pg. 485. 

(1890) Report on Crime, Pauperism, and Benevolence in the United States at the 

Eleventh Census: 1890, part 11; 1895; pg. 11. 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1904, Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 

1910, 

1923) 

(1933) Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 

(1940) Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 

1926; 1929; pg. 4. 

1933; 1935; pg. 3. 

1940; 1943; pg. 11. 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons; National Prisoner Statistics; Washington, D.C. 

(1950) Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions: 1950; 1954; pgs. 44-45. 

(1960) Characteristics of State Prisoners: 1960; 1965; pg. 57. 

(1970) Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions for Adult Felons: 1968, 1969, 1970; 

Number 47; 1972; pg. 2. 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics; 

(1980) Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics: 

(1983) Bulletin: Prisoners at Midyear 1983; 1983; 

Population Sources: 

Washington, D.C. 

1983; 1984; pg. 570. 

Table 2, pg. 2. 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970, part I;1975; 

pgs. 22-37. 

Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1984; 1983. 
Table 3-7. Number and Rate per 100,000 Population of Sentenced Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions: 1925-1982~ 

Rate per Rate per 

100,000 100,000 

Yearend Number population Yearend Number population 

Notes: 

a. 	 The count, until 1977, was limited to those prisoners remanded to the custody of the State or Federal adult correctional 

system. Beginning in 1977, the count includes all persons under the jurisdiction of the individual correctional systems. 

Examples of inmates under the jurisdiction of a given system, but not under its custody, are those housed in local jails, 

in other States, or in hospitals (including mental health facilities) outside the correctional system; inmates out on work 

release, furlough or bail; and State prisoners held in Federal prisons or vice versa. Figures for both the custody and 

jurisdiction populations are given for 1977 in order that 1977 can be compared with both previous and subsequent years. 

Over the years, the sentenced prisoner population has been variously defined to include "felons age 18 and over," "adult 

felons," "prisoners sentenced to a maximum term of at leasta year and a day," and since 1978, "prisoners sentenced to 

over 1 year." 

Source: Complete table taken from 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics; Washington, O.C. 


Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions on December 31, 1982; 1984; pg. 52. 

Table 3-8. 	 Number and Rate per 100,000 of State and Federal Prisoners Received from Court: 

1904-1983 

Year 	 Number Rate Per 100,000 Year Number Rate Per 100,000 

1904 	 27,740 33.6 1953 74,240 47.1 

1910 	 29,710 32.5 1954 80,900 50.3 

1923 	 38,628 34.6 1955 78,414 47.9 

1956 	 77,924 46.7 

1957 	 80,482 47.4 

1926 	 48,108 42.3 1958 88,633 51.2 

1927 	 51,936 45.1 1959 87,192 49.5 

1928 	 55,746 47.7 1960 88,575 49.3 

1929 	 58,906 51.4 1961 93,513 51.3 

1930 	 66,013 56.2 1962 89,082 48.1 

1931 	 71,520 60.8 1963 87,826 46.8 

1932 	 67,477 57.8 1964 87,578 46.0 

1933 	 62,801 52.8 1965 87,505 45.4 

1934 	 62,251 51.9 1966 77,857 40.0 

1935 	 65,723 54.3 1967 77,850 39.6 

1936 	 60,925 50.0 1968 72,058 36.3 

1937 	 63,552 49.3 1969 75,277 37.6 

1938 	 68,326 52.6 1970 79,351 39.1 

1939 	 66,024 50.4 1971 a a 

1940 	 73,104 55.5 1972 a a 

1941 	 68,700 52.3 1973 a a 

1942 	 58,858 45.5 1974 a a 

1943 	 50,082 39.4 1975b 129,573 60.0 

1944 	 50,162 39.5 1976 129,482 59.4 

1945 	 53,212 40.0 1977~ 128,050 58.2 

1946 	 61,338 43.7 1978~ 126,121 56.7 

1947 	 64,804 45.0 1979~ 131,047 58.2 

1948 	 63,777 43.6 1980; 142,122 62.4 

1949 	 68,925 46.3 1981 160,272 69.7 

1950 	 69,473 46.1 1982~ 177,109 76.3 

1951 	 67,165 44.1 1983 173,289 74.0 

1952 	 70,892 45.8 

Notes: 

a. 	 Data not located. 

b. 	 New court commitments only. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 


Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 


(1904) 1926; 1929; pg. 7. 


(1910-1933) 1933; 1935; pg. 8. 


(1934-1936) 1936; 1938; pg. 11. 


(1937) 1937; 1939; pg. 8. 


(1938) 1938; 1941; pg. 8. 


(1939) 1939; 1941; pg. 8. 


U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, National Criminal 


Justice Information and Statistics Service; Washington, D.C. 


(1940-1970) 	 Source book of Criminal Justice Statistics: 1974; 1975; pg. 440. 

(1975) Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions on December 31, 1975; 1977; pg. 22. 

(1976) Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions on December 31, 1976; 1978; pg. 22. 

(1977) Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions on December 31, 1977; 1979; pg. 16. 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics; Washington, D.C. 

(1978) Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions on December 31, 1978; 1980; pg. 22. 

(1979) Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions on December 31, 1979; 1981; pg. 20. 

(1980) Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics: 1982; 1983; pg. 542. 

(1981) Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics: 1983; 1984; pg. 570. 

(1982) Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions on December 31, 1982; 1984; pg. 26. 

(1983) Unpublished data. 
Table 3-9. 	 Number of Prisoners Received from Court in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories by State by Decade: 

1904-1980 

Region and State 1904~ 1910e 1923~ 1930~ 1940e 1950e 1960e 1970e 1980e 

(Major 

Offenders) 

United Statesd 

Federal Institutions 

State Institutions 

Northeast 

Maine 

New Hampshire 

Vermont 

Massachusetts 

Rhode Island 

Connecticut 

New York 

New Jersey 

Pennsylvania 

North Central 

Ohio 

Indiana 

Illinois 

Michigan 

Wisconsin 

Minnesota 

Iowa 

Missouri 

North Oakota 

South Oakota 

Nebraska 

Kansas 

South 

Oelaware 

Maryland 

Oistrict of Columb 

Virginia 

West Virginia 

North Carolina 

South Carolina 

Georgia 

Florida 

Kentucky 

Tennessee 

Alabama 

Mississippi 

Arkansas 

Louisiana 

Oklahoma 

Texas 

West 

Montana 

Idaho 

Wyoming 

Colorado 

New Mexico 

Arizona 

Utah 

Nevada 

Washington 

Oregon 

California 

Alaska 

Hawaii 

Notes: 

a. 	 Data not available: No State prisons in Delaware or Oistrict of Columbia prior to 1930. 

b. 	 In 1904 statistics on commitments were categorized as "major" and "minor" rather than by type of facility. This 


statistic does not necessarily include all prisoners in State and Federal prisons and reformatories. 


c. 	 Figures for Georgia, Kansas and Washington include statistics for Federal prisons which were not separately compiled 

by the Census Bureau. 

d. 	 As rates were computed individually, sum of State and Federal rates may not equal "United States" rate. 

e. 	 Between 1910 and 1960 State data is inconsistent as to whether all received or only those with sentences of 1 year 

or longer are included. In 1970 an attempt was made to include only those with sentences of 1 year or more. 1980 

includes all new court commitments only. This total reported here for Federal prisoners received (10,907) is substantially less than that reported in subsequent summary tables on those received from court in Federal facilities from 

fiscal year 1980 (15,376). 

Sources: 

U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, O.C. 

(1904, 1910, 1923) 	 Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 1926; 1929; pg. 7. 

(1930) Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 1929 and 1930; 1932; pg. 64. 

(1940) Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 1940; 1943; pg. 14. 

U.S. Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, National Criminal Justice Information and 


Statistics Service; Washington, O.C. 


(1950, 1960, 1970) 	 Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics 1974; 1975; pg. 440. 


(1980) Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics 1982; 1983; pg. 542. 

Table 3-10. Rate per 100,000 Population of Prisoners Received from Court in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories by 

State by Decade: 1904-1980 

Region and State 1904~ 1910e 

United Statesd 

Federal Institutions 

State Institutions 

Northeast 

Maine 

New Hampshire 

Vermont 

Massachusetts 

Rhode Island 

Connecticut 

New York 

New Jersey 

Pennsylvania 

North Central 

Ohio 

Indiana 

Illinois 

Michigan 

Wisconsin 

Minnesota 

Iowa 

Missouri 

North Dakota 

South Dakota 

Nebraska 

Kansas 

South 32.8 39.4 

Delaware a a 

Maryland 42.9 131.3 

District of Columbia a a 

Virginia 33.3 32.1 

West Virginia 51.9 34.8 

North Carolina 20.1 8.7 

South Carolina 16.1 15.6 

Georgia 39.2 28.5 

Florida 67.0 56.8 

Kentucky 40.5 37.3 

Tennessee 35.7 29.8 

Alabama 31.3 83.5 

Mississippi 22.3 34.7 

Arkansas 37.1 36.2 

Louisiana 13.4 45.3 

Oklahoma 0.9 49.4 

Texas 94.3 29.0 

West 59.8 52.0 

Montana 59.2 79.0 

Idaho 15.1 29.1 

Wyoming 64.8 84.2 

Colorado 75.6 74.6 

New Mexico 50.5 59.0 

Arizona 119.0 136.8 

Utah 35.9 39.9 

Nevada 104.8 97.6 

Washington 70.9 44.7 

Oregon 47.5 32.8 

California 57.9 42.4 

Alaska a a 

Hawaii a a 

Notes: 

1923~ 1930e 1940e 1950e 1960e 1970e 1980e 

36.5 53.2 59.2 49.9 58.8 47.9 84.2 

a a 55.9 38.7 54.7 96.4 63.5 

92.9 177.6 164.4 130.6 140.9 a 98.3 

a a 100.7 72.3 88.7 158.0 165.5 

25.5 55.2 62.2 52.8 47.5 40.3 54.6 

50.2 67.7 53.6 35.0 27.5 14.4 27.0 

13.8 43.0 35.1 47.5 59.5 38.5 113.5 

20.2 31.9 32.2 28.7 37.9 64.9 106.9 

29.4 a a 46.6 64.0 57.5 108.9 

43.6 71 .O 71.6 54.7 61.1 64.7 82.8 

33.7 86.4 66.6 46.3 59.0 50.9 60.9 

25.1 55.8 43.8 31.2 36.3 41 .O 64.2 

43.8 a 187.3 82.1 72.1 42.7 94.4 

26.7 49.3 a 34.6 39.3 30.1 65.4 

53.0 68.3 42.7 36.4 55.9 a 73.3 

30.3 50.9 39.7 43.4 50.6 44.6 68.6 

79.8 89.2 86.5 53.0 64.9 77.0 79.5 

30.7 44.8 41.5 38.9 52.6 59.0 90.3 

44.7 48.5 41.9 39.1 42.7 27.6 47.5 

40.4 74.0 54.6 69.4 63.0 33.0 39.1 

25.6 a 44.0 49.2 41.2 30.2 52.8 

59.8 59.7 69.0 67.0 71.2 38.0 48.7 

57.2 84.2 61.5 72.2 68.0 39.5 39.6 

44.2 66.2 62.2 64.2 52.1 33.5 36.2 

55.3 84.6 67.1 60.3 62.7 31.4 68.5 

39.3 43.9 29.8 34.7 30.1 19.3 24.7 

97.4 137.4 150.0 107.5 77.9 54.8 99.1 

52.7 67.4 42.7 39.2 34.6 33.3 33.5 

32.0 52.5 48.6 45.3 50.4 43.6 60.1 

41.9 35.6 31.2 29.5 38.4 23.5 47.9 

a a a a 59.3 23.4 77.9 

a a a a a a 20.2 

a. 	 Data not available: No state prisons in Delaware or District of Columbia prior to 1930. 

b. 	 In 1904 statistics on commitments were categorized as "major" and "minor" rather than by type of facility. This 


statistic does not necessarily include all prisoners in State and Federal prisons and reformatories. 


c. 	 Figures for Georgia, Kansas and Washington include statistics for Federal prisons which were not separately compiled 

by the Census Bureau. 

d. 	 As rates were computed individually, sum of State and Federal rates may not equal "United States" rate. 

e. 	 Between 1910 and 1960 State data is inconsistent as to whether all received or only those with sentences of 1 year 

or longer are included. In 1970 an attempt was made to include only those with sentences of 1 year or more. 1980 

includes all new court commitments only. This total reported here for Federal prisoners received (10,907) is substantially less than that reported in subsequent summary tables on those received from court in Federal facilities for 

fiscal year 1980 (15,376). 

Sources: 

U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, O.C. 

(1904, 1910, 1923) 	 Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 1926; 1929; pg. 7. 

(1930) Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 1929 and 1930; '1932; pg. 64. 

(1940) Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 1940; 1943; pg.'14. 

U.S. Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, National Criminal Justice Information and 


Statistics Service; Washington, O.C. 


(1950, 1960, 1970) 	 Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics 1974; 1975; pg. 440. 


(1980) Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Ststistics 1982; 1983; pg. 542. 

Table 3-11. 	 Percentage Having Sentence of 1 Year or Longer by Place Found: 1880 

Percent of Those With Sentences 

Total Present Number Under Sentence Having Term of More than 1 Year 

Penitentiaries 30,659 30,655 


County Jails 12,691 6,975 


City Prisons 1,666 1,194 


Workhouses 7,865 7,855 


Leased Out 4,879 4,879 


Military Prisons 49 9 486 


Insane Hospitals 350 35 0 


Total 58,609 52,394 	 61 

Source: 

U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1880) 	 Report on the Defective, Delinquent Classes of the Population of the United States 

as Returned at the Tenth Census: 1880; 1888; pg. L1. 

Table 3-12. 	 Average Sentence in Years for Total in Prison 

and Jails by Sex, Region, Race, Nativity, and 

Offense: 1890 

Male Female 

Region 

North Atlantic 


South Atlantic 


brth Central 


South Central 


Western 


Color, 	 Nativity, Race 

White 

Native 


Parents Native 


be Parent Foreign 


Parents Foreign 


lhknown 


Foreign Born 


Lhknown 


Colored 


kgroes 


Chinese 


Indians 


Offense 

Against 


Government 


Society 


Person 


Property 


Lk High Seas 


Other 


Note: 

a. Not separately enumerated. 

Source: 

U.S. 	 Department of the Interior, Bureau of Census; 


Washington, O.C. 


(1890) Report 	on Crime Pauperism and Benevolence 


as Returned at the Eleventh Census; Part I; 


1896; pgs. 93, 98, 101. 

whites. In 1890 there is the first mention 

of the term indefinite sentence; however, it 

is used to refer to life prisoners (p.199). 

A concern of the 1904 report was the 

relationship between sentence and offense as 

well as differences by sex and region in 

sentences. The report noted that females 

had shorter sentences for homicide and for 

offenses against society than males. This 

fact was attributed to the assumption that 

crimes within the categories might have 

been less serious. The report also noted that 

that 57.5 percent of those present who were 

guilty of homicide received sentences of less 

than life in prison (p.27). 

In 1910 the most significant change in 

sentence patterns since the 1880 census was 

reported to be the introduction of the 

indeterminate sentence. This category had 

first appeared in 1904 when 15 percent 

were reported under this sentence. By 

1910, 37 percent of those committed to State 

and Federal penitentiaries were under 

indeterminate sentence (Table 3-13). It was 

observed that the corresponding decrease in 

percent serving definite terms was in the 

category having sentences of 1 year or 

more, indicating that the indeterminate 

sentence was replacing the long-term, 

definite sentence (1910, p.42). 

By 1923, 55 percent of those received in 

State and Federal prisons and reformatories 

were under indeterminate sentence. The 

indeterminate sentence was most frequently 

used in the Mountain, Pacific, North, and 

Middle Atlantic regions and least used in 

the Southern regions. Table 3- 14 presents 

data on the relative use of determinate and 

indeterminate sentences for selected years 

between 1926 and 1960. 

In 1923 the first discussion of the relative 

length of definite versus indeterminate 

sentences appears. This was to become a 

topic of considerable interest in subsequent 

reports. The report noted that the term 

indeterminate sentence really referred to 

several differing types of sentences. These 

included sentences with both a maximum 

and a minimum, those with one or the other 

and those with neither, as well as terms for 

the duration of one's minority. 

Comparisons of the tables led the writers of 

the report to state: 

The more extensive use of the 

indeterminate sentence tends to 

increase the potential length of 

imprisonment, by setting higher 

limits to the terms of imprisonment 

than are, in general, fixed under 

the definite term sentence (Census 

Bureau, "Prisoners, 1923"; p. 124). 

In 1923, for example, only 7 percent of 

those under definite sentence for property 

offenses had terms of 10 years or more 

compared to 49 percent having this as a 

maximum under indefinite sentence (p.138). 

Table 3-15 compares the sentence of 

definite length commitments with the 

maximum indeterminate sentence length. 

This comparison has little meaning without 

comparison of actual time served, which as 

will be seen did not show such differences 

(see section on time served). 

Another striking fact noted by the authors 

of the 1923 report was the wide disparity 

between the maximum and minimum 

indeterminate sentences. The report notes 

that, among those having a sentence 

maximum of 20 years, one-third (34 

percent) had minimum sentences of 1 year 

(p.126). 

The reporters also observed that while there 

had been a decline in the percent sentenced 

to death, the number under life sentence 

had increased to a larger extent than could 

be accounted for by this decrease. The 

reason given for this was the increase in the 

relative number of commitments for 

homicide and the tendency to use life 

sentences for robbery and other grave 

crimes. 

Table 3- 16 compares reported sentences 

using a compilation of median maximum 

indeterminate sentence and the median 

determinate sentences. This procedure was 

followed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons 

in 1950 and 1960. We followed the same 

procedure to calculate the median sentence 

for the 1923 data. Recently published BJS 
Table 3-13. Percentage Which Commitments Under Indeterminate Sentence Were of Total Commitments: 1923 and 1910~ 

Prisons and Reformatories Prlsons Reformatories 

Geoqraphlc Divlsion 1923 1910 

Increase, 

1923 over 1910b 1923 1910 

Increase, 

1923 over 1910b 1923 1910 19

Increase, 

23 over 1910~ 

United States 55.4 36.9 18.5 46.8 21.9 24.9 81.2 94.5 -13.3 

-

New England 

Mlddle Atlantic 

East North Central 

West North Central 

South Atlantic 

East South Central 

West South Central 

Mountain 

Pacific 

Federal prisons e c c e c c c c c 

Notes: 

a. 	 Based upon the total number excluding those sentenced to death, but including those sentenced for minority; for 1923, covered the first 6 

months, for 1910, the whole year. 

b. 	 A mlnus sign <-) denotes decrease. 

c. 	 Data not available 

d. 	 Percent not shown where base 1s less than 100. 

e. 	 Less than one-tenth of 1 percent. 

Source: Complete table taken from 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

Prisoners 1923; 1926; pg. 116. 

Table 3-14. Use of Definite vs. Indeterminate Sentences by Sex for State and Federal Prlsoners Received: 1926-1960 

Total 	 MALE FEMALE 

Definlte Indeterminate Definite Indeterminate Definite Indeterminate - ~ 

Number Received Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent 

1926 42,853 18,975 44 

Notes: 

a. 	 Data not reported for 1960. 

b. 	 State only. 

Sources: 

U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1926, 1930) 	 Prisoners In State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 1929 and 1930; 1932; pg. 20. 

(1935) Prisoners In State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 1935; 1937; pg. 17. 

(1940) Prlsoners in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 1940; 1943; pg. 16. 

(1945) Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 1945; 1947; pg. 34. 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons; National Prisoner Statistics; Washington, D.C. 


(1950) Prisoners In State and federal Institutions: 1950; 1954; pg. 58. 


(1960) Characteristics of State Prisoners: 1960; 1965; pg. 42. 


Table 3-16. Median Sentence in Months by Offense for Selected Years, Prisoners Received: 1923-1981 

State and Federal Institutions State Institutions Only 

Offense 1923~ 1950a 1 960a 1981b -- -

Number Median Number Median Number Median Number Median 

All 	 Offenses 18,982 67 55,625 5 5 69,235 6 3 109,233 53 

Person 

Homicide 

Assault 958 59 2,613 54 3,890 49 7,587 48 

Rape 758 163 1,720 118 3,635' 109' 3,070 112 

Property 

Robbery 

Embezzlement, 

Forgery and Fraud 1,919 5 8 7,943 47 10,244 5 2 6,395 34 

Burglary 3,209 87 11,687 67 19,224 62 29,722 41 

Larceny 3,538 6 8 8,139 45 9,303 4 1 9,851 33 

Auto Theft d d 4,314 44 3,342 6 2 1,665 38 

Stolen Property 335 47 d d d d d d 

Morals 

Drug Law Violations 1,098 22 2,039 29 2,927 120 8,396 41 

Notes: 

a. 	 In 1923, 1950, and 1960 median sentence length was calculated as median of combination of 

maximum indeterminate and definite sentences; in 1981 the basis for calculation was not 

given in table. 

b. 	 In 1923, 1950, and 1960 only felons are included; in 1981 table does not specify inclusiveness. 

c. 	 Includes other sex offenses. 

d. Not available. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1923) Prisoners 1923; 1926; pg. 137. 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons; National Prisoner Statistics; Washington, D.C. 

(1950) Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions: 1950; 1954; pgs. 70-71. 

(1960) Characteristics of State Prisoners: 1960; 1965; pgs. 54. 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics; Washington, D.C. 

(1981) Special Report: Prison Admissions and Releases, 1981; 1984; pg. 3. 
data on median sentence for 1981 are also 

included (the 1981 BJS report does not 

indicate how the sentence length was 

calculated). Perhaps reflective of the 

lessened use of indeterminate sentences, the 

1981 data indicate a reduction in sentence 

length for most offense categories. 

Offense Distribution of State and Federal 

Prisoners 

A question of considerable interest is 

whether the percent of those in prison who 

are serious violent offenders has grown over 

time. Recent reports, especially those 

making comparisons with the 1960's, seem 

to indicate changes in the direction of more 

violent offenders. A detailed look at the 

distributions reported using earlier years as 

frames of reference indicates somewhat less 

clear results. 

The earliest offense distribution data come 

from the 1880 and 1890 Census reports; 

however, in reporting offenses in these 

years, inmates of jails are not separated 

from those present in State prisons (see 

Chapter VIII for these tables and discussion 

of overall offense distribution). Offense 

distributions separated by type of prison 

were first presented in 1910. Tables 3-17 

to 3-20 summarize these data for State and 

Federal prisons from 1910 to 1981. 

In discussing offense distribution it should 

be noted that several classification or 

reporting techniques have changed over time 

which may contribute to finding higher 

percentages present for violent offenses. 

The broad classification scheme used for 

both Census Bureau prison statistics and the 

F.B.I. Uniform Crime Reports up until the 

1960's utilized three major categories. 

These were offenses against the person, 

property, and society (morals/order). In 

this classification, robbery was included as 

an offense against property. When the 

classification "violent crimes" came into use, 

robbery was taken out of the property 

category and included as a violent offense. 

This does not affect detailed comparisons 

but may have an impact on summary tables. 

In addition, the most recent reports classify 

certain sex offenses as "other violent" which 

previously were included in the morals 

category. 

Offense distributions have also differed as 

to whether all prisoners are included or only 

those with sentences of 1 year or longer. At 

their peak in 1940, misdemeanor 

commitments were about 15 percent of the 

total, but 98 percent were from only 13 

States. Offense data prior to the late 1930's 

include all prisoners, while data between 

1940 and 1974 include only those with 

sentences of 1 year or longer. Recent 

classifications have also typically reported 

the most serious offense listed, while earlier 

reports are less specific as to whether this 

criterion was used. Within the tables, years 

are listed as to inclusiveness. 

Considered broadly, the offense distribution 

of State and Federal prisoners over the last 

75 years has demonstrated a remarkable 

level of consistency. The traditional 

offenses against the person (homicide, 

assault, and rape) have consisted of about 13 

to 24 percent of those received; those 

against property (including robbery) 

between 60 and 70 percent; and 

morals/order/other offenses about 20 

percent. 

Among the specific offense categories there 

has been more change, the largest of which 

has been the increase in the percent 

reported received and present for robbery 

and the corresponding decline in larceny. 

For example in 1910, robbery commitments 

were about 9 percent of the total; in 1981 

they were 19 percent. In the first decades 

of the century part of this increase was 

undoubtedly due to a more clear legal 

separation of robbery from other theft or 

from assault (which had a decrease). As has 

been noted by Ruben, before 1900, only 16 

States had legislation aimed specifically at 

robbery; after 1920 many more States passed 

armed robbery legislation and the penalties 

were more severe than for other forms of 

theft (Rubin, Sol, Crime and Delinauencv, 

Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., Oceana Publishing, 

1970). The period between 1960 and 1980 

also witnessed the passage of more 

mandatory sentences for armed robbery. 
Table 3-17. Percentage Distribution of Offenses of Prisoners Received During Given Year in State and Federal Prisons 

and ~eformatories~: 1910-1981 

Felonies Felonies Felonies One Year 

Total Total Total Total Only Only Only or Lon er 

Category and Offense 1910 1923 1933 1940 1940 1950 1960b 1970' 1981b 

Person 

Homicide, Manslaughter 

Assault 

Rape 

Total 

Property 

Robbery 

Embezzlement, 

Forgery, Fraud 


Burglary 


All Larceny 


Arson 


Stolen Property 


Total 

Morals, Order, 

Government Charges 

Other Sex-related Crimes 

Liquor-law Violations 

Drunkenness, Disorderly 

Conduct, Vagrancy 


Drug-Law Violations 


Trafflc Violations 


Carrying and Possessing 


Weapons 


Nonsupport 


Selective Service 


Violations 


Natlonal Security 


Violation 


Crimes Related to 


the Admin. of ~ovt.~ 


Public Order 


Total 

Total Reported 

Unknown or Unclear 

Notes: 

a. 	 Before 1937, felony and misdemeanor commitments to State and Federal prisons were categorlzed together by offense. 

From 1937 to 1942 separate and combined llstings were provided. After 1942, State institutions reported only 

felonies. Using 1940 as an example, since thls represents a high point In the percentage of misdemeanor commitments 

to State and Federal prisons, the difference in the distribution produced by excluding all misdemeanors is shown. 

b. 	 In 1960, 1970, and 1981, separate reports for Federal and State prisons were issued. For this table the distribution 

have been combined. Those offenses marked "b" were separately categorized only In the Federal report. In 1970 State 

data includes 31 States only; in 1981 data includes 32 States. 

c. 	 Other sexual offenses are included. 

d. 	 Not categorlzed. 

e. 	 Includes among other offenses, unlawful immigration, perjury, contempt. 

f. 	 Content varies because of changes in detail of categorization; most offenses not categorized account for less than 

1 percent of the total. 

g. 	 1970 Includes 62 military court-martial cases and 1981 includes 33 mllitary court-martial cases. 

h. 	 Does not include embezzlement. 

Sources : 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census, Washington, D.C. 

(1910, 	 1923) Prisoners 1923; 1926; Tab. 14. 


(1933) Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 1933; 1935; pg. 10. 


(1940) Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 1940; 1943; pg. 15. 


U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons; National Prisoner Statistics; Washington, D.C. 


(1950) Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions: 1950; 1954; pg. 63. 


(1960) Characteristics of State Prisoners: 1960; 1965; pg. 41. 


(1970) State Prisoners: Admissions and Releases, 1970; 1972; pg. 6. 


U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons, Washington, D.C. 


(1960) Federal Prisons: 1960; 1964; pg. 36. 


(1981) Statistical Report Fiscal Years 1981-1983; pgs. 38-39. 


U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, National Criminal Justice Information and 

Statistics 	Service; Washington, D.C. 


(1970) Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics: 1973; 1973; pg. 363. 


U.S. 	 Department of Justlce, Bureau of Justice Statistics; Washington, D.C. 


(1981) Prison Admissions and Releases, 1981; 1984; pg. 3 (State data). 

- -- - - 

Table 3-18. Percentage Distribution of Offenses Reported for Prisoners Received in State Prisons and Reformatories During 

Selected Years: 1923-1981 

1923 1937 1946 1950 1960 1960 1964 1964 1970 1981 

Category and Offense Total Felony Felony Felony Felony Felony Felony Felony Felony Felony 

Numberofstates (48) (46) (47) (46) (48) (3~)~ (48)b (3~)~'~ (3~)~'~ (33)

Person 

Homicide, Manslaughter 10.2 7.6 7.6 6.7 5.2 4.9 5.6 5.7 8.4 7.1 

Assault 5.6 5.9 7.1 5.8 5.6 6.3 5.8 6.6 7.7 6.9 

Raue . 4.4 4.2 4.2 3.6 5.3 5.0 5.2' 5.5C 4.0' 2.8 

Total 	 20.2 17.8 18.9 16.1 16.1 16.2 16.6 17.8 20.1 16.8 

Property 

Robbery 8.6 10.7 11.1 11.7 10.9 11.6 11.7 12.7 16.8 18.9 

Embezzlement, 

Forgery, Fraud 


Burglary 


All Larceny 


Arson 


Stolen Property 


Total 

Morals, Order chargesf 

Other Sex-related Crimes 1.3 3.3 3.2 2.8 e e e e e e 

Liquor-law Violations 7.4 0.5 0.8 0.6 e e e e e e 

Drug-law Violations 1.5 0.6 0.5 1.I 4.2 4.9 4.1 4.9 9.8 7.7 

Traffic Violations 0.06 0.7 0.4 0.4 e e e e e e 

Carrying and Possessing 

Weapons 0.7 0.8 0.9 0.5 e e e e e e 

Nonsupport 0.8 1.1 2.1 2.6 e e e e e e 

Public Order e e e e e e e e e 4.5 

Total Reported 	 17,077 48,355 43,679 46,496 69,235 43,357 67,879 40,704 37,415 109,233 

Notes: 

a. 	 Offense data were reported by only 32 States, representing about 56 percent of the total number OF inmates in State prisons 

in the United States. To compare these figures with the listings for 1960 and 1964, the offense distributions were calculated for the same 32 States as reported in 1970. 

b. 	 Listings specify that the distribution includes only those persons whose sentences are 1 year or longer. 

c. 	 Includes other sex offenses. 

d. 	 In 1937, this category included kidnapping. 

e. 	 Not categorized. 

f. 	 Data not comparable because of variance in the detail of categorization. 

q. 	 Includes those offenses labeled "e" and other known offenses, but most crimes listed accounted for less than 1 percent of 

the total. 

h. 	 1981: 9.0 Larceny, 1.5 Auto Theft. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 


(1923) Prisoners 1923; 1926; pg. 32. 


(1937) Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 1937; 1939; pg. 13. 


(1946) Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 1946; 1948; pg. 45. 


U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons; National Prisoner Statistics; Washington, D.C. 


(1950) Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions: 1950; 1954; pg. 63. 


(1960) Characteristics of State Prisoners: 1960; 1965; pg. 41. 


(1964) Characteristics of State Prisoners: 1964; 1968; pg. 18. 


(1970) State Prisoners: Admissions and Releases, 1970; 1972; pg. 6. 


U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics; Washington, D.C. 


(1981) Prison Admissions and Releases, 1981; 1984; pg. 3. 

Table 3-19. 	 Percentage Distribution of Offenses Reported for Inmates 

Present on a Given Day in State and Federal Prisons: 

1923 and 1974 

Offense of Offense of State 

State and and Federal 

Federal Prisoners with 

Prisoners Sentences of st 

Category and Offense Least 1 Year 

1923 1974 i 

Person 

Homicide, Manslaughter 

Assault 

Rape 

othera 

Total 

Property 

Robbery 

Embezzlement, 

Forgery, ~raud~ 

Burglary 

All Larceny 

Arson 

Stolen Property 

Total 56.5 54.3 

Morals, Order, 

Government Charges 

Other Sex-related Crimes 

Liquor-law Violations 

Drunkenness, Vagrancy 

Disorderly Conduct 

Drug-law Violations 

Traffic violationsC 

Carrying and Possessing 

Weapons 

Nonsupport 

Revenue-related Offenses 

Selective Service Violations 

custody0 

National Security Violations 

Crimes Related to 

the Admin. of ~ovt.~ 

Total Reported 

Unknown or Unclear 

Notes: 

Includes kidnapping and sexual assault other than rape. 


Includes counterfeiting and extortion. 


Usually driving under the influence of alcohol. 


Includes escape, harboring a criminal, and parole violation. 


Includes unlawful immigration, contempt, and related offenses. 


Not comparable because of differences in categorization. 


Content varies because of differences in categorization in different 


years, but is restricted largely to offenses comprising less than 1 


percent of the total. 


Not categorized. 


Separate categorizations for State and Federal were combined. Some 


categories were not separately categorized by both State and Federal 


surveys. Usually offenses appropriate to only one level. 


Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1923) Prisoners 1923; 1926; pgs.198-199. 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, 

National Criminal Information and Statistics Service; Washington, D.C. 

(1974) 	 Survey of Inmates of State Correctional Facilities: 1974; 

1976; pg. 28. 

U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons; National Prisoner Statistics; 

Washington, 	 O.C. 

(1974) Statistical Report, Fiscal Year 1974; 1976; pg. 45. 
Table 3-20. Percentage Distribution of Offenses Reported for Persons Present in 

State Prisons: 1960, 1974, and 1979 

Most Serious 

Offenses of All Offense of State Offense 

State Prisoners Prisoners Present of State Present Under with Sentences of Prisoners 

Category and Offense Felony Commitment: at Least 1 Year: Present: 1960 1974 1979 

Person 

Homicide, Manslaughter 

Assault 

Rape, Other Sex- related crimesa 

Other 

Total 

Property 

Robbery 

Embezzlement, 

Forgery, Fraud 

Burglary 

All Larceny Arson 

Stolen Property 

Other 

Total 

Morals, Order, Government Charges 

Drug-law Violations 

Traffic Violations 

Carrying and Possessing 

Weapons 

Public Order 

Total 

Total Reported 


Notes: 


a. 	 In 1960 includes all sex-related crimes; In 1974, rape was 5.2 percent of 


the total. 


b. 	 Not separately categorized. 


c. 	 Content varies because of changing detsll of categorization. 


Sources: 


U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons; National Prisoner Statistics; 


Washington, D.C. 
 (1960) Charscteristics of State Prisoners: 1960; 1965; pg. 61. 


(1974) Special Report; Survey of Inmates of State Correctional Facilities; 


1974; Tab. 4. 
 U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics; Washington, D.C. 
 (1977) Sourcebook of Crimlnsl Justice Statistics: 1981; 1982; pg. 486. 

Changes in detail of categorization make 

comparisons over time difficult within the 

morals/order category. But one definite 

change was the introduction of drug 

offenses in the period between 1900 and 

1923 and their subsequent growth, especially 

after the repeal of the liquor prohibition 

amendment. The 

violations between 

subsequent decline 

corresponds to Prohi

increase 

1910 

after 

bition. 

in 

and 

1933 

liquor 

1923 

in 

law 

and 

part 

Type of Release 

National State and Federal prisoner release 

data were first collected for the 1923 Census 

Bureau special report, which became the 

model for the yearly series begun in 1926. 

Table 3-21 summarizes these data from 

1923 to 1982. By 1923, 60 percent of the 

total released were reported released 

conditionally, almost all on parole. The 

percent released conditionally continued to 

be between 50 and 60 percent through the 

1960's. This percent grew in the 1970's and 

was 83 percent in 1982. A big change, 

however, was the growth within the 

conditional release category of "supervised 

mandatory release" and the corresponding 

decline in parole release as a percent of the 

conditional release category. "Supervised 

mandatory release" was not separately 

categorized prior to 1976, but by 1982 

constituted almost a third of those released 

conditionally. 

Time Served Before Release 

The topic of time served has been of 

interest since prison data were first 

collected, but release data were not collected 

until 1923. To gain some indication of time 

spent in prison, the 1880 Census report 

included a tally of total time served at the 

time of the survey. This was given for each 

type of penal facility (Table 3-22). For 

penitentiaries, the average duration was 1 

year and 292 days, leading the reporters to 

conclude that the average duration before 

release was somewhat longer, around 2 to 2 

and 112 years. 

Tables 3-23 to 3-28 present summary 

information on time served from 1923 to 

198 1. These tables usually summarize time 

served in median rather than the average 

months because of the use of this statistic in 

recent reports. Typically the average is 

longer than the median for time served. 

Table 3-23 compares the median and 

average for several years in which sufficient 

data were available to calculate both 

statistics. In these years the average time 

served was from 5 to 15 months higher than 

the median. 

National comparisons over time are 

hampered by variation in methods of 

measuring time served. One difference is 

the basis for time-served calculations. Prior 

to 1939, the Census Bureau used reports 

from individual institutions which were not 

always consistent in method of calculation. 

In 1940, in an attempt to produce 

consistency, first releases were separated 

from other releases and time served 

calculated only for first releases. This 

procedure was dropped after 1 year, 

according to subsequent reports because of 

lack of resources to do the cross 

referencing. From 1941 to 1946 a different 

method was used which was based on the 

date of discharge and the date the prisoner 

first began to serve the sentence. According 

to the 1943 report, this method exaggerated 

the time served because it: 

Does not take into consideration 

the considerable periods of time 

which a prisoner may have spent 

outside of the institution on parole 

between the date on which his 

sentence began and the date of his 

current release, (Census Bureau, 

"Prisoners Released, 1943 and 

1942;" p.4). 

When the series was transferred to the 

Bureau of Prisons, time served was 

calculated consistently on the basis of first 

releases. This method has continued. 

Another source of differences is the 

inclusion of misdemeanor releases. Prior to 

1940, misdemeanoi releases were included. 

Between 1940 and 1964 release data are 

available only for those with felony or 

sentences of 1 year or longer. The most 

i 

Table 3-22. Average Duration of Stay on Day of 


as Reported by Census: 1880 


Place 

I 

Penitentiary 

County Jail 

1 	 City Prisons 

Workhouses 

Leased Prisoners 

Military 

Criminally Insane 

Source : 

Total Present 

10,091 

1,181 


7,414 


3,614 


481 


298 


Survey by Place of Incarceration 

Duration of Stay 

Years Days 

1 	 101 


47 


107 


2 44 


236 


6 173 


U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1880) 	 Report on the Defective, Dependent and Delinquent Classes of 

the Population of the United States as Returned at the Tenth 

Census: 1880; 1888; pg. 503. 
Table 3-23. Comparison Average Time Served With Median Time Served in i.iontlis, Selected Years: 1923-1960 

-- 

Releasesb All ReleasesS First ~eleases~ 

State and Federal State and Federal 

Crime 1923 1935 (Male only) 1945 (Male only) 1953 196U 

kkdian Average Medlan Average Pkdlan Average tv'edlan Average Isedlan Average 

All offenses 	 18 27 17 22 24 39 22 32 21 28 

Person 

Murder a a a a 102 117 b9 116 a 121 

Manslaughter a a a a a 5U 32 a a 37 

hurder/hanslaughter 33 77 36 54 73 89 52 75 52 a 

Assault I8 26 17 20 25 34 17 28 LU 25 

Rape 23 42 3U 4U 38 52 36 51 a 45 

Property 

Robbery 23 37 39 43 55 70 37 4Y 34 42 

Embezzlement, Forgery, 

Fraud 17 21 13c 14c 2D LY 19 23 17 17d 

Burglary 19 26 25 20 3U 45 24 3U LU 25 

Larceny 17 21 13 I4 2U 27 18 23 17 ZU 

Auto Theft e e 24 18 23 31 1Y 24 19 2I 

Stolen Property 16 I8 13 13 16 25 a a a a 

Morals, Order, Government 

Other Sex-related Crimes 

Liquor Law Violations 

Drug Law Violations 

Traffic Violations 

Carrying and Possessing 

kk apo ns 

hnsupport 

National Security 

Violations 

Crimes Related to 

Administration of 

Government 

Ut her 	 17 22 18 16 I4 27 12 2 1 14 Iti 

Notes: 

a. 	 Data not separately enumerated. 

b. 	 Data varies on how time served was calculated. In 1923 and 1935, the natlonal reports used whatever data was provided 

by the institutions. In 1945, the times reported are higher because the time served is based on the time from sentence 

to most recent release for all releases and includes periods of time violators returned to prison may have spent outside 

the institution on parole. After 1950, data is for first releases only. 

c. 	 In 1935, average excludes forgery. Median for forgery was 17 and average was 19. 

d. 	 In 1960, forgery excluded in average for embezzlement, forgery, fraud category. Average for forgery was 20.3. 

e. 	 In 1923, auto theft included with larceny. 

f. 	 In 1960, median for "sex offenses" includes rape. Average does not include rape. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of Commrce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1923) Prisoners 1923; 1926; pgs. 179-18U. 

(1935) Prisoners in State and Federal Prlsons and Kefor~natorles 1935; 1937: pg. 51. 

(1945) Prisoners in State and Federal Prlsons and Reformatories 1Y45; 1947; pgs. 79 and 8U. 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons; National Prisoner Statlstlcs; Washington, D.C. 

(1953) Prisoners Released fran State and Federal Instltutlons 1952 and 1953; pg. 41. 

(1960) Characteristics of State Prisoners 1960; 1965; pg. 69. 

Prisoners Released fran State and Federal Instltutlons 196U; pgs. 15-19. 
recent data (1974 to 1982) appear once again 

to include all first releases. 

Given these inconsistencies, the data seem 

to indicate both by their lack of great 

variation, and variation consistent with 

changes in methods of calculation, that large 

changes have not occurred over the last 50 

years in time served. The overall median 

time served for all State and Federal 

prisoners in 1923 was 18 months; that for 

1982, the most recent year available, was 16 

months for State prisoners, with 27 States 

reporting. In the period between 1923 and 

1981 the median rose to a high of 28 

months in 1943 (which is probably at least 

partially explained by the change in 

calculation method), then declined to the 

low 20's in the 1950's (when only first 

releases were included) and is now 

somewhat lower. 

While the overall median time served has 

not changed significantly, the time served 

for certain specific offenses has declined 

more substantially, because the offense 

distribution reflects a larger percent of 

persons present for robbery and burglary 

and fewer for larceny. The time served for 

these offenses has declined more 

substantially than the overall distribution. 

A question causing considerable debate has 

been whether the use of indeterminate 

sentence and parole lengthened or shortened 

time in prison. The simple comparison, by 

State, of time served by type of release can 

be somewhat misleading (Table 3-24). 

Typically, within States the use of parole 

varied by offense. Often parole was used 

for more serious offenses, and hence had a 

longer median time served. For most 

offenses there was little consistent 

difference in time served by type of release 

(Table 3-25). 

Other comparisons have been those by State, 

offense, race, and sex. Those wishing to 

obtain more information can find much 

data, even by offense by State, for some 

years in the Census Bureau and Federal 

Bureau of Prisons Special reports. 

Comparisons by State (Table 3-24) indicate 

substantial differences in State median time 

served patterns. Some States, such as 

several in the South having high 

incarceration rates, historically have had a 

shorter median time served. Others have 

both high rates and high median time 

served. Regional comparisons indicate that 

the South overall has had a somewhat lower 

median time served than other regions. 

These differences in part make national 

comparisons by race difficult. Tables 3-27 

and 3-28 present racial comparisons for 

selected available years. 

Prior Commitments and Recidivism 

Recidivism has also been of interest since 

the earliest Census reports. Tables 3-29 and 

3-30 summarize information spanning 1890 

to 1980. In 1890 information is reported on 

the percent of prisoners present by region 

who had one or more previous terms. The 

statistics are not separately tallied by type 

of facility. These data indicate that overall 

about 26 percent of those in adult 

correctional facilities reported previous 

terms, with percents being as high as 39 

percent in the North Atlantic region (the 

extent of missing data is unknown because 

reports simply note the number having 

previous terms reported). Reports for 1923 

are the first to include detailed data on 

prior commitments for State and Federal 

prisoners. A special report was published 

entitled "Prisoners Antecedents" which gave 

detailed information on characteristics of 

those received. About 65 percent were 

reported to have had at least one prior 

commitment. The report also included 

information on the percent who had had 

other forms of institutionalization, about 5 

percent. This was noted to be small, but 

higher than that of the general population. 

Between 1926 and 1938 the Census Bureau 

yearly series also included data on prior 

commitments, ranging from 45 to 61 

percent. After 1939, information was given 

sporadically on the prior commitments of 

those released rather than those received. 

This figure was similar to that on those 

received, for example about 60 percent in 

1940. The Bureau of Prisons reports on 

State and Federal prisoners from 1950 to 

1964 did not include prior commitment 

data. 
Table 3-24. Median Months Served in State Prisons and Reformatories by State by Type of Release, Selected Years: 

1923 - 1982 

Fieleaseab First ele ease^ All t7eleasesb First Fieleasesb 

State & Federal State & Federal State Only State Only 

stateC 1923~ 1938 1940 1943 1953 1960 1964~ 1981f 1982~ 

(males (31 States (27 States 

only) only) only) 

U.S. Total 

Total 

Parole 

Other 

Alabama 

Total 

Parole 

Other 

Arizona 

Total 

Parole 

Other 

Arkansas 

Total 

Parole 

Other 

California 

Total 

Parole 

Other 

Colorado 

Total 

Parole 

Other 

Connecticut 

Total 

Parole 

Other 

Delaware 

Total 

Parole 

Other 

District of 

Columbia 

Total 

Parole 

Other 

Florida 

Total 

Parole 

Other 

Georgia 

Total 

Parole 

Other 

Hawaii 

Total 

Parole 

Other 

Idaho 

Total 

Parole 

Other 

Illinois 

Total 

Parole 

Other 

Indiana 

Total 

Parole 

Other 
Table 3-24 (Continued) 

Releasesb First Releaseb All Releasesb First Releasesb ---- -

State & Federal State & Federal State Only State Only 

stateC 1923~ 1938 1940 1943 1953 1960 1964~ 1981f 1982~ 

(males (31 States (27 States 

only) only) only) 

Iowa 

Tot a1 22 

Parole 21 

Other 35 

Kansas 

Tot a1 17 

Parole 16 

Other 42 

Kentucky 

Tot a1 16 

Parole 19 

Other 15 

Louisiana 

Total 21 

Parole 21 

Other 20 

Maine 

Total 12 

Parole 12 

Other 24 

Maryland 

Total 21 

Parole 26 

Other 22 

Massachusetts 

Total 17 

Parole 17 

Other 18 

Michigan 

Total 14 

Parole 18 

Other 7 

Minnesota 

Tot a1 22 

Parole 22 

Other 18 

Mississippi 

Total 16 

Parole 16 

Other 16 

Missouri 

Tot a1 20 

Parole 21 

Other 20 

Montana 

Total 13 

Parole 13 

Other 24 

Nebraska 

Tot a1 16 

Parole 19 

Other 11 

Nevada 

Tot a1 19 

Parole 19 

Other a 

New Hampshire 

Total 19 

Parole 17 

Other a 
Table 3-24 (Continued) 

Releasesb First ele ease^ All F?eleasesb First Releasesb 

State & Federal State & Federal State Only State Only 

st ateC 1923~ 1938 1940 1943 1953 1960 1964~ l98lf 1982~ 

(males (31 States (27 States 

only only) only 

New Jersey 

Tot a1 18 

Parole 19 

Other 36 

New Mexico 

Total 16 

Parole 14 

Other 20 

New York 

Total 16 

Parole 18 

Other 11 

North Carolina 

Total 18 

Parole 32 

Other 16 

North Dakota 

Total 11 

Parole 18 

Other 10 

Ohio 

Total 19 

Parole 20 

Other 24 

Oklahoma 

Total 18 

Parole 19 

Other 17 

Oregon 

Total 15 

Parole 11 

Other 19 

Pennsylvania 

Tot a1 22 

Parole 22 

Other 40 

Rhode Island 

Total 24 

Parole 23 

Other 36 

South Carolina 

Total 8 

Parole 8 

Other 24 

South Dakota 

Tot a1 16 

Parole 20 

Other 16 

Tennessee 

Tot a1 22 

Parole 23 

Other 90 

Texas 

Total 17 

Parole 36 

Other 18 

Utah 

Tot a1 15 

Parole 15 

Other 15 
Table 3-24 (Continued) 

t?eleasesb First ele ease^ All ~e1ease.s~ Flrst t?eleasesb 

State Ci Federal State & Federal State Unly State Only - -

stateC 1923~ 1938 1940 1943 1953 196U 1964~ 1981' 1982~ 

(males (31 States (27 States 

only ) only) only) 

Vermont 

Total 9 

Parole 10 

Other ti 

Vlrglnla 

Tot a1 18 

Parole 26 

Other 16 

Weshlngton 

Total 1 Y 

Parole 20 

Other a 

West Vlrglnla 

Total 17 

Parole 15 

Other 18 

Wisconsin 

Total 15 

Parole 16 

Uther I4 

Wyoming 

Total 24 

Parole 27 

Other 24 

Notes: 

a. 	 Information not available in published national reports. 

b. 	 Data vary on how tlme served was calculated. In 1923 and 1933, the natlonal reports used whatever data were 

provided by the institutions. In 1940, a special attempt was made to lnclude only flrst releases but this was 

not continued In other years in the 1940's. In 1943, the median is reported to be higher because the time 

served is based on the tlme from sentence to most recent release for all releases and lncludes periods of time 

violators returned to prlson may have spent outside the institution on parole. After 1950, data are for first 

releases only. 

c. 	 Alaska not included. 

d. 	 kdlan calculated frm grouped data for 6-month period; In 1923, parole lncludes pardons. 

e. 	 First releases with sentences of 1 year or longer. 

f. 	 Includes data only from selected States. 

g. 	 Computations based on only 25 to 5U cases. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of Comwrce, Bureau of Census; Washington, U.C. 

(1923) Prlsoners 1923; 1926; pgs. 336, 337. 

(1938) Prlsoners In State and Federal Prlsons and Keformatorles: 1938; 1941; pgs. 48, 49. 

(1940) Prlsoners In State and Federal Prisons and Heforn~atorles: 194U; 1943; pgs. 53-54. 

(1943) Prlsoners Released frm State and Federal Prlsons and Reformatories 1943 and 1942; 1945; pgs. 43-48. 

U.S. 	 Department of Justlce, Bureau of Prlsons; Natlonal Prlsoner Statlstlcs; Washington, U.C. 

(1953) Prlsoners Heleased frm State and Federal Instltutlons, 1952 and 1953; pgs. 46-143. 

(1960) Characterlstlcs of State Prlsoners 1960; 1965; pg. 69. 

(1964) State Prlsoners: Pdmlasions and Releases, 1964; 1967; pg. 52. 

U.S. 	 Department of Justlce, Mureau of Justlce Statistlcs; Washington, D.C. 

(1981) Bureau of Justlce Statistlcs Special Report: Prison Admlsslons and Keleases, 19til ; 1984; pg. 3. 

(1982) eureau of Justice Statistics Specla1 Report: Prlson Hdmlsslons and Keleases, 1982; 1985; pg. 9. 
Table 3-25. 	 Median Months Served in State and Federsl Prisons and Reformatories by Offense by Type of Release, Selected Years: 

1923 - 1982 

ele ease' First el ease^ All First Release onlya 

~elesses~ 

State & Federal State & Federal State Federal State State State State 

Offense 1923' 1933 1940 

(male only) 

1943 

(male only) 

1953 1953" 1964 1974 1981 

(31 States) 

1982 

(27 States) 

All Offenses 

Total 

Parole 

Other 

18 

19 

17 

Manslaughter 

Total 33 

Parole 43 

Other 40 

Murder (excludes 

Manslaughter) 

Total b 

Parole b 

Other b 

Assault 

Total 18 

Parole 18 

Other 19 

Rape 

Total 23 

Parole 24 

Other 26 

Robbery 

Total 23 

Parole 24 

Other 35 

Embezzlement, 

Forgery, ~raud 

Total 17 

Parole 19 

Other 17 

Burglary 

Total 19 

Parole 19 

Other 20 

Larceny 

Tot a1 

Parole 

Other 17 

Auto Theft 

Total c 

Parole c 

Other c 

Stolen Property 

Total 16 

Parole 17 

Other 16 

Other SexRelated Crimes 

Total 16 

Parole 19 

Other 26 

Liquor-Law 

Violations 

Total 9 

Parole 8 

Other 10 
Table 3-25 (Continued) 

t?eleasea First neleasea A 1 1 First Release Onlya 

Releasesa 

State & Federal State & Federal State Federal State State State State 

Offense 1923' 1933 1940 1943 1953 1953~ 1964 1974 19111 1982 

(male only) (male only) (31 States) (27 States) 

Druq-Law 

violations 

Total 9 17 I8 

Parole 12 16 19 

Other 9 20 15 

Carrying and 

Possessing 

Weapons 

Total 16 b 18 

Parole b b 22 

Other b b 11 

Total Releases L2,U72 69,U22 64,L40 54,bYl 47,588 10,838 68,188 b 55,579 52,U08 

Notes: 

a. 	 Data vary on how time served was calculated. In 1923 and 1933, the natlonal reports used whatever data were provided by the 

institutions. In 1940, a special attempt was made to include only first releases but this was not continued in other years 

in the 1940's. In 1943, the median is reported to be higher because the time served is based on the time from sentence to 

most recent release for all releases and Includes periods of tlme violators returned to prison may have spent outslde the 

Institution on parole. After 1950, data are for first releases only. 

b. 	 Data not available, not separately enumerated or not published In natlonal reports. 

c. 	 In 1923, statistics were not separately enumerated for females for assault, burglary, embezzlement, forgery, fraud, stolen 

property, robbery, and weapons. Larceny includes auto theft. Statlstlcs for parole Include pardons. PBdian calculated 

fran grouped data. 

d. 	 In 1933, forgery not included with embezzlement and fraud. Meaian tlme reported for forgery was 18 months total, 18 months 

parole and 19 months other release. 

e. 	 In 1953, Federal totals are for clvil comrmtment only. 

f. 	 In 1964, statistics for rape not separately enumerated, Included wlth other sex offenses. 

g. 	 In 1940, manslaughter medlan tlme served was 33 months total, 32 months parole, and 37 months other release. 

h. 	 Defined as Other Sexual Assault. 

Sources: 

Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, U.C. 

(1923) Prlsoners 1923; 1926; pgs. 179-180. 

(1933) Prisoners in State and Federal Prlsons and Reformatories: 1933; 1935; pgs. 43. 

(1940) Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 1940; 1943; pgs. 55. 

(1943) Prisoners Released fran State and Federal Prlsons and Reformatories: 1943 and 1942; 1945; pgs. 29-34. 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons; (National Prlaoner Statlstlcs; Washington, U.C. 

(1953) Prisoners Released from State and Federal Institutions: 1952 and 1953; pgs. 41-44. 

(1964) State Prlsoners: Admissions and Releases, 1964; 1967; pg. 51. 

U.S. Uepartment of Justlce, Bureau of Justice Statistics; Washington, D.C. 

(1974, 1981) 	 Speclal Report: Prison Admissions and Releases, 1981 ; 1984; pg. 7. 

(1982) Special Report: Prison Admlsslons and Releases, 1982; 1985; pg. 7. 
Table 3-26. 	 Median Time Served in Months by Sex for 

Selected Offenses: 1923 

All Releases 

Offense Male Female 

All Offenses 18 12 

Homicide 36 23 

Larceny 17 15 

Other Sex Offenses 19 16 

Drug Laws 9 9 

Liquor Laws 9 7 

Other and Unknown Offenses 20 11 

Source: 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

Prisoners 1923; 1926; pg. 179. 

Table 3-27. 	 Median Time Served in Months by First Releases on Sentences From State Institutions 

by Region, Race, and Offense: 1952 

All States Northeast North Central South West 

White Black White Black White Black White Black White Black 

All Offenses 

Murder 

Manslaughter 

Robbery 

Aggravated 

Assault 

Burglary 

Theft, Except 

Auto 

Auto Theft 

Embezzlement 

and Fraud 

Forgery 

Rape 

Other Sex 

Offenses 

Drug Laws 

Weapons 

Other 

Notes: 

a. 	 Based on actual number of 12 White and 2 Black. 

Source: 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons; National Prisoner Statistics; Washington, D.C. 

Prisoners Released from State and Federal Institutions: 1952 and 1953; pg. 32. 
Table 3-28. 	 Median Time Served in Months in State Institutions by Offense by Race: 

1937, 1952, and 1964 

All 	releases 

Male felons, 14 First Releases on sentenceC 

Southern States onlyC 

1937~ 1952 	 1 964d 

Offense White Nonwhite White Nonwhite White Nonwhite 

All 	Offenses 

Murder 

Manslaughter 

Homicide 

Robbery 

Aggravated Assault 

Burglary 

Larceny 

Auto Theft 

Embezzlement and Fraud 

Forgery 

Rape 

Other Sex Offenses 

Drug Laws 

Weapons 

All 	 Other Offenses 

Notes: 

a. 	 1937 statistics are for male felons in 14 southern States only. 

b. 	 Statistics for 1937: Larceny includes Fraud and Stolen Property. 


1964: Murder and Manslaughter are not enumerated separately: 


Embezzlement and Fraud also include Forgery; Rape not enumerated 


separately. 


c. 	 First release data excludes parole violaters released. 

d. 	 First releases with sentences of 1 year or longer. 

e. 	 Information not available or not separately categorized. 

Sources : 

U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census: Washington, D.C. 

(1937) 	 Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 1937; 

1939: pg. 76. 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons; National Prisoner 

Statistics; Washington, D.C. 

(1952) Prisoners Released from State and Federal Institutions: 1952 and 

1953: pg. 32. 

(1964) State Prisoners: Admissions and Releases 1964: 1967; pgs. 53-55. 
Table 3-29. Prior Commitment Data, Selected Years: 1890-1938 

1890 By Reqion: Combined Data (Prisons and ~ails)~ 1926-1938 Percent of State and Federal 

Prisoners Received with Prior Commitment 

Percent Reporting One or 

Reqion Number Present More Prior Prison Terms 

Total Male Female 

United States 

North Atlantic 

South Atlantic 

North Central 

South Central 

Western 

Notes: 

a. 	 Separate data unavailable. 

Source: 

U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1890) Report 	on Crime, Pauperism, and Benevolence in the United Note: 


States at the Eleventh Census: 1890; 1895; pg. 421. 


a. 	 Not enumerated. 

Source: 

1923 Penal History: State Prisoners 

U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; 

Total commitments (first 6 months) (19,083) Washington, D.C. 

Total with report as to prior commitments (14,018) (1926-1938) Prisoners in State and Federal 

Prisons and Reformatories: 

Percent 1926; 1929; pg. 37. 

1927; 1931; pgs. 26, 34. 

Previously committed to penal 51 1928; 1931; pg. 21. 

3 or more times 9 1929 and 1930; 1932; pg. 29. 

2 times 11 1931 and 1932; 1934; pg. 18. 

1 time 31 1933; 1935; pg. 21. 

Not previously committed to penal 	 50 	 1935;4 1937;6 pg.s. 25. 30-31.

1936; 1938; pg. 31. 


1937; 1939; pg. 33. 


Nonpenal Institution History: 1923 1938; 1941; pg. 31. 


Total 1923 commitments (first 6 months) 

Total with report on nonpenal history 

Percent 

Previously admitted - all nonpenal institutions 5 


Mental hospitals 1 


Feeble-minded .2 


Tuberculosis .9 


Almshouses .2 


Other nonpenal 2.8 


Not previously admitted 	 95 

Source: 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 


(1923) The Prisoners Antecedents; 1929; pgs. 43, 46. 

Table 3-30A. 	 Prior Conviction History at Time of Entry to State Prison in 1979~ 

Number of prior convictions ~irst-timersb Total 

Number of admissions 

Percent of Each Admission Type 

with Prior Convictions 


No Prior Convictions 


1 Prior Conviction 


2 


3 


4 


5 


6-1 0 


11-20 


21+ 


Median Number of Convictions per Offender 

Notes: 

a. 	 Prior conviction history is defined as the sum of all prlor juvenile or 


adult sentences to probation, jail, prison, or juvenlle facilities. 


b. 	 Refers to first incarceration not conviction. 

Source: Complete table taken from 

U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistlcs; Washington, D.C. 

(table taken in its entirety) 


Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report: Examining Recldivlsm; 


1985; pg. 7. 


Table 3-308. 	 Percentage of Releases Returned to Prison, by State, Year of Release, and 

Follow-up Period 

The Cumulative Percent of Prlson Releases 

State and Year of kmber of Who Returned to Prlson Within 

Release Reported Releases 1 year 2 years 3 years 

Colorado, 1980 


Georgia, 1980 


Iowa, 1980 


Massachusetts, 1976 


Minnesota, 1980 


Mississippi, 1978 


Nebraska, 1979' 


New York, 1980 


North Carolina, 1979 


Oklahoma, 1976-1977 


Oregon, 1979 


Rhode Island, 1978 


Washington, 1979 


Wisconsin, 1980 


Median of reporting States 


Mean of reporting States 


Notes: 

ihless otherwise noted, number of releases excludes persons being held for another 

agency, interinstitutional or interstate transfers, AWOLs, escapes, and deaths. 

a. 	 Data are for July 1, 1983, resulting in a 2 1/2-year follow-up period for the 


portion of the cohort released in the second half of 1980. 


b. 	 Estimate based on half-year total. 

c. 	 Fiscal 1978-79. 

d. 	 Figure is half of a 2-year total of 3,812, from whlch a 15 percent sample was drawn. 

e. 	 Excludes 100 inmates with offense data mlssing. 

f. 	 Includes prison and jail inmates, as State has an integrated jail-prison system. 

Source: Complete table taken from 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Justlce Statistlcs; Washington, D.C. 


@ureau of Justice Statistics Speclal Report: Returning to Prison; 1984; pg. 2. 

Recently BJS has published two special 

reports devoted to recidivism. The percent 

of those admitted with prior commitments 

(either adult or juvenile) was reported to be 

about 60 percent (three-fifths) of all 

admissions for the year 1979, not very 

different from the earlier Census Bureau 

data. The report also includes data 

indicating that only about 16 percent of 

those entering State prisons had no prior 

adult or juvenile conviction (includes 

probation as well as incarceration). In this 

report, based primarily on the 1979 sample 

survey of prisoners, extensive analysis is 

done on projection of returns to prison and 

on the number of offenses which presumably would have been avoided if release had 

not occurred when it did. 

Demographic and Other Characteristics of 

State and Federal Prisoners 

Table 3-3 1 summarizes Census Bureau 

Institutional Population demographic data 

available on persons present in State and 

Federal prisons from 1910 to 1980. The 

distribution between male and female 

indicates the percent of women present has 

ranged from 3 to 5 percent. In 1910, 4 

percent were women; in 1980 the 

corresponding figure was 5 percent, up 

from a 3 percent low in 1970. The percent 

foreign born has declined from 12 percent 

in 1923 to 3 percent in 1980. The percent 

white has declined from 68 percent in 1923 

to just under half (47 percent in 1980). 

Correspondingly, the percent black has 

increased from 31 percent to 44 percent. 

The percent under 18 was 2.0 percent in 

1923 and 1.6 percent in 1980. Looking at 

data available on those received (Table 3-

32), from 1910 to 1981, we can see that the 

median age has remained between 25 and 

29, and the percent 18 and under has 

ranged from 14 in 1910 to about 7 in 1980. 

In both 1923 and 1979 more extensive 

profiles of those admitted to prisons were 

obtained (Tables 3-33 and 3-34). These 

present remarkably similar results for 

certain items. In both years about 25 to 30 

percent were unemployed prior to arrest and 

educational levels were below the norm for 

the time. About 20 to 25 percent had 

military service and about 50 percent had 

ever been married. 

Facilities and Staff 

Table 3-35 presents the number of institutions included in selected reports by the 

Census Bureau and Justice Department over 

the period 1880 to 1982/83. In 1960 and 

1980 the number reported by the Census 

Bureau is much larger than that reported in 

comparable data from other sources. This is 

apparently due to the fact that the Census 

Bureau reports counted each budget unit 

separately, so that in some cases what is 

identified as part of one facility by the 

Justice Department would be classified as 

two or three by the Census Bureau. This 

resulted in Census counts of 2090 State 

institutions in 1980 compared to a count of 

791 by Justice for 1979. Earlier Census 

reports and the Census for 1970 were 

apparently comparable to the Justice 

Department in the way institutions were 

counted. The data indicate that the number 

of State and Federal institutions has 

increased from about 62 in 1880 (Census), 

to 850 in 1979 (Justice). 

In 1926 the Census Bureau began to collect 

data on correctional institutional staff. This 

was continued by the Bureau of Prisons. 

Tables 3-36 to 3-38 present summary 

statistics on number of staff and inmatestaff ratio by State for selected years from 

1926 to 1979. This illustrates the decline in 

inmate-staff ratio, from approximately 1 1 / 1 

in 1926 to 3/1 in 1979. Because the earlier 

rates are calculated based upon all staff and 

later on full-time-equivalents, earlier rates 

may slightly overestimate the ratio relative 

to later reports. However, part-time staff 

were never reported to be more than 4 

percent of the total. 

Table 3-32. Characteristics of Prisoners Received in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories by Age, Sex, and Race: 

1910-1982 

Median Age 

Male Female Percent 18 and Under Percent White Percent Nonwhite Percent Male Percent Female 

1940 28.6 28.4 9 70 30 95 5 


1941 29.0 28.2 9 71 29 95 5 


1 94z9 29.0 27.3 10 70 30 94 6 


1943~ 27.2 27.6 12 69 31 95 5 


1944~ 27.1 26.0 12 69 31 95 5 


1945~ 26.9 25.8 12 68 32 94 6 


19469 26.6 26.4 11 66 34 95 5 


1950~ 23.3 28.5 8 69 31 96 4 


1951 h h h h 95 5 


1952 h h h h 95 5 


1953 h h h h 95 5 


1956 h h h h 95 5 


1957 h h h h 95 5 


1958 h h h h 95 5 


1959 h h h h 95 5
 -

State Prisons Only 

1960f 27.0 1lc 65 35 96 4 


1964' 26.1 12~ 63 37 96 4 


1981 2 5 7C 56 44 95 5 


1982 2 5 9C 53 47 94 6 


Notes: 

Age not given by sex. 


Totals do not equal 100 percent due to rounding. 


Calculated from data grouped into age categories. 


Only races categorized are White and Black. 


For felons. 


For misdemeanors. 


1942, 1943, and 1945 exclude Mississippi, Georgis and Michigan: 1944 excludes Mississippi and Georgia; 1946 excludes 


Mississippi, Georgia and Pennsylvania figures adjusted to the calendar year: 1950 excludes Georgia and Michigan. 


Data not available or not obtained. 


1960 and 1964 exclude New Jersey and Alssks and are for felons. 


Sources : 

U.S. 	 Oepartment of Commerce, Bureau of Census: Washington, D.C. 


(1910) Prisoners and Juvenile Delinquents in the U.S.: 1910: 1918; pgs. 79, 90,312, 344-345. 


(1923) Prisoners 1923: 1926: pgs. 198, 247, 274. 


Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 


(1926) 1926; 1929; pgs.31, 34,37. 


(1927) 1927: 1931; pgs. 68, 70-71. 


(1928) 1928; 1931; pgs. 23, 24. 


(1929,1930) 1929 and 1930: 1932; pgs. 72, 74. 	 (1939) 1939: 1941; pgs. 10, 11. 

(1931,1932) 	 1931 and 1932: 1934; pgs. 19, 56, 58, 61, 62. (1940) 1940; 1943; pgs. 14, 17, 18. 

(1933) 1933; 1935; pg. 33. (1941) 1941; 1944; pgs. 11, 15, 16. 

(1934) 1934: 1936;pgs.28,32,34. (1942) 1942; 1945; pg. 13. 

(1935) 1935; 1937; pgs. 33, 37. (1943) 1943; 1946: pgs. 15, 17, 23. 

(1936) 1936: 1938: pgs. 33, 37. (1944) 1944; 1946; pgs. 18, 23. 

(1937) 1937: 1939:pgs.8,11,12. (1945) 1945: 1947; pgs. 16, 18, 24. 

(1938) 1938:1941:pgs.8,11,12. (1946) 1946; 1948; pgs. 18, 22, 27. 

U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons: National Prisoner Ststistics: Washington, O.C. 

Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions: 


(1950) 1950: 1954: pgs. 51,54. 


(1951) 1951: Number 7: 1952: Table 4. 


(1952) 1952: Number 9: 1953: Table 2. 


(1953) 1953; Number 11; 1954; Table 2. 


(1956) 1956: Number 17: 1957; Table 2. 


(1957) 1957; Number 19; 1958: Table 2. 


(1958) 1958; Number 21: 1959: Table 2. 


(1959) 1959: Number 24: 1960: Table 2. 


(1960) Characteristics of State Prisoners: 1960: 1965; pgs. 6, 40. 


(1964) State Prisoners: Admissions and Releases, 1964; 1967; pgs. 8, 16. 


U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Ststistics: Washington, D.C. 

(1981) Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report: Prison Admissions and Releases, 1981; 1984; pg. 2. (1982) Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report: Prison Admissions and Releases, 1982; 1985; pgs. 2, 4. 

Table 3-34. Profile of State Prison Admissions: 1979 

Characteristic 	 Total 

Number of admissions 

Median Age 	 24.9 years 

Race Percent 


White 53.7 


Black 43.5 


G t her 2.8 


Education 


0-6 vears 


7-8 years 


9-1 1 years 


12 years 


More than 12 years 


Median 	 10.4 years 

Marital status 


Married 


Widowed/divorced/separated 

Never married 

Military servlce 


Percent with military service 


Percent of those serving with undesirable/ 


bad conduct/dishonorable discharges 


Percent of those serving who were sentenced 


to confinement in the military 


Employed prior to arrest 


Not employed 


Full-time 


Part-t ime 


Famlly member ever incarcerated 

Drug user 


Ever used heroin regularly 


Use heroin month before arrest 


Lhder influence any drug at time of offense 


Lhder influence of heroin at time of offense 


Alcohol use 


Drinking at time of offense 


Very drunk at time of offense (percent 


of those drinking) 

Source: 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics; Washington, D.C. 

Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report: Examining Recidivism; 

1985; pg. 6. 
- - 

Table 3-35. 	 Number of Federal and State Institutions Reported by Census 

Bureau and Justice Department, Selected Years: 1880-1982/83 

Federal State 

1880 (Census) 

1890 (census) 

1904 (Census) 

1910 (census) 

1923 (Census) 

1933 (Census) 

1940 (Census) 

1950 (Census) 

1960 (census) 

1970 (Census) 

1970 (Justice) 

1972/74 (Justice) 

1978/79 (Justice) 

1980 (Census) 

1982/83 (Justice) 

Notes: 

a. Data not 	available or not published. 

b. 	 McNeil Island Federal Prison was opened in 1865, but most Federal 


prisoners were housed in State facilities until after 1900. 


c. 	 The Census report estimates a substantially larger number of State 

and Federal correctional institutions than do B.J.S. flgures for 

the same period, although estimates of number of persons present in 

prlson do not differ substantially. The difference in the number 

of separate lnstitutlons is related to separate counting of budget 

units rather than by institution administration. The number of 

institutions also dlffers notably from the 1970 census total, whlch 

1s more consistent with LEAA data from the same period. Presumably. 

1960 also counted each budget unit separately. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census: Washington, D.C. 


(1880, 1890, 


1904, 1910, 


1923) Children Under Institutional Care, 1923: 1927; pgs 


262-263. 

(1923) Prisoners 1923: 1926: pg. 3. 

(1933) Juvenile Delinquents in Public Institutions 1933: 1936: 

P9. 1. 
 Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories 


1933: 1935: DO. 1.
 , 

(1960) U.S. Census of Po~ulatlon 1960: Inmates of Institutions: 

1963: pg. 13. 

(1970) U.S. Census of Population 1970: Persons in Institutions 

and Other Grouo Quarters: 1973: oo. 23. ~ 2 

(1980) 	 1980 Census of' population: Persons in Institutions and 

Other Group Quarters; 1984; pg. 5. 

U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons: Washlngton, D.C. 

(1972-1983) 	 Statistical Report of the Fiscal Years 1981-1983: 

pgs. 255-261. 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration: 

National Criminal Justice Information and Statistics Service: 

Washlngton, D.C. 

(1972-74) 	 Census of State Correctional Facilities 1974: Advance 

Report: National Prisoner Statistics Special Report 

Number SD-NPS-SR-I; 1975: Table 1. 

U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics; Washington D.C. 

(1979) 	 Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin: Prisons and 

Prisoners: 1982: pg. 3. 
Table 3-36. Staff of State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 1926-1958 

U.S. ~otal' 

Male 

Female 

Part-Time Staff 

Federal Total 

State Total 7,290 11,466 12,271 14,733 16,949~ 22,766' 32,912~ 

(Total Staff) (Total Staff) (Total Staff) (Total Staff) (Full-Time Staff) (Full-Time Staff) (Full-Time Staff) 

Alabama 

Arizona 

Arkansas 

California 

Colorado 

Connecticut 

Delaware 

Florida 

Georgia 

Idaho 

Illinois 

Indiana 

Iowa 

Kansas 

Kentucky 

Louisiana 

Maine 

Maryland 

Massachusetts 

Michigan 

Minnesota 

Mississippi 

Missouri 

Montana 

Nebraska 

Nevada 

New Hampshire 

New Jersey 

New Mexico 

New York 

North Carolina 

North Dakota 

Ohio 

Oklahoma 

Oregon 

Pennsylvania 

Rhode Island 

South Carolina 

South Dakota 

Tennessee 

Texas 

Utah 

Vermont 

Virginia 

Washington 

West Virginia 

Wisconsin 

Wyoming 

District of 

Columbia 

Notes: 

a. 	 Full-time and part-time staff. 

b. 	 Data not seoaratelv enumerated or not available. 

c. 	 Excludes ~ebrgia. ' 

d. 	 Excludes 662 part-time State staff and 158 part-time Federal staff in 1945. 

e. 	 Excludes 1,027 State part-time staff and 235 Federal part-time staff. 

f. 	 Covers Alabama State penitentiaries. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1926) Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and Refor~natories: 1926; 1929; pg. 128. 

(1930) Prisoners in State end Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 1929 and 1930; 1932; pg. 154. 

(1935) Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 1935; 1937; pgs. 81-84. 

(1940) Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 1940; 1943; pgs. 76-77. 

(1945) Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 1945; 1947; pgs. 98-99. 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons; National Prisoner Statistics; Washington, D.C. 

(1950) Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions: 1950; 1954; pgs. 75-77. 

(1958) Personnel in State and Federal Institutions: 1958, Number 22; 1960; Tables 1-4. 
Table 3-37. Inmate-Staff Ratio by State, Federal and State Prisons and Reformatories: 1926-1958 

1926 1930 	 1935~ 1940a 1945~ 195& 1958~ 

Ratio Ratio Ratio Ratio Hat io 

Total Staff Total Staff 	 Total Staff Total Staff Full-Time Staff Full-Time Staff Full-Time Staff 

U.S. Total 

Federal Total 

State Total 

Alabama 


Arizona 


ArkansasC 


California 


Colorado 


Connecticut 


Delaware 


Florida 


Georgia 


Idaho 


Illinois 


Indiana 


Iowa 


Kansas 


Kentucky 


~ouisiana' 


Maine 


Maryland 


Massachusetts 


Michigan 


Minnesota 


Mississippi 


Missouri 


bntana 


Nebraska 


Nevada 


New Hampshire 


New Jersey 


New Mexico 


New York 


North Carolina 


North Dakota 


Ohio 


Oklahoma 


Oregon 


Pennsylvania 


Rhode Island 


South Carolina 


South Dakota 


Tennessee 


Texas 


Utah 


Vermont 


Virginia 


Washington 


West Virginia 


Wisconsin 


woming 


District of 


Columbia 

Notes: 

a. 	 Calculations based on total staff and total population present on December 31 of year or average for year. 

b. 	 Calculations based on full-time staff and total population present on December 31 of year or average for year. 

c. 	 Katio unusually high partly due to use of inmates as staff. 

d. 	 Data not separately enumerated or not available. 

e. 	 Excludes Detroit House of Corrections for Women. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of Commrce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 


(1926) Prisoners In State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 1926; 1929; pg. 1L8. 


(1930) Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 1929 and 1930; 1932; pg. 154. 


(1935) Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 1935; 1937; pgs. 7, 82. 


(1940) Prisoners In State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 1940; 1943; pgs. 11, 77. 


(1945) Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 1945; 1947; pgs. 7, 98, 99. 


U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons; National Prisoner Statistics; Washington, D.C. 


(1950) Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions: 1950; 1954; pgs. 76-77. 


(1958) Personnel In State and Federal Institutions: 1958, Number 22; 1960; Table 1. 

Table 3-38. Number of Staff and Inmate-Staff Ratio in State Prisons and Reformatories, by State: 1971-1979 

Total Total 

Full-time Total Full-time Present in Full-time Present in 

Equivalent Present Equivalent Prison on Equivalent Prison on 

Stafa inPrisonb Ratio staffa 12-31-75 Ratio staffa 12-31-79 Hatio 

State Total 

Alabama 


Alaska 


Arizona 


Arkansas 


California 


Colorado 


Connecticut 


Delaware 


District of 


Columbia 


Florida 


Georgia 


Hawaii 


Idaho 


Illinois 


Indiana 


Iowa 


Kansas 


Kentucky 


Louisiana 


Maine 


Maryland 


Massachusetts 


Michigan 


Minnesota 


Mississippi 


Missouri 


bbntana 


Nebraska 


Nevada 


kw Hampshire 


New Jersey 


New Mexico 


New York 


bbrth Carolina 


brth Dakota 


Ohio 


Oklahoma 


Oregon 


Pennsylvania 


Rhode Island 


South Carolina 


South Dakota 


Tennessee 


Texas 


Utah 


Vermont 


Virginia 


Washington 


West Virginia 


Wisconsin 


Wyoming 


Notes: 

a. Calculated based on data on total State corrections staff excluding juvenile facilities staff. 

b. Excludes prisoners with sentences of 1 year or less. 

c. Data not available. 

Sources: 

U.S. De~artment of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, National Criminal Justice Information and 

Statiitics Service, Washington, D.C. 


(1971) Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics: 1974; 1975; pgs. 126-127, 434. 


(1975) Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics: 1977; 1978; pgs. 172, 173. 


Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions on December 31, 1975; 1977; pgs. 36-37. 

U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics; Washington, O.C. 

(1979) 	 Justice Expenditure and Employment in the U.S., 1979; 1983; pga. 325, 326. 


Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions on December 31, 1979; 1981; pgs. 16-17. 

CHAPTER IV 

JAIL STATISTICS 

Although almost 40 percent of the total 

number of persons in adult correctional 

facilities in 1880 were in local jails, and 

one-third were there in 1980, far fewer 

national statistics exist on jails than other 

forms of incarceration. Prior to 1970, all 

national statistics came from the Census 

Bureau reports on the institutional 

population done only at 10-year intervals 

between 1880 and 1980. Between 1880 and 

1933 these reports did, however, contain a 

significant amount of detailed jail 

information. This information has been 

largely ignored. It is not uncommon to read 

that the first jail census did not occur until 

1970. 

In 1970, the Law Enforcement Assistance 

Administration (LEAA) conducted the first 

national jail census to be completed under 

the Justice Department. A sample survey 

followed in 1972. Subsequently, jail studies 

have been completed for the years 1978, 

1982 and 1983 by the Bureau of Justice 

Statistics. The Bulletin reporting the 1983 

study includes data on commitments for the 

first time since 1933 (which included only 

commitment under sentence). The section 

below presents a more detailed overview of 

available national jail reports. 

OVERVIEW OF REPORTS AVAILABLE 

Census Bureau Reports 

The Census reports of 1880 and 1890 were 

published in volumes which also contained 

statistics of the total institutional population. 

While certain statistics such as race, 

nativity, sex, and age are reported on local 

facilities separate from other prisons, most 

of the data specific to crime are reported 

only for all prisoners (State, Federal, and 

local) combined (see Chapter VIII). The 

data which are separately presented are 

broken down into counts for county jails, 

city prisons, workhouses, houses of 

correction, and leased county prisoners. 

The counts must be combined to obtain a 

classification comparable to what is now 

included under the title "jails." Not until 

the 1923 report were totals from the 

differing types of local facilities routinely 

combined under the heading "jails." 

Between 1904 and 1933 only sentenced jail 

inmates were counted in the Census. The 

1904 report was the first to report 

commitments to jails, but this study 

excluded those sentenced for nonpayment of 

fine, a group which constituted 62 percent 

of commitments under sentence in 1910. 

The 1910 report is more complete in 

including these inmates in totals present and 

received, but the separate tables on sentence 

length and offense of those received under 

sentence in jails also exclude those received 

for nonpayment of fine. 

For 1923, a special report was published 

entitled "Prisoners, 1923." This report 

included data on State and Federal facilities, 

and jails. Information on juveniles was now 

placed with a report on "Children Under 

Institutional Care." In this report for the 

first time all data are presented separately 

for jails and State and Federal prisoners. 

The 1923 report is very complete in the data 

items covered and the analysis presented. 

However, as is discussed in Chapter VIII, it 

may be that there were undercounts of jail 

prisoners both present and committed 

during the year due to omissions of certain 

jails thought not to contain sentenced jail 

inmates. This report, like those in 1904, 

1910, and 1933, excluded those not under 

sentence. The 1923 report presented data 

both on jail prisoners present on the day of 

the survey and totals received for the first 6 

months of the year by age, sex, race, 

nativity, offense, and sentence. Data are 

presented only on those received during the 

period for number of prior commitments, 

marital condition, and State or country of 

birth. Discharge information is given for 

the first time and includes sentence, 

offense, time served, and type of discharge. 

In 1933, a separate volume was issued by 

the Census Bureau, entitled "County and 

City Jails." In this report, as was the case 

in 1923, commitment data were again based 

on sentenced inmates received during the 
first 6 months of the year, with estimates 

made for the total year. Much the same 

information was collected as in 1923, with 

the addition of the amount of fine. Most 

data on jail inmate characteristics are 

presented for total number received during 

the year rather than for the total present on 

a given day of the year. 

Census Bureau reports on jails from 1940 to 

1980 were again combined with the general 

Census of Institutional Populations. 

Unsentenced prisoners are again included, 

but there is no differentiation as to legal 

status reported. Data items are limited to 

non-criminal-justice-specific items such as 

race, age, ethnicity, sex, marital condition, 

and sometimes education and employment. 

Only those present on the day of the survey 

were counted. 

The Law Enforcement Assistance Administration and Bureau of Justice Statistics 

Reports 

For the year 1970, the Law Enforcement 

Assistance Administration (LEAA) 

sponsored the first special study of jails 

since 1933. This was also conducted by the 

Census Bureau but was a different survey 

than the Institutional Population Survey 

which was part of the decennial census of 

population. The focus was on those present 

on the day of the survey and on jail 

characteristics. Information published on 

those present included data on legal status, 

sentence length (1 year or longer), age, and 

sex. Information on jails included age of 

cells, overcrowding, use for juveniles, 

expenditures, staff, and type of facilities 

available (eg. recreational, educational). 

In 1972 a more detailed sample survey was 

conducted by the Census Bureau for LEAA. 

This survey focused on the inmates and 

their backgrounds, including data on 

education, marital status, income, offense, 

bail status, length of pretrial confinement, 

and sentence length. Information on jails 

included size, and extensive data on the 

social and rehabilitative services available in 

the jails. 

In 1978 the census of jails and the sample 

survey of characteristics were conducted in 

the same year. In addition to the data items 

collected in 1972, more extensive information was collected on prisoner characteristics 

such as military service, drug and alcohol 

use, and experience with counsel and 

pleading. The sample was redesigned to be 

able to produce estimates for females in 

jails, something not available in previous 

jail sample surveys. The focus was again 

those present on the day of the survey. The 

survey also collected extensive information 

on jail facility characteristics. 

Data published by BJS for the 1982 and 

1983 jail surveys has included information 

on juveniles present, inmates held because 

of overcrowding in State and Federal 

facilities, conviction status, inmate deaths, 

operating expenses, staff, and admissions 

and releases. 

The tables to follow combine information 

where possible from the national jail studies 

since 1880. Because of the infrequency of 

data available and differences in reporting 

units for data on similar characteristics, 

several tables summarize information from 

one report for a number of different data 

items. 

SUMMARY OF NATIONAL JAIL 

STATISTICS 

Number of Persons Present in Jails: 1880- 

1983 

Tables 4-1 and 4-2 present the total number 

and rate per 100,000 reported present by 

State for years available up to 1983. Table 

4-3 presents the number and rate by State 

for those years in which data are available 

only for those under sentence (1910, 1923, 

1933), and 1970. Caution should be used in 

making State comparisons. Notable 

differences exist between States in the use 

of jails versus other forms of incarceration. 

In certain states such as Vermont, Rhode 

Island, Connecticut, Delaware and Hawaii 

there are State integrated jail systems and 

they are sometimes either excluded or have 

unusually low estimates reported. Large 
changes over the period by States often 

reflect differences in the classification of 

facilities. 

In 1880 the rate per 100,000 population for 

persons in jails was reported to be 37; in 

1983 the rate was 98, the highest ever 

reported. For the years in between, for 

which data are available, the rate reported 

ranged from 52 to 79. Reported rates were 

lower in the years around 1923 (see Chapter 

VIII, which discusses the possibility of 

undercounts in the prisoner and jail census 

of 1923) and increased in the period of the 

Depression up to 1940. The rates then fell 

during the 1940's up to 1950 and increased 

again between 1950 and 1960. Since 1980 

notable increases have occurred. 

As can be seen from Tables 4-1 and 4-2, 

there are differences in estimates for 

surveys done in the same time period but 

utilizing different methods. The tables 

include estimates from the 1970 Census 

Report on Institutional Populations and 

those for the LEAA/Justice Department 

census of the same year (also done by the 

Census Bureau). Nationally, the estimates 

of number present differ by about 15 

persons per 100,000 population. Probable 

reasons for this include some sampling error 

or undercounting in the Institutional 

Population survey, and some differences in 

classification. Estimates by the differing 

studies for State and Federal prisoners in 

the same years are much closer (see Chapter 

111). 

The Relative Use of Jails and the 

Adjudication Status of Those Present 

Responding to the conditions apparent in 

most jails and believing that State and 

Federal facilities presented bette,r 

alternatives (in 1927, 1937, and as late as 

1952), formal resolutions of the American 

Prison Association, now the American 

Correctional Association, called for work to 

abolish the use of jails. Eventually a 

standing committee on jails became an 

affiliate, the American Jail Association, and 

resolutions calling for jail improvement took 

the place of those calling for their 

abolishment. 

Table 4-4 gives indication of the extent to 

which jails are still used relative to other 

forms of incarceration by summarizing the 

percentage distribution between local, State, 

and Federal correctional facilities between 

1880 and 1983. Table 4-5 presents the 

adjudication status of persons present in 

jails for years in which data are available. 

As a proportion of the total number 

incarcerated at a given time in State, 

Federal, and local adult facilities, the jail 

population has not declined substantially 

since 1880. It has ranged from a high of 45 

percent in 1970 to 34 percent in 1983, 

reflecting the large increases in State prison 

use in the late 1970's and early 1980's. In 

1880, jails housed 39 percent of the total, 

not too different from the percentage in 

1983 (34 percent). There have been, 

however, significant changes in the 

adjudication status of those present. In 

1880, 75 percent of those in jails were 

under sentence. By 1970, slightly less than 

half were under sentence, and in 1983 less 

than half were convicted. In 1983 jails held 

only 19 percent of those in adult facilities 

who had been convicted of offenses. These 

statistics reflect the increasing use of jails as 

holding facilities. 

Jail Commitments and Admissions 

Limited information is available on total 

numbers received in jails. The first 

national estimates found of the total 

admitted to jails in a given year come from 

the 1983 Jail Census (Table 4-6). This 

study reported that 8.1 million persons were 

admitted to jails in 1983, and 7.9 million 

were released in the same period. These 

numbers were about 5 percent of the total 

U.S. population over 18 in 1983. 

The only other years for which commitment 

data are available are 1904, 1910, 1923, and 

1933 (Table 4-7). As previously discussed, 

these reports include only those committed 

under sentence, and 1904 excludes those 

committed for nonpayment of fine. In 1923 

there were 319,980 reported committed to 

jails, and in 1933 there were 481,860 

commitments. 
Table 4-1. Total Number of Jail Inmates by State: 1880-1983 

(CENSUS) (CENSUS) (CENSUS) (CENSUS) (CENSUS) (LEAA) (CENSUS) (BJS) (CENSUS) (BJS) 

United States 18,686 33,093 99,249 86,492 119,671 160,863 129,189 158,394 163,994 223,551 

Northeast 8,362 13,199 24,934 19,854 26,322 31,458 21,891 24,228 27,507 36,634 

Maine 179 319 582 394 361 242 21 6 325 450 560 

New Hampshire 101 192 343 298 223 333 21 7 370 21 5 475 

Vermont 80 88 145 131 140 2ze 103 b 19 b 

Massachusetts 2,307 3,608 2,039 2,113 2,267 2,126 2,093 2,317 2,732 3,304 

Rhode Island 205 438 202 166 72 a 38 b a b 

Connecticut 421 686 1,226 993 1,531 a 79 b 243 b 

New York 1,954 2,979 9,418 7,983 11,662 17,399 10,040 10,936 12,883 16,154 

New Jersey 322 820 2,615 1,907 3,256 4,436 3,266 3,873 4,013 5,971 

Pennsylvania 2,793 4,069 8,364 5,869 6,810 6,900 5,839 6,407 6,952 10,170 

North Central 

Ohio 


Indiana 


Illinois 


Michigan 


Wisconsin 


Minnesota 


Iowa 


Missouri 


North Dakota 


South Dakota 


Nebraska 


Kansas 


South 

Delaware 


Maryland 


District of Columbia 


Virginia 


West Virginia 


North Carolina 


South Carolina 


Georgia 


Florida 


Kentucky 


Tennessee 


Alabama 


Mississippi 


Arkansas 


Louisiana 


Oklahoma 


Texas 


West 

Montana 


Idaho 


Wyoming 


Colorado 


New Mexico 


Arizona 


Utah 


Nevada 


Washington 


Oregon 


California 


Alaska 


Hawaii 


Notes: 

a. 	 Jails are not locally administered but rather are operated by the State government. 

b. 	 Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont had State integrated jail-prison systems and therefore, were excluded from 

the report. Alaska, which had five locally operated jails in addition to an integrated jall-prlson system, was ~ncluded. 

c. 	 Excludes a number of persons who were misclassified as not inmates of institutions. 

d. 	 Institutional population 14 years old and over. 

e. 	 Vermont total is low due to differences in classification between State and local jurlsdlction. 

f. 	 Data based on a 20-percent sample. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of Interior, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1880) Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent Classes of the Population of the United States as Returned at the Tenth Census. 1880: 

1888; pgs. 502-503. 


(1890) Report on Crime, Pauperism and Benevolence in the United States: 1890; 1895; pg. 11. 


U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1940) Sixteenth Census of the United States 1940: Population, Special Report on Institutional Population; 1943; pgs. 32-128. 

(1950) U.S. Census of Population; 1950: Institutional Population; 1953; pgs. 2C-72 -- 2C-79. 

(1960) U.S. Census of Population, 1960: Inmates of Institutions; 1963; pgs. 66-82. 

(1970) 1970 Census of Population, Persons in Institutions and Other Group Quarters; 1973; pgs. 78-94. 

(1980) 1980 Census of Population, Persons in Institutions and Other Group Quarters; 1984; pgs. 78-110. 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin; Washington, D.C. 


(1978, 1983) The 1983 Jail Census; 1984; pg. 2. 

Table 4-2. Jail Inmates by State per 100,000 Population: 1880-1983 

- -

(Census) (Census) (Census) (Census) (Census) (LEAA) (Census) (BJS) (Census) (BJS) 

United States 37 52 75 57 67 79 64 76 72 98 

Northeast 57 76 69 50 59 64 45 54 56 82 

Maine 

New Hampshire 

Vermont 

Massachusetts 

Rhode Island 

Connecticut 

New York 

New Jersey 

Pennsylvania 

2 8 

29 

24 

124 

74 

68 

38 

28 

65 

48 

51 

27 

161 

69 

70 

40 

47 

43 

56 

35 

45 

37 

37 

36 

44 

24 

45 

5 

37 

22 

29 

23 

37 

30 

43 

a 

40 

40 

23 

4 

48 

49 

50 

a 

57 

North Central 

Ohio 

Indiana 

Illinois 

Michigan 

Wisconsin 

Minnesota 

Iowa 

Missouri 

North Dakota 

South Dakota 

Nebraska 

Kansas 

South 

Delaware 

Maryland 

District of Columbia 

Virginia 

West Virginia 

North Carolina 

South Carolina 

Georgia 

Florida 

Kentucky 

Tennessee 

Alabama 

Mississippi 

Arkansas 

Loulsians 

Oklahoma 

Texas 35 53 

59 

6 7 

21 

67 

48 

62 

87 

96 

72 

76 

61 

86 

51 

76 

67 

97 

West 

Montana 

Idaho 

Wyoming 

Colorado 

New Mexico 

Arizona 

Utah 

Nevada 

Washinaton 

Oregon 

California 

Alaska 

Hawaii 

Notes: 

a. 	 Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont had integrated jail-prison systems and, therefore, were excluded from 

the report. Alaska had five locally operated jails in addition to an integrated jail-prison system and was therefore included. 

b. 	 Delaware and the District of Columbia had estimates of 22 and 25 persons present in jails respectively by Census Bureau in 1980. 

Delaware is usually excluded from jail surveys because of integrated systems. It is not known why D.C. had such a low estimate. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of Interior, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1880) Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent Classes of the Population of the United States as Returned at the Tenth Census, 1880; 

1888; pgs. 502-503. 

(1890) Report on Crime, Pauperism and Benevolence in the United States: 1890; 1895; pg. 11. 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1940) Sixteenth Census of the United States 1940: Population, Special Report on Institutional Population; 1943; pgs. 32-128. 

(1950) U.S. Census of Population; 1950: Institutional Population; 1953; pgs. 2C-72 -- 2C-79. 

(1960) U.S. Census of Population, 1960: Inmates of Institutions; 1963; pgs. 66-82. 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, LEAA, Washington, D.C. 

(1970) 1970 Census of Population, Persons in Institutions and Other Group Quarters; 1973; pgs. 78-94. 

(1980) 1980 Census of Population, Persons in Institutions and Other Group Quarters; 1984; pgs. 78-110. 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin; Washington, O.C. 

(1978, 1983) The 1983 Jail Census; 1984; pg. 2. 
Table 4-3. Number and Rate per 100,000 Population for Sentenced Jail Prisoners Present by 

Region and State: 1910-1970 

1910 

Number 

1910 

Ratio 

1923 

Number 

1923 

Ratio 

1933~ 

Number 

1933 

Ratio 

1970 

Number 

1970 

Ratio 

United States 

Northeast 

Maine 

New Hampshire 

Vermont 

Massachusetts 

Rhode Island 

Connecticut 

New York 

New Jersey 

Pennsylvania 

North Central 

Ohio 

Indiana 

Illinois 

Michigan 

Wisconsin 

Minnesota 

Iowa 

Missouri 

North Dakota 

South Dakota 

Nebraska 

Kansas 

South 

Delaware 

Maryland 

District of Col 

Virginia 

West Virginia 

North Carolina 

South Carolina 

Georgia 

Florida 

Kentucky 

Tennessee 

Alabama 

Mississippi 

Arkansas 

Louisiana 

Oklahoma 

Texas 

West 

Montana 

Idaho 

Wyoming 

Colorado 

New Mexico 

Arizona 

Utah 

Nevada 

Washington 

Oregon 

California 

Alaska 

Hawaii 

Notes: 

a. Figures for jails that did not report were estimated by Census Bureau. 

b. Jails are State operated and were not included. 

c. Data not available. 

Sources: 

U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census, Washington, D.C. 

(1910, 1923) 	 Prisoners, 1923; 1926; pgs. 15-17. 

(1933) County and City Jails, 1933; 1935; pg. 2. 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration; Washington, O.C. 

(1970) National Jail Census 1970 Advance Report; 1970; pgs. 4-5. 
- - - 

Table 4-4. 	 Place of Incarceration of Persons Reported Present on a Given Day During the Year: 

1880, 1933, 1970, 1983 

State Federal Total 

Jaila Prisons Prisons Leased Number 

1880 

Total Number Incarcerated 

Percent of Total Incarcerated 

Total Number Sentenced 


Percent of Total Sentenced 


1933 

Total Number Sentenced 

Percent of Total Sentenced 

1970 

Total Number Incarcerated 

Percent of Total Incarcerated 

Total Number Sentenced 


Percent of Total Sentenced 


1983 

Total Number Incarcerated 

Percent of Total Incarcerated 

Total Number Convicted 


Percent of Total Convicted 


Notes: 

a. 	 Includes offenders in city and county jails and local facilities. 

b. 	 In 1880, 2,162 persons, 3.7 percent of the total, were classified as Federal prisoners. 

However, these individuals were housed in State prisons. 

c. 	 Not included in census classifications after 1890. 

d. 	 Excludes 1,736 juveniles in jails for whom conviction status was not given. If these 


were included as convicted, the percent in jails becomes 19.0 or 115,720/583,182. 


Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of the Interior, Bureau of the Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1880) Report on the Defective, Dependent and Delinquent Classes of the Population of the 

U.S. as Returned at the Tenth Census: 1880; 1888; pg. 538. 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1933) Statistical Abstract of the United States: 1935; 1935; pg. 74. 

(1970) Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970; 1976; pg. 420. 

U.S. Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, National Criminal 

Justice Information and Statistics Service; 	 Washington, D.C. 


(1970) National Jail Census: 1970; 1971; pgs: 10-11. 


U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics; Washington, D.C. 

(1983) Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin: The 1983 Jail Census; 1984; pgs. 2, 6. 

Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin: Prisoners in 1984; 1985; pg. 2. 
Table 4-5. Adjudication Status of Jail Inmates, Available Years: 1880-1983 

Tot a1 Total Tot a1 Tot a1 Other 

Years Present Unconvicted Convicted Sentenced Stages 

1880: 	 Number 22,222 

Percent 

1890: 	 Number 33,093 

Percent 

1970: 	 Number 160,863 

Percent 

1972: 	 Number 141,600~ 

Percent 

1978: 	 Number 158,783 

Percent 

1982: 	 Number 209,582 

Percent 

1983 : 	Number 221,815~ 

Percent 

Notes: 

a. 	 Unavailable or not published. 

b. 	 Included in total are 9,700 inmates awaiting transfer for whom conviction 

status was unknown. 

c. 	 Includes only adult inmates. Actual total in jail was 223,551. 

Sources : 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census, Washington, D.C. 


(1880-1890) Prisoners, 1923; 1926; pg. 7. 


U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration; 

Washington, 	 D.C. 

(1970) National Jail Census; February 1971; pgs. 10-11. 

(1972) Survey of Inmates of Local Jails; 1972; 1976; Table 1. 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics; Washington, D.C. 

(1978-1982) 	 Jail Inmates 1982; pgs. 1-2. 


(1983) The 1983 Jail Census; 1984; pg. 6. 


Table 4-7. Jail Commitments Under Sentence by Type of Sentence: 1910-1933 

Percentage Distribution of Type of Sentence 

ImprisonEstimated Total Imprison- ment for 

Commitments Imprison- ment and Nonpayment Not 

Under Sentence Death ment Only Fine of Fine Reported 

Notes: 

a. 	 In 1923 and 1933 commitments were reported only for the first 6 months of 

the year. Number given represents estimate for the entire year. 

b. 	 There were 53 persons in 1910 and 28 persons in 1923 committed under the 

sentence of death to local facilities. Forty-one percent of the total 

received under the sentence of death in 1910 were committed to local 

facilities. 

c. 	 Not enumerated. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1910) Prisoners and Juvenile Delinquents, 1910; 1918; pg. 43. 

(1923) Prisoners, 1923; 1926; pg. 113. 

(1933) County and City Jails, 1933; 1935; pgs. 33, 59. 
Type and Length of Sentence 

Table 4-7 presents information on sentence 

type for jail commitments from 1910 to 

1933. Most apparent is the decline in the 

percent committed for nonpayment of fine, 

from 62 percent in 1910 to 31 percent in 

1933. The 1910 report included negative 

reference to this practice, noting: 

It is a fair presumption that 

prisoners committed for 

nonpayment of fine are with rare 

exception unable to pay a fine 

because of their poverty. Persons 

of means committing the same 

offense usually are able to pay 

their fines and therefore do not 

appear in prison records...It is of 

interest to know the facts 

concerning this class of offenders 

who are subject to imprisonment 

because they are too poor to pay a 

fine (Census Bureau, "Prisoners and 

Juvenile Delinquents, 1910;" p.41). 

Regionally, by 1923, the practice of 

imprisonment for nonpayment was most 

frequent in the South and the North Central 

region (Table 4-8). In 1923 the average 

fine was reported to be $45, and the most 

common practice was to require 1 day of 

time for each dollar of fine. Of those 

sentenced for nonpayment of fine almost 

two-thirds (64 percent) had sentences of less 

than 1 month. The 1923 report also cites 

the inequality of the fact that those able to 

pay fines escape imprisonment while those 

who are poor do not. 

In 1923 the sentence length for those 

committed to imprisonment only was also 

relatively short. Thirty percent had 

sentences of less than 30 days and 82 

percent of less than 6 months (Table 4-9). 

However, it appears that sentence length in 

jails was increasing somewhat over the 

period up to 1933. In 1880, only 5 percent 

of the total sentenced inmates present in 

jails on the day of the survey had sentences 

of more than 1 year. This compares to 

about 27 percent in 1933. In 1970, 16 

percent of the total under sentence were 

reported to have sentences of more than 1 

year. 

Offense Distribution of Jail Inmates 

Table 4- 10 presents the offense distribution 

of those committed under sentence for the 

years 1910 to 1933. Data were not located 

on the offense distribution of jail 

commitments after this date. Table 4- 1 1 

presents the offense distribution of those 

present on the day of the survey for 1923, 

1933, 1972, and 1978. Since the data from 

1923 and 1933 include only those under 

sentence, they are not comparable to the 

1978 data which include all present. For 

1972, data are available and presented in 

Table 4- 11, for both those under sentence 

and the total number present. 

As indicated in Chapter 111, in discussing 

offense distribution it should be noted that 

Federal government report classifications for 

both prison and jail statistics and the F.B.I. 

Uniform Crime Reports up until the 1960's 

used a different broad classification than is 

currently in use. The three major categories 

were offenses against the person, property, 

and society (morals/order). In this 

classification, robbery was included as an 

offense against property. When the 

classification "violent crime" came into use, 

robbery was taken out of the property 

category and included as a violent offense. 

The most recent classifications also include 

certain sex offenses previously included in 

the morals category as violent offenses. 

The data on jail commitments show the 

predominance of morals and public order 

commitments. For the years for which data 

are available (1910, 1923, and 1933) 

between 73 and 84 percent of commitments 

fell into this category. The largest number 

of commitments (71 percent of the total in 

1910 and 53 percent in 1933) were for 

drunkenness and disorderly conduct. 

Consistent with the fact that the percent 

having sentences of more than 1 year rose 

over the period of 1910 to 1933, the offense 

distribution in 1933 reflects somewhat more 

serious offenses than in 1910 or 1923. 
-- 

Table 4-8. 	 Number and Rate per 100,000 Jail Commitments Under Sentence by 

Region: 1923 and 1933; and Jail Commitments by Type of Sentence 

and Region: 1923 

Jail 1923 	 1933 

Per Per 

Region Number 100,000 Number 100,000 

Total 


New England 


Middle Atlantic 


East North Central 


West North Central 


South Atlantic 


East South Central 


West South Central 


Mountain 


Pacific 


Sentence Type of Jail Commitments: 1923~ 

Imprisoned for 

Imprisoned Imprisoned Nonpayment 

Region On1y and Fined of Fine 

Percent Percent Percent 

United States 


New England 


Middle Atlantic 


East North Central 


West North Central 


South Atlantic 


East South Central 


West South Central 


Mountain 


Pacific 
 b Total Number 

Notes: 

a. 	 Not included here are 14 prisoners sentenced to jail. 

b. 	 Totals are for first 6 months of year only. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census, Washington, D.C. 

(1923) Prisoners, 1923; 1926; pgs. 24, 113. 

(1933) County and City Jails: Prisoners in Jails and Other Penal 

Institutions under County or Municipal Jurisdiction 1933; 1935; 

Table 35. 

Table 4-10. Percentage Distribution of Offenses Reported for Sentenced Offenders 

Received in Jails in 1910, 1923, and 1933~ 

Category and Offense 

Offense of 

Sentenced 

Jail Inmates 

Received 

1910 

Offense of 

Sentenced 

Jail Inmates 

Receiv~d 

1923 

Offense of 

Sentenced 

Jail Inmates 

Received 

January-June 

1933' 

Person 

Homicide, Manslaughter 

Assault 

Rape 

Total 

Property 

Robbery 

Embezzlement, 

Forgery, Fraud 

Burglary 

All Larceny 

Total 

Morals, Order, 

Government Charges 

Other Sex-related Crimes 

Liquor-law Violations 

Drunkenness, Vagrancy, 

Disorderly Conduct 

Drug-law Violations 

Traffic Violations 

Carrying and Possessing 

Weapons 

Nonsupport 

City Ordinance Violations 

Malicious Mischief 

Gambling 

Total 

Other 

Total Reported 

Unclassified and Unknown 

Notes: 

a. 	 These are the only years for which national reports were available 

describing the offense of jail inmates received during the year. 

b. 	 The jail survey for this year was based on reports received for the first 

6 months of the year; the year's figures were then estimated by the Census 

Bureau. 

c. 	 The jail survey reports were again based on the first 6 months of the 

year, but offense information was not obtained from all reporting jurisdictions. Because of the incomplete jail reports, it is not possible to 

combine all the levels to estimate the distribution of offenses of the 

total number of inmates received. 

d. 	 Not categorized. 

e. 	 Less than one-half of jail inmates received during the year. 

f. 	 Content varies because of detail of categorization. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1910, 1923) Prisoners 1923; 1926; pgs. 34-35. 

(1933) 	 County and City Jails: Prisoners in Jails and Other Penal 

Institutions Under County or Municipal Jurisdiction 1933; 

1935; Table 35. 
Table 4-11. Percentage Distribution of Offenses Reported for Inmates Present in Jails on a Given Day: 1923, 

1933, 1972, and 1978 

Most Serious Most Serious Most Serious 

Offense of Offense of Offense of Offense of Offense of 

Sentenced Sentenced Sentenced Total Jail Total Jail 

Jail Inmates Jail Inmates Jail Inmates Inmates Inmates 

Category and Offense 1923 1933 1972 197zK 1978~ 

Person 

Homicide, Manslaughter 

Assault 

Rape 

otherC 

Total 

Property 

Robbery 

Embezzlement, 

Forgery, ~raud~ 

Burglary 

All Larceny 

Arson 

Stolen Property 

Total 

Morals, Order, 

Government Charges 

Other Sex-related Crimes 

Liquor-law Violations 

Drunkenness, Vagrancy 

Disorderly Conduct 

Drug-law Violation 

Traffic Violations B 

Carrying and Possessing 

Weapons 

Nonsupport 

Other 

Total Reported 

Unknown or Unclear 

Notes: 

Includes kidnapping. 


In the 1972 survey, the precise number of offenders in this category is not given; the figure is listed 


only at less than 300, or .5 percent total. 


Includes kidnapping (except 1972). 


Not categorized. 


Includes counterfeiting and extortion. 


Usually driving under the influence of alcohol. 


Not comparable because of differences in categorization. 


Content varies because of differences in categorization in different years, but is restricted largely to 


offenses comprising less than 1 percent of the total. The 1972 jail survey had no category for disorderly 


conduct. 


Includes neglect. 


Not separately enumerated. Included with drunkenness. 


The 1978 survey included several sexual offenses as sexual assault, not so categorized in the 1972 report. 


It therefore reports more under violent offenses than dld the 1972 report. 


Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1923) Prisoners, 1923; 1926; pgs.198-199. 

(1933) County and City Jails: Prisoners in Jails and Other Penal Institutions Under County or Municipal 

Jurisdiction 1933; 1935; PQ. 9. 

U.S. Department of Justice, Law ~nforcement Assistance Administration, National Criminal Information and Statistics 

Servlce; Washington, 	 D.C. 

(1972) Soecial Reoort: Survev of Inmates of Local Jails: 1972: on. 17. , ,> 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice; 8urea; of Justice Statistics; Washington, D.C. 

(1978) BJS, Unpublished data. 
Interestingly, the offense distributions of 

those present under sentence in jails on the 

day of the survey for 1923, 1933, and 1972 

are remarkably similar. About 8 to 9 

percent were offenses against the person, 25 

to 32 percent against property and about 60 

percent were classified as public order or 

"other" offenses. 

The years 1972 and 1978 are the only two 

for which data were found on offense of 

total jail inmates (including those not under 

sentence). (Data for 1983 is currently being 

analyzed by BJS.) The 1972 classification 

includes a large percent of offenses 

classified as "other" as compared to 1978, 

and several of the changes noticeable 

between the two years may be due to 

differences in detail and placement of 

offenses in the two surveys rather than 

actual changes in distribution. As noted 

above, the 1978 classification included 

certain sex offenses in the "other violent" 

category which were classified as a general 

"other" in the 1972 report, probably 

accounting for some of the increase in the 

violent offense category between 1972 and 

1978. 

There is also a decline in the drunkenness 

category between the two dates and an 

increase in burglary. These differences may 

be real changes, reflective of the 

decriminalization of public drunkenness in 

certain jurisdictions and the increased use 

of jails in 1978 to house State prisoners due 

to overcrowding. In 1978, 6 percent of jail 

inmates were reported to be there because 

of overcrowding elsewhere (Table 4-4). 

A slight decline in the percent of drug 

offenders also occurred (11 to 9 percent). 

This may be attributed partly to a decline in 

jailing of persons implicated in drug 

possession and prosecutorial attention to 

violent crime. 

Data on Release (Type of Release and Time 

Served) 

In 1983 it was reported that 7.9 million 

persons were released and 8.1 million were 

admitted (Table 4-6). But recent national 

information on time served is not yet 

available. Some data are available on the 

type of release and time served for 1923 

and 1933. These data are presented in 

Tables 4-12 to 4-14. 

Table 4-12 presents type of release by sex 

and type of sentence for 1923. As indicated 

by the table, most jail inmates were released 

when their sentence expired, but a certain 

percentage were released under parole or 

pardoned. Of those in jail for nonpayment 

of fine, slightly over one-third were 

released because their fine was paid. There 

were no notable differences by sex overall, 

but among those in jail for nonpayment of 

fine, women were somewhat more 

frequently released for payment of fine 

rather than expiration of sentence (46 

percent, compared to 35 percent of males). 

Table 4-13 presents time served by offense 

for 1923. Only 4 percent of the total served 

more than 6 months, 67 percent served less 

than 1 month, and 82 percent served 1 

month or less. Table 4-14 gives median 

time served in 1933 by region by 

race/nativity by offense. This breakdown 

reflects the concern with the extent to 

which regional variation and racial/ethnic 

discrimination existed in time served. 

The median time served for the total was 17 

days. For blacks the median was 2 days 

longer, 19 days. Interestingly, there were 

larger differences between whites and 

blacks in time served in the North than in 

the South. The median time served in the 

North for whites was 18 days and for blacks 

a full week longer, 25 days. In the South 

the median was 17 days for blacks and 16 

days for whites. Looking at time served by 

offense, these differences continue. 

Characteristics of Jail Prisoners 

Table 4-15 summarizes jail inmate sex, 

race/ethnicity, and juvenile status utilizing 

Census and Justice Department data from 

1910 to 1953. The percent of female 

inmates has ranged between a high of 9 

percent (in 1910 and 1940) to a low of 5 

percent (in 1933 and 1970-72). The most 

recent data for the 1980's shows an increase 

over the lows of the 1970's. 
Table 4-12. 	 Percentage Distribution of Prisoners Released by 

Type of Release and Type of Sentence: 1923 

Sentence: Imprisonment Only 

Type of Release Total Male Female 

Sentence Expired 75 75 74 

Paroled or Pardoned 16 16 17 

Other Reasons & Unknown 9 9 10 

umber^ 	 44,24za 40,551 a 3,691a 

Sentence: Imprisonment and Fine 

Sentence Expired 58 58 56 

Fine Paid 11 11 11 

Paroled or Pardoned 16 16 19 

Other Reasons & Unknown 15 15 13 

umber^ 	 ~2,697~ 21,130~ 1, 567a 

Sentence: Imprisoned for Nonpayment of Fine 

Sentence Expired 49 49 41 

Fine Paid 36 35 46 

Paroled or Pardoned 7 7 6 

Other Reasons & Unknown 8 9 6 

umber^ 	 77,197~ 71,057~ 6,140~ 

Note: 

a. Number for first 6 months of year only. 

Source: 

U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; 

Washington, 	D.C. 

(1923) Prisoners, 1923: 1926; pq. 159. 

Table 4-13. 	 Percentage Distribution of Time Served by Those Released from Jails by Offense: 1923 

Offense 	 >6 months 2-5 months 1 month 10-29 days <I0 days 

All Offenses 

Agalnst Person 

Assault 

~omicide~ 

Against Property 

Burglary 

Embezzlement 

Forgery 

Fraud 

Having Stolen Property 

Larceny 

Robbery 

Trespassing 

Against Sex Morality 

Fornlcatlon and Prostitution 

Rape 

Other 

Against Administration of Government 

Contemot of Court 

Against Public Health and Safety 

Carrying Concealed Weapons 12 

Violating City Ordinance 0.1 

Violating Drug Laws 2 1 

Violating Traffic Laws 1 

Against Sobriety, Good Order and Public Policy 

Disorderly Conduct 1 

Drunkenness 0.1 

Gambling 1 

Vagrancy 1 

Violating Liquor Laws 4 

Against Children and Prisoner's Family 

Nonsupport or Neglect 15 

Other and Un nown I 4 k Total Number 	 5,597b 

Notes: 

a. Percent not calculated because base was less than 100. 

b. Vumber of commitment given is for first 6 months of year only. 

Source: 

U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1923) Prisoners, 1923; 1926, pg. 160. 
Table 4.14 . Median Time Served by Male Prisoners Discharged. by Color. Nativity. and Offense (selected Offenses). 

by Reqions: 1933 

(Median not shown where base is less than 25) 

Median Time Served Median Time Served 

(Days) (Days) 

Foreign- ForeignAll Native Born A11 Native Born 

Offense and Regions Classes White White Negro Offense and Regions Classes White White Negro 

All 	 Offenses ............ 16.79 Nonsupport & Neglect .. 
 The North ........... 
 The North ............. 17.96 The South ........... 
 The South ............. 15.75 The West ............ 
 The West .............. 16.02 


Violating Liquor Laws. 
 "Other" Assault ......... 25.89 The North........... 
 The North ............. 30.05 The South ........... 
 The South............. 21.70 The West ............ 
 The West .............. 24.85 


Driving While IntoxiBurglary................ 101.79 	 cated ................ 
 The North ............. 125.90 The North ........... 
 The South ............. 57.00 The South ........... 
 The West .............. 107.61 	 The West ............ 


Larceny. Except 	 Disorderly Conduct 

Auto Theft ............. 33.01 32.24 29.31 38.02 and Drunkenness ...... 13.09 12.86 15.84 13.57 


The North ............. 33.94 35.83 29.04 32.55 TheNorth ........... 15.17 14.72 16.82 15.59 


The South ............. 34.70 28.15 --- 43.06 The South ........... 12.14 12.03 12.11 12.89 


The West .............. 28.71 18.87 32.93 28.87 The West ............ 7.81 7.50 7.55 8.54 


Embezzlement and Vagrancy .............. 19.04 18.36 29.84 18.92 


Fraud .................. 40.75 32.29 51.33 38.15 The North ........... 30.59 27.33 40.47 37.69 


The North ............. 46.16 42.57 56.58 58.42 The South ........... 14.51 13.76 15.00 15.73 


The South ............. 39.56 19.65 --- 24.17 The West ............ 18.96 18.98 17.74 18.79 


The West .............. 26.42 28.79 28.00 ---


Source: Complete table taken from 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce. Bureau of Census. Washington. D.C. 

(1933) County and City Jails. 1933; 1935; Table 79 . 
- - - - -- - 

Table 4-15. Characteristics of Persons in Jails: 1910-1983 

Percent 

Juvenile 

Percent Percent Percent (Under 18 

Number Inmates Percent Foreign Percent Percent Other Spanish Except 

ofJails presenta Female Born White Black ~aces~originC Where Noted) 

1910 (Census) 

1923 (Census) 

1933 (Census) 

1940 ensus us)^ 

1950 ensus us)^ 

1960 ensus us)^ 

1970 ensu us)^ 

1970 (~ustice)~ 

1972 (Justice) 

1978 (Justice)' 

1980 ens us)^ 

1982 (~ustice)' 

1983 (Justice)' 

Notes: 

Percentages given are on the basis of total inmates, except where only sentenced prisoners were counted in 1910 


to 1933. In 1910, data in parentheses were calculated on basis of commitments rather than those present on day of 


survey. 


Categorization varies slightly; primarily includes Indians and Asians. 


Persons of Spanish origin may be of any race. 


Not available or not yet published. 


Includes 1,900 county jails and 339 municipal jails; 480 jails had no prisoners, and 750 jails did not report. 


Percentages calculated on basis of 46,292 inmates for whom demographic information was available. 


Figures cover institutional population 14 years and older only. 


Data based on 3-1/2 percent sample. 


Data based on 25 percent sample. 


Data based on 20 percent sample. 


Does not include Connecticut, Delaware, and Rhode Island because jails are operated by the State. 


States with integrated jail-prison systems were excluded: Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and 


Vermont. Alaska, with both integrated and locally operated jails, is included. 


Inmates were classified as white and nonwhite only. Spanish origin inmates who were not Indian or other nonwhite 


race were categorized as white. 


n. 	 Of the 7,800 juveniles confined in jails in 1970, 51 percent (3,943) were confined in the New York City Reformatory 

and NY City Remand shelter. Includes those 16-21, confined under youthful offender. 

p. 	 In these years, juvenile is defined as person subject to juvenile court jurisdiction based on age and offense 


limitation, as defined by each individual State law, and is not percent under 18. 


Sources: 

U.S. Department of Interior, Census Office; Washington, D.C. 

(1880) 	 Report on the Defective, Oefendent, and Delinquent Classes of the Unlted States as Returned at the Tenth 

Census: 1880; 1888; pg. 485. 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1904) Prisoners and Juvenile Delinquents in Institutions: 1904; 1907; pgs. 13, 65. 

(1910) Prisoners and Juvenile Delinquents in the United States: 1910; 1918; pgs. 22-23, 26, 79, 90. 

(1923, 1910, 1904) Children Under Institutional Care, 1923: Section I11 Juvenile Delinquents; 1927; p. 295. 

(1923, 1910) Prisoners 1923; 1926; pgs. 3, 15, 24, 48, 58, 60, 61. 

(1933) County and City Jails 1933; 1935; pgs. 2, 5, 15. 

(1940) Sixteenth Census of the United States Pouplation 1940: Institutional Population; 1943; pgs. 2-4, 6, 10. 

(1950) U.S. Census of Population 1950: Institutional Population; 1953; pgs. 2C-16, 2C-47. 

(1960) U.S. Census of Population 1960: Inmates of Institutions; 1963; pgs. 4, 12-13, 21. 

(1970) 1970 Census of Population: Persons in Institutions and Dther Group Quarters; 1973; pgs. 5-6, 23. 

U.S. Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, National Criminal Justice Information and 

Statistical 	Service; Washington, D.C. 


(1970) National Jail Census, 1970; 1971; pgs. 2, 9-11. 


(1972) Survey of Inmates of Local Jails, 1972; 1974; pgs. 3, 17. 


(1972) The Nation's Jail 1972; 1975; pgs. 22-23. 


U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Statistics; Washington, D.C. 

(1980) 1980 Census of Population: Persons in Institutions and Other Group Quarters; 1984; pgs. 4-5, 19-20, 23. 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics; Washington, D.C. 


(1982, 1978) Jail Inmates 1982; 1983; pgs. 1-2. 


(1983, 1978) The 1983 Jail Census; 1984; pgs. 2-4, 6. 

It appears that the percent of the total jail 

population who were under 18 years of age 

on the day of the survey has declined from 

about 9 percent in 1910 to about 4 percent 

in 1980. Comparisons are difficult because 

of differences in what was included under 

the heading jails in the each survey. In 

1970, the Census Bureau noted that 51 

percent of the 5 percent of the total under 

18 in jails were in the New York City 

Reformatory and Remand Shelter. In recent 

years, the Justice reports have used State 

legal classifications of juvenile, rather than 

the age-based classification of those under 

18. This results in a much lower estimate 

of the percent juvenile, less than 1 percent. 

Minorities have consistently been 

imprisoned in jails, as in other forms of 

incarceration, at a higher rate than others. 

The earliest reports on those in prisons, do 

not give separate jail data. But the report 

from 1850 categorized 36 percent of those 

in prisons as foreign-born at a time when 

the foreign-born were about 10 percent of 

the population. After 1850 the overrepresentation of foreign-born declined 

consistently and had disappeared by 1923. 

Attention continued, however, to be paid to 

the topic. Table 4-16 presents comparisons 

made for 1910 and 1923 of jail 

commitments by race and nativity, and for 

1923 by country of birth of foreign-born 

prisoners. 

As the over-representation of foreign-born 

has declined, the over-representation of 

blacks has increased. Separate data on race 

for jail inmates prior to 1910 are 

unavailable, but in 1880 blacks were 13 

percent of the U.S. population and 29 

percent of the total prison population (see 

Chapter VIII). In 1923, blacks were 10 

percent of the U.S. population and 32 

percent of the jail population, and in 1970 

blacks were 11 percent of the population 

and 41 percent of the jail inmates (Table 4- 

15). 

As can be seen from Table 4-16, blacks 

were more over-represented in the number 

present on the day of the survey than in the 

number of commitments. Twenty-three 

percent of commitments to jails in 1923 

were black, compared to 32 percent of those 

present, indicating that blacks on the 

average served more time in jail (Table 4- 

14). 

Prior Commitments 

Data on prior commitments of those 

received under sentence in jails is available 

for 1923 and 1933. Of the total 

commitments for which information was 

obtained in 1923 (64 percent) about 50 

percent of persons received had at least one 

previous commitment (Table 4- 17). Data 

broken down by offense for 1933 indicate 

that in general those committed for morals 

offenses had more prior commitments than 

those committed for more serious offenses. 

Those received for prostitution and drug 

law violations had the most previous 

commitments. Twenty-eight percent of 

drug law violators and 23 percent of 

prostitution commitments had three or more 

previous commitments, and almost 60 

percent had at least one prior commitment 

(Table 4- 18). 

The Number of Jails 

Table 4-15 includes information on the 

number of jails reported at each of the 

national jail studies. The number of jails 

reported for 1923 (3469), is not very 

different from the nurt~ber reported for 

1983 (3338). The variation appears to be 

due more to differences in reporting 

coverage and estimation procedures than 

changes over time. This is especially so 

because there are a large number of jails 

that often contain no prisoners on the day 

of the survey, and their inclusion varies. 

This makes it difficult to answer a question 

as to whether the number of jails has 

increased or decreased over the period. 

The largest differences occur not over time 

but in different reports done for the same 

year. The Census of Institutional Population 

for 1970 estimated 2317 jails, and the 

LEAA jail census of 1970 reported 4037. 

This difference may have arisen because the 

Institutional Population Census estimation 

Table 6-17. 	 Percentage Distribution of Prior Commitments of Those Received 

Under Sentence in Jails: 1923 

Percent Distribution of Commitments with Prior Commitments: 1923 

Number of Prior Commitments Total Male Female 

Reported as to Prior Commitments 64 64 

Previously Committed 30 29 

10 Times or More 3 3 

6-9 Times 2 2 

5 Times 1 1 

6 Times 2 2 

3 Times 3 3 

2 Times 7 6 

1 Time 12 12 

Number of Times Unknown .3 .3 

Not Previously Committed 34 35 

Not Reported as to Prior Commitments 36 36 

Total umber^ 147,~76~ 135,134~ 

Note: 

a. 	 Based on commitments for first half of year only. 

Source: 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1923) Prisoners, 1923; 1926; pgs. 150, 159. 

Table 4-18. 	 Jail Prisoners Received, by Offense and Previous Commitments: 1933 

Num- Per- Nurn- Per- Num- Per- Num- Per- Num- Per- Nurn- Perber cent ber cent ber cent ber cent ber cent ber cent 

Aggravated Embezzle- Stolen 

Homicide Robbery Assault Auto Theft ment, Etc. Property 

Total 	 362 -- 782 -- 1,572 -- 637 -- 3,496 -- 584 --

Reporting Status 

None 

One 

Two 11 10.7 34 10.6 78 11.6 26 12.0 174 11.2 26 10.1 

Three or More 4 3.9 41 12.8 81 12.0 21 9.7 228 146 26 10.1 

Not Reporting 259 -- 462 -- 899 -- 420 -- 1,939 -- 327 --

Prostitution 

Forgery Rape and Commer- Other Sex Violating Carrying 

cialized Vice Offenses Drug Laws Weapons, Etc. 

Total 	 718 -- 348 -- 1,677 -- 2,757 -- 1,461 -- 2,114 --

Reporting Status 281 100.0 158 100.0 1,056 100.0 1,576 100.0 656 100.0 883 100.0 

None 157 55.9 114 72.2 424 60.2 737 46.8 288 43.9 459 52.0 

One 65 23.1 23 1.6 268 25.6 279 17.7 104 15.9 189 21.4 

Two 27 9.6 10 6.3 123 11.6 183 11.6 83 12.7 117 13.3 

Three or More 32 11.4 11 7.0 241 22.8 377 23.9 181 27.6 118 13.4 

Not Reporting 437 -- 190 -- 621 -- 1,181 -- 805 -- 1,231 --

Nonsupport 	 Driving While Road and Other Motor Other 

or Neglect Intoxicated Driving Laws Vehicle Laws Gambling Offenses 

Total 2,386 

Reporting Status 1,350 

None 653 

One 31 4 

Two 159 

Three or More 224 

Not Reporting 1,036 

Source: Complete table taken from 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 


(1933) City and County Jails, 1933, 1935; Table 64. 

procedure is based on persons present, and 

may have excluded those not having inmates 

on the day of the census. However, the 

total count of persons present is also lower 

for the Institutional Population report than 

in the Justice report. The Census reports 

for 1970 contain no notes discussing these 

differences. In 1980 when separate budget 

units were counted as separate institutions, 

Census estimates were closer to those of 

Justice for jails (they are more different for 

State and Federal facilities). If one used 

only the Institutional Population Census 

reports, it would appear that the number of 

jails almost doubled between 1970 and 1980. 

Again, the Census reports provide no 

explanatory notes on this. Assuming that 

Justice Department procedures have been 

consistent over the last few years, there 

appears to be a small decline in the number 

of jails since the early 19703, although the 

number of persons present has increased by 

almost 40 percent. This is attributed to the 

trend to merge small- or medium-sized 

facilities into larger complexes. 

Characteristics of Jails and Jail Inmates as 

Reported in the Surveys of the 1970's and 

1980's 

Tables 4-19 to 4-23 present summary results 

of data not already included in prior tables 

from the Jail surveys between 1970 and 

1983. These surveys collected extensive 

information on the characteristics of the 

facilities and of those present. The 1970 

Jail Census reported that 5 percent of jails 

were over capacity and that one-fourth 

were more than 50 years old. 

Most jails in 1972 (63 percent) were housed 

in police stations, sheriffs' offices, or court 

houses, and only about one-third were 

separate structures. A concern in 1972 was 

the extent to which jails attempted to 

provide humane conditions and any 

rehabilitative services. This is evidenced by 

the extensive information gathered on 

programs and services (Table 4-20). Sixtytwo percent of jails reported having at least 

one recreational facility. However, this 

most frequently was only a radio. Only 16 

percent of those with recreational facilities, 

or 10 percent of the total jails, reported 

having an exercise yard. 

In 1978, demographic information was 

collected from jail inmates (Table 4-21). 

The study reported that only 57 percent 

were working (45 percent full time) at the 

time of arrest. The median income was 

$3714. Almost 70 percent reported ever 

using drugs and 40 percent reported being 

daily users. The median age was 25. 

Tables 4-22 and 4-23 are taken from the 

1983 Jail study. This report for the first 

time presented data on admissions and 

departures (Table 4-6). 
(D 

m Table 4-19. Selected Jail Characteristics Reported by the 1970 Jail Census 

Total Inmates 	 Percent of Jails Over Capacity 

Total Number of Jails 

Cell Aae: Percentaae Distribution 

Ratio of Inmates to Full-Time 

Equivalent Employees 5.6 0-25 years 

26-50 years 

51-75 years 

Type of Retention of Inmates: Percentaqe Distribution I 76-100 years 

Over 100 years 

Held for Other Authorities 17 

Arraigned and Awaiting Trial 3 5 	 Percent of Jails with Some: 

Convicted Awaiting Further Legal Recreational Facilities 


Action 5 Educational Facilities 


Medical Facilities 


Sentences of 1 Year or Less 36 Visiting Facilities 


Toilet Facilities 


Percent Serving Sentences of More 


Than 1 Year 7 


Source : 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, LEAA, National Criminal Justice Information and Statistics Service, Washington, D.C. 

(1970) 1970 National Jail Census; 1971; pgs. 1-19. 
Table 4-20. Selected Jail Characteristics as Reported in 1972 Jail Survey 

Characteristics percenta Characteristics percenta 

Number of Jails (3,921 ) Personnel Utilized 

Total Number of Jails With Programs (2,646) 

Average Number of Inmates (36) Jails Wlth Programs Utilizing: 

Communitv Volunteers 64 

-

Size EX-offenders 

Fewer than 21 Inmates 74 Both of Above 

21-249 Inmates 23 Not Available (Number) 

250 or More Inmates 3 

Amenities Availableb 

Ratio of Inmates to Employees 

Total Em~lovees 

Jails With Drunk Tank 

Beds or Mattresses 

Seating Space (excluding beds or 

mattresses) 

Type of Physical Facility Operating Toilet (s) 

Police - - Station. Sheriff's Operating Shower(s) 

Office, or Court House Drinking Water Always Available 

Separate Structure Heat 

Other Light(s) 

Not Available (Number) Air Conditioning 

Ventilation - Windows and/or Fan 

Type of 4uartersb 

One-inmate Cells 

None of the Above 

Not Available (Number) 

Two-inmate Cells Jails Without Orunk Tank 

Three- or Four-inmate Cells 

~ormitories~ Detention Arranqements 

Pretrial Inmates From Sentenced Inmates 

Frequency of Meal Service 

Once Daily 

Twice Daily 

Detained Separately 41 

Not Detained Seoaratelv 59 

Not Available or Not ~bplicable (Number) (513) 

Three or More Times Oaily 

No Meals Served Place of Detention of Orunk Traffic Offenders 

Not Available (Number) Detained Separately 50 

Not Detained Se~aratelv 50 

Medical Facility Not Available or Not Abplicable (Number) (308) 

Jails With Medical Facility 

Infirmary With Beds 

12 

6 Place of Detention of Juveniles 

Infirmary Without Beds 5 Detained Separately 

Other Not Detained Seoaratelv 

Without Medical Facility Not Available or Not ~b~licable (Number) (613) 

Not Available (Number) 

Federally Funded ~roqrams/~ervices~ 

Recreation Facilityb Jails with Programs 

Jails with Recreational Facilities 62 Adult Based Education (ABE) 

Record Player 

Radio 

7 

50 

Apprenticeship Training 

Community Action (CAP) 

Motion Pictures 4 Concentrated Employment (CEP) 

Television Set 25 Employment Assistance for Indians 

Sports Equipment 10 State Employment Services 

Exercise Yard 16 Job Corps 

Other 16 Job Opportunity in the Business 

Jails Without Recreational Facilities 38 Sector (JOBS) 

Selected Professional Employees 

MDTA Institutional Training 

Public Service Careers 

Medical Doctor 

Nurse 

Psychiatrist 

Psychologist 

19 

6 

3 

2 

Operation Mainstream 

Special Impact 

Vocational Training 

Social Rehabilitation 

Social Worker 

Teacher (academic) 

5 

3 

Work Incentive (WIN) 

Pretrial Intervention 

Teacher (vocational) 2 Other 

Rehabilitative Proqrams/Services 

Jails Without Proqrams 

Jails With Programs 

Group Counseling 

67 

17 

Jails With Weekend Sentence Programs 

Assessment of Vocational Potentials 9 

Remedial Education 11 

Vocational Training 14 

Prevocational Training 7 

Job Development and Placement 13 

Alcoholic Treatment 35 

Drug Addiction Treatment 26 

Religious Services 59 

Other 3 

Jails Without Programs 33 

Notes: 

a. 	 All numbers given are percentages except numbers in parentheses. Percentages calculated on the basis of 

available/reported numbers, and details may not add to 100 percent because of rounding. 

b. 	 The aggregate number of jails with specific amenities, facilities, or programs exceeds the total number of 

jails because a jail may have or offer more than one type of amenity, facility, or program. 

c. 	 The term "dormitory" can often apply to an area containing cells. 

Source: 

U.S. Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA), National Crizinal Justice Information 

and Statistics Service; Washington, 	 0.C. 

(1972) The Nation's Jails; 1975; pgs. 22, 25-30, 32, 37, 39, 44, 48. 
Table 4-21. Selected Demographic and Prearrest Characteristics of Jail Inmates as Reported in the 1978 Jail Survey 

Characteristic Total Male Female Characteristic Total Male Female 

-

Sex 

Male 

Female 

Race 

White 

Black 

Other 

9 


Under 30 


30 and Over 


55 and Over 


Median Age 


Marital Status 

Married 

Separated/Divorced 

Widowed 

Never Married 

Number Not Reported 

Dependents at Time of 

Admission 

With De~endents 

without' Dependents 

Number Not Reported 

Highest Grade of School 

Completed 

0-8 

9-1 1 

12 

13 or More 

Number Not Reported 

Median Grade 

Military Service 

No Service 

Service 

Number Not Reported 

Total 

Notes: 

Employment Status 

Working 


Full-Time 


Part-Time 


Not Working 

Looking for Work 

Not Looking for Work 

Not Reported 

Number Not Reported 

Annual Income 

With Income 

Without Income 

Number Not Reported 

Median Income 

Main Source of Income 

Wages and Salarie 8 Transfer Payments 

No Indeoendent 1ncomeC 

~lleqal'Income 

other 

Number Not Reported 

Drug Experience 

Never Used 

Used Drugs 

Daily 

Weekly 

Less than Weeklye 

Number Not Reported 

Drug Influence at Time of 

Offense for Convicted Inmates 

Total Number 

Under Influence 


Heroin Only 


Marijuana Only 


Other Drugs Only 


Multiple Drugs 


Heroin and Other 

All Other Combinations 

Not Under Influence 

Number Not Reported 

Alcohol Influence Just Prior to 

Offense for Convicted Inmates 

Total Number 

~onsurned' 


Less than 4 Dunces 


4 Ounces or More 


Amount Unknown 


Not Consumed 


Number Not Reported 


93 

7 


(7,947) 


$3,714 


69 


12 


14 


4 


I 


(1,564) 


69 

40 

8 

21 

(1,784) 

(91.411)~ . , . 47 

16 

29 

2 

52 

(2,412) 

Total 	 (158,394~) 

a. Details may not add to total shown due to rounding that takes place in the estimation procedure. Estimates of less than 300 on 

all inmates (and male inmates) and of less than 100 on female inmates 

reliable. 

b. Social Security, unemployment benefits, education grants, and welfare. 

c. Includes borrowing from and support by family or friends. 

d. Percentages calculated on reported numbers. 

e. Includes insignificant numbers of cases for which frequency of use was 

f. In ounces of ethanol (absolute alcohol). 

Source: 

are based on too few sam~le cases to be statisticallv 

not reported. 

U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Washington, D.C. 

(1978) 	 Profile of Jail Inmates: Sociodemographic Findings from the 1978 Survey of Inmates of Local Jails; 1980; 

pgs. 12, 14, 16-17. 
Table 4-22. 	 Adult Inmates Held Because of Crowding at tither Facilities, by Type of Jurisdlctlon for 

Which Held, and Region, February 15, 1978 and June 30, 1983 

Inmates Held Because of Crowdinq Elsewhere 

Percent Percent of Those Held Due to Crowding for: 

All of All All Federal State Other Local 

Inmates Number Inmates Authorities Authorities Authorities Authorltles 

United States 

1978 

1983 

Northeast 

1978 

1983 

North Central 

1978 

1983 

South 

1978 

1983 

West 

1978 2 IOU 

1983 1 100 

Source: Complete table taken from 

U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statlstlcs: The 1983 Jall 

Census; November 1984, Table 11. 

Table 4-23. 	 Number of Inmates per Employee, by Occupational Category and Sire of Facility, June 30, 1983~ 

Size of iacilltyb 

All Less than 50-249 250 or More 

Occupational Category Facilities 50 Inmates Inmates Inmates 

Total 	 3.5 2.2 3.8 4.1 

Admlnlstrative 

Custody 

Clerical and Maintenance 

Educational 

Professional and Technical 

Notes: 

a. 	 The ratio of inmates to staff was obtalned by dividing the average daily population by the number 

of employees in each occupational category. 

b. Based on average daily population. 

Source: Complete table taken from 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics: The 1983 Jall 

Census; November 1984, Table 15. 
CHAPTER V 

STATISTICS OF INSTITUTIONS FOR 

JUVENILE DELINQUENTS 

Of all correctional facilities, those for 

juveniles are the most diverse and the only 

ones which may include persons who have 

not committed nor been accused of 

committing any illegal act or status offense. 

As described by the 1923 Census Report, 

the laws under which juvenile reformatories 

were established made it possible for them 

to receive not only children who had 

committed specific offenses, "but also 

children who were deemed to be 

incorrigible, destitute of suitable homes, or 

in danger of being brought up to lead idle 

or vicious lives," (Census, "Children Under 

Institutional Care, 1923;" 1926, p.260). 

Because of the nature of these laws, there 

has always been overlap between juvenile 

correctional facilities and those facilities for 

children in need of care or services for 

other reasons. Reflecting this mixture, 

government agencies concerned with 

education, social welfare, and criminal 

justice (in addition to the Census Bureau) 

have at various times collected information 

on juvenile correctional facilities. Each of 

these series utilized somewhat different, not 

always clearly defined, inclusion criteria. 

There were two periods (one between 1880 

and 1917 and another more recently) when 

differing agencies collected information for 

similar years. Not surprisingly, because of 

the mixture in facility functions, these 

studies did not always yield completely 

consistent figures, especially with regard to 

private facilities. 

In this chapter, information is summarized 

from the following government series: 

The Annual Reports to the 

Commissioner of Education (1868-

1917); 

The Census Bureau Reports from the 

decennial census of Institutional 

Population (1880- 1980); 

The Children's Bureau series on 

Children in Public Institutions for 

Delinquent Children (1945-1967); 

The Children in Custody Series (1971-

current). 

In addition, information is included from 

studies done by the University of Chicago 

School of Social Work in 1966 and 1981. A 

brief overview of each series is given and 

then a summary of information is presented. 

OVERVIEW OF AVAILABLE DATA 

Barnard and the Bureau of Education 

Reports 

The earliest national information on 

reformatories for juveniles comes from the 

work of Henry Barnard in the 1850's and in 

the Annual Reports of the United States 

Commissioner of Education, which included 

a section on reform schools between 1870 

and 1917. 

In 1857, Barnard published a book called 

Reformatorv Education, which included a 

statistical table covering 16 reformatory 

institutions. The establishment of special 

institutions for care of juvenile delinquents 

preceded by almost three-quarters of a 

century the juvenile court movement, which 

began around 1900 (Census Bureau, 

"Children Under Institutional Care, 1923;" 

p.260). The first public reformatory, the 

New York House of Refuge, was organized 

in New York City in 1825. Barnard's table 

includes seven other institutions opened 

before 1850. 

In 1867 the U.S. Office of Education (later 

the Bureau of Education) was established. 

One of the congressionally mandated 

purposes was the collection of statistics on 

all types of schools. Henry Barnard, the 

first commissioner, set forth an inclusive 
plan for education statistics in 1868, which 

incorporated statistics on what was called 

"class education." "Class education" referred 

to education of the deaf, blind, juvenile 

offenders, orphans, girls, and "colored" or 

"freedmen." The earliest Bureau of 

Education figures published in 1870, just 

after Barnard left his post, were based on 

data collected by Wines and Dwight in 1867 

and included facilities in 20 States (Marks, 

Rachel B. "Institutions for Dependent and 

Delinquent Children: Histories, NineteenthCentury Statistics, and Recurrent Goals"; in 

Pappenfort, Kilpatric, Roberts, Child 

Caring, 1973, Aldine, p.9). Data were 

collected on both the school and the 

children, and especially on factors thought 

to be related to delinquency and 

reformation. Many of these items remain 

the focus of today's reports; others would no 

longer warrant notice. These included 

idleness, use of profane language, use of 

tobacco and alcohol, visiting theaters, 

parent's employment, parent's marital status, 

parent's quarreling, church attendance, and 

truancy. 

The series continued until 1917 with 

variations in the type of facility and data 

items covered. Yearly reports at times also 

covered items such as the annual cost of 

care, earnings of inmates, staff, 

commitments, ages accepted, trades taught, 

number made literate, discharges, number 

known to be orderly when discharged, sex, 

race, nativity, conditions of commitment, 

and parent's literacy and nativity. 

The Census Bureau Reports 

It is uncertain whether Census reports prior 

to 1880 included inmates of juvenile 

reformatories in the enumeration of 

prisoners (Census Bureau, "Children Under 

Institutional Care, 1923;" p.260); however, in 

1880 and thereafter juvenile facilities were 

included and separately tallied. 

The Census of 1880 included 53 institutions 

from 23 States and the District of Columbia, 

and the 1890 report included 58 institutions 

from 25 States and D.C. It is probable that 

these reports covered most institutions 

operating specifically for delinquents at the 

time, as they are comparable with the 

Office of Education reports of similar years 

which were only slightly more inclusive. 

In 1910, the Census Bureau juvenile 

institution survey included 100 facilities, 

and the analysis departed from previous 

reports by looking at juveniles also present 

in other types of institutions. The report 

States: 

It appeared that the very diversity of 

methods existing between the States in 

the treatment of their juvenile offenders was itself a fact of considerable 

significance which the limitation of the 

presentation to inmates of juvenile 

reformatories almost entirely obscured 

(Census Bureau, "Prisoners and 

Juvenile Delinquents in the United 

States, 1910;" 1918, p. 154). 

Hence the report presented data on all 

persons under 18 according to the type of 

correctional facility in which they were 

found. This method was also followed in 

the studies of 1923 and 1933. Recent 

critiques of the Children in Custody Series 

have called for a similar approach to current 

data collection. 

By 1923 the report included 145 juvenile 

facilities, 22 of which were private. In 

keeping with the strong verbal emphasis 

that juveniles should be treated differently 

than adults, the 1923 report was enfolded in 

a volume that included statistics on children 

in other forms of care as well. In 1933 the 

Census Bureau published a separate volume 

on juvenile delinquents but included only 

public facilities. The data are presented 

almost entirely for those committed during 

the year rather than those present on the 

day of the study. 

Between 1940 and 1980 the reports are part 

of the single report devoted to institutional 

populations and include much less detailed 
information. In 1940 the analysis for the 

entire institutional population report is 

presented only for those 14 years of age and 

older; therefore, it has very limited value 

for juvenile facility statistics. 

The U.S. Children's Bureau 

In 1927 the Children's Bureau began to 

collect voluntary data on the juvenile courts. 

Then in the early 1940's they began the 

series on Children Served by Public 

Institutions. Initially, voluntary reporting 

was limited, with only 36 States 

participating; however, these data were used 

to make some national estimates. By 1967, 

when the series was transferred to LEAA, 

all States but Nevada were reporting. In 

later years separate reports were issued for 

delinquent and dependent children. Data 

items collected and frequency of reports 

varied, but information is available for 

certain years on the number present, 

number served, age, sex, length of stay, 

facility type, staff, overcrowding, and 

runaways. 

The Children in Custody Reports 

In 1971, the Juvenile Detention and 

Correctional Facility Census was initiated. 

Prior to 1977 the survey included all 

facilities caring for a minimum of about 10 

percent delinquent children. Currently the 

series includes any facility which receives 

delinquent children. The Census was 

initially designed by LEAA and HEW and 

carried out by the Census Bureau. Surveys 

were conducted in 1974, 1975, 1977, 1979, 

and 1982. Beginning in 1974 private 

facilities were included, but reports 

continue to be published separately. The 

series is currently under the Office of 

Juvenile Justice and Delinquency 

Prevention. 

The National Survey of Residential Group 

Care Facilities 

In 1966 and in 1981 the University of 

Chicago School of Social Service Administration conducted censuses of all 

residential facilities serving children and 

youth with special needs. In 1966 the study 

was funded by the Children's Bureau and 

conducted under the auspices of the Center 

for Urban Studies. In 1981 the study was 

funded by the National Institute for 

Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention 

(NIJJDP). Institutions whose primary 

function was to care for the physically 

handicapped, chronically ill, or mentally 

retarded were not included in the censuses. 

These surveys provide extensive data on 

facilities, residents, program, and staff 

categorized by primary function, as well as 

information on the overlap of functions 

between facilities under correctional, mental 

health, and social welfare auspices. 

The tables that follow summarize and 

compare the results of these varying reports 

on juvenile correctional facilities. 

SUMMARY OF NATIONAL STATISTICS 

ON JUVENILE CORRECTIONAL 

FACILITIES 

The Number and Rate per 100,000 Present 

Table 5-1 presents Census Bureau 

Institutional Population data on the number 

of persons present in juvenile correctional 

facilities by State for the years 1880 to 

1980, and Table 5-2 presents the 

corresponding rates per 100,000 U.S. 

population aged 10 to 20. Table 5-3 

presents recent figures on the average 

number present by State and corresponding 

rates from the combined public and private 

Children in Custody reports for 1979 and 

1982/83. The statistics reflect the fact that 

States established separate facilities for 

juveniles at different times, as much as 

actual change in the rate of juveniles in 

correctional facilities. Moreover, it is 

apparent from examination of the data by 

State that considerable differences have 

existed in the inclusiveness and estimation 

procedures over the period. The data 
- - 

Table 5-1. Number Present in Institutions for Juvenile Delinquents by State, Census Data: 1880-1980 

1880 1890 1904 1910 1923 1933 

Public 

Only 

1950 1960 1970 1980 

United Statesa 

Northeast 

Maine 

New Hampshire 

Vermont 

Massachusetts 

Rhode Island 

Connecticut 

New York 

New Jersey 

Pennsylvania 

North Central 

Ohio 

Indiana 

Illinois 

Michigan 

Wisconsin 

Minnesota 

Iowa 

Missouri 

North Dakota 

South Dakota 

Nebraska 

Kansas 

South 

Delaware 

Maryland 

District of Columbia 

Virginia 

West Virginia 

North Carolina 

South Carolina 

Georgia 

Florida 

Kentucky 

Tennessee 

Alabama 

Mississippi 

Arkansas 

Louisiana 

Oklahoma 

Texas 

West 

Montana 

Idaho 

Wyoming 

Colorado 

New Mexico 

Arizona 

Utah 

Nevada 

Washington 

Oregon 

California 

Alaska 

Hawaii 

Note: 

a. 	 Figures for 1880-1910 include nondelinquents in institutions for juvenile delinquents. The total for 1923 

does not include 2,147 nondelinquent children. 

b. 	 Data not available or State had no juvenile facility. 

c. 	 Rate appears out of normal range presumably because of sampling error or differences in classification. 

d. 	 Rates in District of Columbia reflect the fact that differences have occurred in classification and that 

facilities housing juveniles are located outside the District in Maryland or Virginia. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1880, 1890, 1904, 1910, 1923) Children Under Institutional Care, 1923; 1927; pgs. 291-293, 343, 372-373. 

(1923, 1933) Juvenile Delinquents in Public Institutions, 1933; 1936; pg. 6. 

(1950) 1950 United States Census of Population: Institutional Population; 1953; pgs. 2C-11, 2C-155-161. 

(1960) United States Census of Population 1960: Inmates of Institutions; 1963; pgs. 11, 198-218. 

(1970) 1970 Census of Population: Persons in Institutions and Other Group Quarters; 1973; pgs. 20-21, 

280-31 3. 

(1980) 1980 Census of Population: Persons in Institutions and Other Group Quarters; 1984; pgs. 4, 349-399. 

U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare; Welfare Administration; Children's Bureau; (Seth Low); Washington, 

U.L. 


(1960) America's Children and Youth in Institutions 1950-1960-1964; 1965; pgs. 44-45. 

Table 5-2. 	 Persons Present in Facilities for Juvenile Delinquents per 100,OUU U.S. Population Aged 10-20 by State, 

Census Oata: 1880-1980 

1880 1890 1904 1910 1923~ 1933~ 1950 1960 1970 1980 

Public 

Only 

United States 

Northeast 

Maine 


New Hampshire 


Vermont 


Massachusetts 


Rhode Island 


Connecticut 


New York 


New Jersey 


Pennsylvania 


North Central 

Ohio 


Indiana 


Illinois 


Michlgan 


Wisconsin 


Minnesota 


Iowa 


Missouri 


North Dakota 


South Dakota 


Nebraska 


Kansas 


South 

Delaware 


Maryland 


District of Colu 


Virginia 


West Virginia 


North Carolina 


South Carolina 


Georgla 


Florida 


Kentucky 


Tennessee 


Alabama 


Misslssippl 


Arkansas 


Louisiana 


Oklahoma 


Texas 


West 

Montana 


Idaho 


Wyoming 


Colorado 


New Mexico 


Arizona 


Utah 


Nevada 


Washington 


Oregon 


California 


Alaska 


Hawaii 


Notes: 

a. 	 Does not include 2,147 nondelinquent children. 

b. 	 Public facility only. Calculation based on population for 1930. 

c. 	 Oata not available or no facilities. 

d. 	 Rate appears out of normal range presumably because of sampling error or differences in classiflcatlon. 

e. 	 Rates in District of Columbla reflect the fact that differences have occurred in classiflcatlon and that 


facilities housing juveniles are located outslde the District in Maryland or Virginia. Oata for 198U 


tnusually low. 


Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 


(1880, 1890, 1904, 1910, 1923) Children Under Institutional Care, 1923; 1927; pgs. 291-293, 343, 372-373. 


(1923, 1933) Juvenile Delinquents in Public Institutions, 1933; 1936; pg. 6. 


(1950) 1950 United States Census of Population: Institutional Population; 1953; pgs. 2C-11, 2C-155-161. 


(1960) United States Census of Population 1960: Inmates of Institutions; 1963; pgs. 11, 198-218. 


(1970) 1970 Census of Population: Persons in Institutions and Other Group Quarters; 1973; pgs. 20-21, 


280-313. 


(1980) 1980 Census of Population: Persons in Institutions and Other Group Quarters 198 


U.S. 	 Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Welfare Administration; Children's 8urkau; f~e?~~o?j;~~~-~~~' 

Washington, D.C. 

(1960) Americaaa Children and Youth in Institutions 1950-1960-1964; 1965; pgs. 44-45. 
Table 5-3. Average Daily Population Present and Rates per 100,000 U.S. Population Aged 10-20 in Public and 

Private Juvenile Correctional Facilities as Reported by Children in Custody: 1979 and 1982 

Average Average 

0aily 0aily 

U.S. Count Rate Number Rate 

Po~ulation Juveniles Per 100.000 Po~ulation Juveniles Per 100.000 

~gkd 10-20 and Adults Aged 10120 Aged 10-20 and Adults Aged 10120 

United States 

Northeast 

Maine 

New Hampshirea 

Vermont 

Massachusetts 

Rhode Island 

Connecticut 

New York 

New Jersey 

Pennsylvania 

North Central 

Ohio 

Indiana 

Illinois 

Michigan 

Wisconsin 

Minnesota 

Iowa 

Missouri 

North Dakota 

South Dakota 

Nebraska 

Kansas 

South 

ela aware^ 

Maryland 

District of Columbia 

Virginia 

West virginiaa 

North Carolina 

South Carolina 

Georgia 

Florida 

Kentucky 

Tennessee 

Alabama 

~ississi~~i~ 

Arkansas 

Louisiana 

Oklahoma 

Texas 

West 

Montana 

ldahoa 

wyominga 

Colorado 

New Mexico 

Arizona 

Utah 

Nevada 

Washington 

Oregon 

California 

Alaska 

Hawaii 

Notes: 

a. 	 Does not include private facilities in New Hampshire, West Virginia, Mississippi, Idaho, and Wyoming in 1979. 

Does not include private facilities in New Hampshire and Wyoming in 1982. 

b. 	 Delaware in 1979 is those reported present. 

Sources: 

U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; Washington, O.C. 

(1979, 	 1982) Children in Custody: Advance Report on the 1982 Census of Public Juvenile Facilities; 1983; 

Table 4. 

Children in Custody: Advance Report on the 1982 Census of Private Juvenile Facilities; 1983; 

Table 4. 

U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1979) Statistical Abstract of the United States: 1980; 1980; pg. 32. 

(1982) Statistical Abstract of the United States: 1982-83; 1982; pg. 34. 
therefore have limited value for State or 

time comparisons. They do, however, 

indicate the problems of using Census data 

for these types of comparisons. 

Nationally, Census Bureau statistics indicate 

a steady increase in the rate per 100,000 

population present in juvenile correctional 

facilities up to 1960, a leveling by 1970, and 

then a decrease between 1970 and 1980. 

The rate for 1880 was 97 per 100,000 aged 

10 to 20. The rate for 1960 was 180 (almost 

double the 1880 rate), and the rate for 1980 

was 136. Studies done by differing groups 

did not always arrive at similar estimates. 

Comparison of Early Series 

Table 5-4 compares the numbers of 

facilities included and persons reported 

present in the Bureau of Education series 

between 1868 and 1917 with those of the 

Census Bureau reports for the years between 

1880 and 1923. The two series initially 

were fairly consistent, with the Bureau of 

Education being only slightly more 

inclusive. For example, in 1880 the Office 

of Education reported 68 facilities and 

1 1,921 residents, while the Census Bureau 

reported 53 facilities with 11,468 residents. 

A comparison of the school names indicates 

that the same facilities were included in 

both series. Over the period in which the 

Bureau of Education Reform School reports 

were issued, coverage was expanded to 

include facilities other than reformatories. 

By 1912 the actual title was changed to 

"State Industrial Schools." According to the 

introductory text, many of the facilities 

insisted that their schools not be classified 

as reform schools. While almost all the 

children were admitted through legal 

commitment, they were not necessarily 

committed on account of criminal acts. The 

text notes that, "some are dependent and illtreated and rescued from criminal 

surroundings," (United States Bureau of 

Education, "Annual Report to the 

Commissioner;" 1912, p.595). In 1912, of 

the 117 facilities included, only 20 retained 

the title reformatory. In 1917, the last year 

in which the Education series was issued, 

the average enrollment was reported to be 

35,603. The number reported by the Census 

Bureau 5 years later in facilities for 

delinquents was about 8000 less (27,238). It 

is clear that the Census Bureau classified 

certain facilities included in the reform 

school series elsewhere, if at all. 

Comparison of Recent Studies 

As was the case with some of the early 

reports, recent studies undertaken by 

separate agencies have also differed in 

inclusiveness. Variation found among these 

reports demonstrates the fragility of time 

series estimates which use differing data 

sources to represent time point changes. 

Table 5-5 compares the results of three 

recent series: the censuses done in 1966 and 

1981 by the University of Chicago School of 

Social Service Administration, the Census 

Bureau decennial Institutional Population 

surveys from 1960 to 1980 and the Children 

in Custody series in 1974, 1979, and 

1982/83. Table 5-6 compares the 

corresponding rates per 100,000 aged 15 to 

19. The comparison indicates that the 

Census Bureau and the University of 

Chicago studies report rather similar overall 

figures for the total present in public and 

private facilities. For example Census 

reported 59,414 for 1980 and Chicago 

60,512 for 1981. The overall figure 

obtained by combining the total present in 

the Children in Custody separate reports for 

public and private facilities is much higher 

(74,113 for 1979 and 82,272 for 1982/83). 

Both Census Bureau and University of 

Chicago include all present regardless of 

age. The Children in Custody total also 

counts all present; but in presenting many 

statistics such as breakdowns by type of 

facility, only those legally classified as 

juveniles are included. Therefore, for 

Children in Custody counts, Table 5-5 

includes all present in the totals but only 

juveniles by facility type in the breakdowns. 

Because there are only a small percentage of 
Table 5-4. Comparison of Number of Facilities and Residents Present in Office 

of Education Reports of 1868, 1872, 1880, 1890, 1904, 1910, and 

1917 with Census Report of 1880, 1890, 1904, 1910, and 1923 

- - ---pp 

Year 

Office of Education 

Facilities Residents 

Bureau of Census 

Facilities ~esidents~ 

Notes: 

a. 	 Number present on day of survey. 

b. 	 Not enumerated or survey not conducted in year listed; in 1904, Office 

of Education data are available only for total served during the year 

(35,134). 

c. 	 Number represents average number enrolled during year. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Office of Education; Washington, D.C. 

(1 868) Annual Report of the Commissioner of Education. 

(1 880) Report of the Commissioner of Education; Table 21. 

(1 890) Education Report; 1890-91 : Statistics of Reform 

Schools; pg. 1505. 

(1904) Education Report, 1904: Reform Schools; pg. 2209. 

(1910) Education Report, 1910: Reform Schools; pg. 1278. 

(1917) Education, Report, 1917: State Industrial Schools; 

pg. 	 625. 

U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1880, 	 1890, 1904, Children Under Institutional Care, 1923; 1927; 

1910, 1923) pgs. 262-263. 
Table 5-5. Comparison of Number of Residents and Facilities Reported by Census (1960-19801, University of Chicago (1966 and 1981), 

and Children in Custody (1974, 1979 and 1982) 

Census University Census Children Children Census University Children 

Type of Facility Bureau of Chicago Bureau in Custody in Custody Bureau of Chicago in Custody 

Residents 

Total 

Public 

Private 

Facilities for Delinquents 

(longer tedtraining 

schools, other) 

Public 

Private 

Detention Centers 

(short term) 

Public 

Private 

Facilities 

Total Institutions 

Public 

Private 

Facilities for ~elinauents~ 

(longer term) 

Public 

Private 

Detention Centersa 

(short term) 

Public 

Private 

Notes: 

a. 	 Significant differences exist between the Children in Custody number of residents in facilities for delinquents and both 

the Census and University of Chicago reports because the Children in Custody reports include any facility that cares for 

delinquents: the other two surveys include only those whose primary purpose is care of delinquents. In 1982, 45 percent 

of juveniles in the private facilities included in Children in Custody count were neither delinquent nor status offenders. 

b. 	 Detention Center includes 11 diagnostic or reception centers and the 1,367 ~uveniles in diagnostic or reception centers. 

c. 	 Includes 4,754 residents in facilities for status offenders: 2,330 in public facilities and 2,424 private facilities. 

d. 	 Includes 221 facilities for status offenders: 82 public and 145 private. 

e. 	 In 1980 each budget unit separately categorized. 

f. 	 Breakdowns of number of residents by facility type for Children in Custody (longer term, short term) exclude adults 


present (2,346 in 1974: 2,191 in 1979 and 2,181 in 1982). These adults are included in reporting the total residents, 


so figures do not sum to total. 


g. 	 Not enumerated or not available. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1960) U.S. Census of Population, 1960: Subject Reports, Inmates of Institutions: 1963; pg. 11. 

(1970) U.S. Census of Population, 1970: Sub,lect Reports, Persons in Institutions and Other Group Quarters; 1973; 

pgs. 5, 20. 

(1980) 1980 Census of Population: Persons in Institutions and Other Group Quarters; 1984; pgs. 19, 69. 

U.S. Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, National Criminal Justice Information and Statistics 

Service, Washington, D.C. 

(1974) Children in Custody: A Report on the Juvenile Detention and Correction Facility Census of 1975; 1979; pg. 49. 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; Washington, D.C. 


11974) Children in Custodv: Advance Re~ort on the 1979 Census of Public Juvenile Facilities; 1980; Table 1. 
 , , 

~hiidren in custody: Advance ~ebort on the 1979 Census of Private Juvenile Facilities; 1980; Table 1. 

(1979, 1982) 	 Children in Custody: Advance Report on the 1982 Census of Public Juvenile Facilities; 1983; Table 4. 

Children in Custody: Advance Report on the 1982 Census of Private Juvenile Facilities; 1984; Table 4 unpublished, (Draft). 

University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration; Young, Thomas M.; Pappenfort, Donnell M.; Marlow, Christine R.; 

Chicago, IL. 

(1981) Residential Group Care, 1966 and 1981: Facilities for Children and Youth with Special Problems and Needs; 

1983: pg. 53. (Preliminary report) 

University of Chicago, School of Social Science Administration; Pappenfort, Oonnell: Kilpatrick, Dee Morgan; Kirby, Alma; 

Chicago, IL. 

(1966) A Census of Children's Residential Institutions in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands: 

1966; 1970; Table 1 and Table 17. 

adults present, this number does not make a 

large difference in the comparisons. For 

example, in 1982 about 2000 of the 82,000 

counted by the Children in Custody series 

were legally classified as adults. 

A closer look indicates that the differences 

between Children in Custody and the 

studies done by the Census Bureau and 

University of Chicago are almost entirely in 

the number reported present in private 

facilities, with public facility totals being 

relatively consistent for all three studies. 

For public longer term facilities, the Census 

Bureau reported 33,184 children present in 

1980; the University of Chicago, 34,375 for 

1981; and the Children in Custody series, 

33,498 for 1983 (juveniles only). In the 

same years for private longer term facilities, 

the Census Bureau reported 8,761; the 

University of Chicago 10,714; and the 

Children in Custody 29,723 (juveniles only) 

present. 

One reason for the discrepancy among the 

Children in Custody Series and the other 

two series is that since 1977, the Children in 

Custody survey includes any facility housing 

more than three persons which cares for 

delinquents even if they are only 1 percent 

of the total. Prior to 1977 a facility had to 

include at least 10 percent delinquents to be 

included. This inclusiveness has resulted in 

larger totals being reported for private 

facilities, and the difference between the 

Census Bureau and the Children in Custody 

series has grown. In 1983, 45 percent of 

juveniles reported present in private longerterm facilities by the Children in Custody 

series were categorized as neither 

delinquents nor status offenders (see Table 

5- 18). This categorization is indicative of 

the intermixture of facility functions for 

children with problems. 

Recent studies, such as that done by the 

University of Chicago, indicate that this 

intermixture is growing. This study found 

that more than three-fourths of all facilities 

stated they had other functions in addition 

to their primary function, compared to less 

than half in 1966. Frequently these 

additional functions were the care of status 

offenders and children who were substance 

abusers. In 1981 the University of Chicago 

study found that 40 percent of the facilities 

that cared for dependent and neglected 

children, and half of those for emotionally 

disturbed children, listed care of status 

offenders as a secondary function. The 

study report States that "nearly seven times 

as many facilities designated care of status 

offenders as an additional function as did 

places designating it as a primary function," 

(Young, Thomas, Pappenfort, Donnell, and 

Marlow Christine, "Preliminary Report of 

Selected Findings From the National Survey 

of Residential Group Care Facilities;" 

November, 1983, University of Chicago 

School of Social Service Administration). 

In both the Census Bureau and University 

of Chicago studies, those facilities which do 

not have care of delinquents as a primary 

function were classified elsewhere. The 

complete University of Chicago study 

included all residential facilities for children 

and youth with special problems or needs, 

with the exception of schools for the 

mentally or physically handicapped. 

Included were facilities housing more than 

six children who were in need of care 

because of mental illness, delinquency, 

dependency, pregnancy, or substance abuse. 

Data in Table 5-5 include information only 

on the number of children in facilities 

which classified themselves as having a 

primary function of caring for children or 

youth who were delinquent or status 

offenders. 

The Census Bureau classification scheme for 

juveniles in institutions and group quarters 

classifies separately only training schools for 

delinquent children, juvenile detention 

facilities, and homes for dependent children 

if their primary status is to care for 

children and youth. Facilities for mentally 

or emotionally ill children are included with 

mental health facilities. Halfway houses are 
not categorized by age of population served. 

All facilities providing care and custody 

were reportedly included regardless of size. 

Because of the differences in the types of 

facilities included in the various surveys, it 

is somewhat difficult to answer the question 

about trends in the area of incarceration of 

juveniles in correctional facilities. Over the 

longer term, both Census data and Office of 

Education data indicate an increase in the 

rate per 100,000 population of persons held 

in juvenile correctional facilities from 1880 

to 1923, which Census data indicate 

continued until the 1960's. 

The University of Chicago study which 

employed similar classification procedures in 

1966 and 1981 found a small decrease 

between 1966 and 1981 in the number 

present (65,875 to 60,512) which results in a 

larger decrease in the rate per 100,000 aged 

15-19 (412 to 280). In addition, a decrease 

was found in the overall population present 

in all institutions that care for children and 

youth covered by this study (155,905 to 

125,323, or 974 to 579 per 100,000 aged 15 

to 19). 

A Note on the Number of Facilities 

Although their counts of children present 

are very similar, the University of Chicago 

reported only 1445 total juvenile 

correctional facilities in 198 1, while the 

Census Bureau for 1980 reported a much 

larger number, 2383. This difference may 

be due to the Census Bureau's categorization 

of each budget unit as a separate facility 

and inclusion of very small (capacity under 

six) care-giving facilities excluded from the 

University of Chicago study. The Children 

in Custody series reported a total of 2551 

facilities for 1979, a number closer to that 

of the Census. However, it appears that the 

similarity between the numbers reported by 

Census and Children in Custody may be 

accidental. This is indicated by the 

differences in numbers of youths reported 

present by the two series. The Children in 

Custody series included more facilities, 

while, as indicated above, the Census of 

Institutional Population counted each budget 

unit as a separate institution. As previously 

noted, this also resulted in Census estimates 

of a much larger number of State and 

Federal prisons for adults than the counts of 

the Department of Justice or the American 

Correctional Association. Currently these 

and other classification procedures used in 

the 1980 Institutional Population Census are 

under review in planning for the 1990 

census. Because of the fact that tables in 

the varying reports often bear very similar 

labels, the person looking for data on this 

topic finds these discrepancies without 

adequate explanation for their occurrence. 

Location of Juveniles in Correctional 

Facilities 

One of the reform movements of the 20th 

century has been the attempt to remove 

juveniles from jails and adult prisons. In 

1923 the Census report noted that: 

The care of delinquent children is 

increasingly being recognized as 

protective and educative rather than a 

penal function of the State or local 

community. Juvenile court laws affirm 

that the delinquent child shall not be 

deemed a criminal, but a child in need 

of the care and protection of the State 

(Census, "Children Under Institutional 

Care, 1923;" 1926, p.261) . 

Because of this concern, census takers 

between 1910 and 1933 focused especially 

on the location of juveniles within the 

correctional system. They asked, "What 

percent of the total juveniles in correctional 

facilities are in institutions designed for 

juveniles?" Table 5-7 presents Census data 

for those years in which age information is 

available for those present. These data, 

spanning the period from 1880 to 1980, 

indicate that in 1880 about 19 percent of 

the total under 18 who were in correctional 

facilities were in jails or prisons. One 

hundred years later, in 1980, the 

distribution was about the same, with 18 
Table 5-7. Location of Juveniles in Correctional Facilities, Census Data: 1880, 1890, 1923, 1960, 1970, 1980 

1880 1890 1923 1960 1970 1980 

U.S. population 10-17 years of age 8,586,107 10,969,203 

Total persons in correctional facilities 

(census estimates) 69,228 95,480 

Total under 18 in correctional facilities 12,314 16,363 

Ratio per 100,000 aged 10-17 143 I49 

Percent of total number In correctional 

facilities who are under 18 	 18 17 

Total under 18 in prisons and jails 2,324' 3,813 

Ratio per 100,000 aged 10-17 27 35 

Percent of total juveniles in correctional 

institutions who are in prisons and jails 19 23 

Total under 18 in prisons a 

Ratio per 100,000 aged 10-17 a 

Percent of total juveniles in correctional 

institutions who are in prlsons a 

Total under 18 in jails a 

Ratio per 100,000 aged 10-17 a 

Percent of total juveniles in correctional 

institutions who are in jails 	 a 

Total under 18 in institutions for juvenile 

delinouents 9.990~'~ 12.550~'~ 

Ratio 'per 100,000 aged 10-17 i16 i14 

Percent of total juveniles in correctional 

institutions who are in institutions for juveniles 81 77 

Notes: 

a. Not 	 available or not obtained. 

b. 	 Includes only those under sentence for 1923. An additional 636 juveniles were reported present in detention facilities. 

c. 	 Includes juveniles awaiting trial or sentence, and held as witnesses. 

d. 	 Includes all persons of these ages enumerated, whether delinquent or nondellnquent. 

e. 	 This number excludes those 18 or older in juvenile facilities. For example in 1980, 10,816 were 18 or older. 

Sources: 

U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1880, 1890, 1923) Children Under Institutional Care 1923; 1927; pg. 289. 

(1970) 1970 United States Census of Population: Persons in Institutions and Other Group Quarters; 1973; pgs. 5, 20. 

(1980) 1980 Census of Population: Persons in Institutions and Other Group Quarters; 1984; pgs. 19, 69. 

(1960, 1970, 1980) Statistical Abstracts of the United States 1984; 1983; pg. 31. 

U.S. 	 Department of Health, Education and Welfare; Children's Bureau; (Seth Low); Washington, D.C. 

(1 960) America's Children and Youth in Institutions 1950-1960-1964; 1965; pg. 31. 

Table 5-8. Comparison by Race and by Region of Place of Commitment of Those Under 18: 1910 

Juvenile Offender Under Age 18 Committed in 1910 

White Black 

Total 

Number 

Percent 

of Total to 

Prisons, Jails 

and Workhouses 

Percent of Total 

For Adults 

and Juveniles 

to Reformatories 

For Juveniles 

Total 

Number 

Percent 

of Total to 

Prisons, Jalls 

and Workhouses 

Percent of Total 

For Adults 

and Juveniles 

to Reformatories 

For Juveniles 

United States 17,972 3 1 

Northeast 8,353 32 

North Central 5,500 24 

southa 2,798 40 

West 1,317 24 

Note: 

a. 	 These differences reflect the fact that there were few facilities for black juveniles in the South. 

Source: 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

Prisoners and Juvenile Delinquents in the United States: 1910; 1918; pg. 192. 
Table 5-9. 	 Location of Admissions of Juveniles to Correctional Facilities: 

1904-1 923 

b Total Number of Juvenile Admissions 

Percent Admitted to: 


Institutions for Juvenile Delinquents a 5 3 73 


Penal Institutions 


Prisons and Reformatories 

Jails and Workhouses 

Admissions Excluding Non-payment of Fine (16,972) (19,364) (23,248) 

Institutions for Juvenile Delinquents 66 7 0 80 

Penal Institutions 


Prisons and Reformatories 


Jails and Workhouses 


Notes: 

a. 	 Not enumerated. 

b. 	 Under 18 admissions in 1904-1923. 

Source: 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, hreau of Census; Washington, D.C. 


Prisoners 1923; 1926; pgs. 295-296. 

Table 5-10. Comparison of Number Present with Number 

Admitted: Selected Years 1904-1982 

Number Present on Number Admiited/ 

Day of studya in Year 

Notes: 

a. 	 Numbers not comparable for change over time: only useful to demonstrate 

changes in ratio of those present to commitments. 

b. 	 Public facilities only: 1953 partial data only. 

c. 	 Includes juveniles and adults. In 1977 and 1982 about 2,000 present were 

classified as adults. Other years do not distinguish legal age status of 

those present. 

Source : 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1 904-1 923) Children Under' Institutional Care 1923; 1927; pg. 295. 

(1933) 	 Juvenile Delinquents in Public Institutions 1933; 1936; 

P9* 7. 

U.S. 	 Department of Health, Education, and Welfare Social Security Administration; Children's Bureau Statistical Series; Washington, D.C. 

(1953) 	 Some Facts About Public State Training Schools for Juvenile 

Delinquents: 1956, Number 33; pg. 11. 

U.S. 	 Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Social and Rehabilitation 

Service; Children's Bureau Statistical Series; Washington, D.C. 

(1967) 	 Statistics on Public Institutions for Delinquent Children: 

1967, Number 94; 1969; pg. 1. 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency 

Prevention; Washington, D.C. 

(1977) 	 Children in Custody: Advance Report on the 1979 Census of 

Public Juvenile Facilities; 1980; Table 1. 

Children in Custody: Advance Report on the 1979 Census of 

Private Juvenile Facilities; 1980; Table 1. 

(1982) 	 Children in Custody: Advance Report on the 1982 Census of 

Public Juvenile Facilities; 1983; Table 1. 

Children in Custody: Advance Report on the 1982 Census of 

Private Juvenile Facilities; 1984; Table 1. 
Table 5-11. 	 Admissions and Departures from Public and Private Juvenile 

Correctional Facilities, Children in Custody: 1971-1982 

1971 


Public 


Private 


Tot a1 


1974 


Public 


Private 


Total 


1975 


Public 


Private 


Total 


1977 


Public 


Private 


Total 


1979 


Public 


Private 


Tot a1 


1982 


Public 


Private 


Total 


Notes: 

a. Includes all juvenile and adult admissions and departures. 

b. Not enumerated. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, LEAA, NCJISS; Washington, D.C. 

(1971) Children in Custody: A Report to the Juvenile Detention 

and Correction Facility Census of 1971 ; 1974. 

(1975) 	 Children in Custody: A Report to the Juvenile Detention 

and Correction Facility Census of 1975; 1979. 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency 


Prevention; Washington, D.C. 


(1977) 	 Children in Custody: Advance Report on the 1979 Census of 

Public Juvenile Facilities; 1980; Table 1, Table 1. 

Children in Custody: Advance Report on the 1979 Census of 

Private Juvenile Facilities; Table 1, Table 1. 

(1979,1982) 	 Children in Custody: Advance Report on the 1982 Census of 

Public Juvenile Facilities; 1983; Table 1, Table 1. 

Children in Custody: Advance Report on the 1982 Census of 

Private Juvenile Facilities; 1984; Table 1, Table I. 
percent of those under 18 who were 

sentenced to correctional facilities found 

housed in prisons or jails. The low point 

was in 1923 when only about 10 percent of 

those under 18 in correctional institutions 

were reported to be in jails or prisons. 

However, in 1980, of the total in any type 

of correctional facility (adult or juvenile), 

those under 18 were 11 percent, down from 

18 percent in 1970. This figure is 

consistent with the fact that since 1970 the 

use of prison for young adults (those over 

18) has increased much more substantially 

than use of juvenile facilities. 

Table 5-8 presents data on the location of 

juveniles committed by race and region for 

the year 1910. These data indicate that 

initially juvenile facilities were used more 

frequently for white than for black juvenile 

offenders. Of white youth committed to 

correctional facilities, 69 percent were 

committed to facilities for delinquents and 

31 percent to prisons and jails. For black 

youths it was the reverse. Twenty-nine 

percent of black youth were committed to 

juvenile facilities and 71 percent to prisons 

and jails. 

Committnents to Juvenile Facilities 

Table 5-9 presents the distribution of 

commitments for the years 1904 to 1923 as 

reported by the Census Bureau. This table 

indicates the growth in the use of juvenile 

facilities. Forty-seven percent of juvenile 

commitments were to prisons and jails in 

1910, while in 1923 the corresponding 

figure was 26 percent. 

While the data on the number present are 

somewhat unclear concerning continuing 

trends. the national data on admissions 

indicate dramatic increases. Table 5- 10 

compares the nun71.r.1 admitted with the 

number reported plcsent for selected years 

between 1904 and 1982. It is striking that 

the number of c~cl~nissionshas grown so 

much, especially as a ratio of those present. 

In early reports of both the Census Bureau 

and the Office of Education. the number of 

admissions for a calendar year was far 

fewer than the number reported present on 

the day of the survey (for Bureau of 

Education data see Table 5-25). By 1933 

the number admitted in a year and the 

number present on the day of the survey 

were about the same. By the 1950's 

admissions had increased to double the 

number present. By the 1970's admissions 

had increased even more dramatically and 

outnumbered those present by almost eight 

to one. The Children in Custody series 

reported over one-half million admissions 

(624,928) in 1982 compared to about 82,000 

present. This is about one admission for 

every 30 youths aged 15 to 19. As Lerman 

has indicated, while there may have been 

some impact of deinstitutionalization on the 

total number of juveniles present in 

institutions over the last 30 years, the 

number of episodes of admissions to 

juvenile facilities has not declined (Lerman, 

P., Deinstitutionalization and the Welfare 

State; 1982). Within the last few years, 

however, admissions as reported by Children 

in Custody have shown a small decrease 

(Table 5- 11). 

Type and Length of Sentence 

The first data on type of sentence come 

from the 1868 report in the Bureau of 

Education series (Table 5- 12). Almost all 

facilities listed "the minority of the youth or 

until reformed" as the type of sentence. 

Only five of the 30 institutions mentioned 

ever having specific term sentences as well 

as minority duration sentences. Data for 

1910 on all aged under 18 who were 

committed to correctional facilities indicate 

that juveniles who went to jails and prisons 

more frequently had definite sentences 

(Table 5-13). Of those committed to jails, 

92 percent had sentences of under 1 year. 

In 1933, 91 percent of the youth received in 

juvenile facilities had commitments either 

for minority or for an indefinite term 

(Table 5 - 14). 
Table 5-12. Terms of Sentence as Reported in Office of Education Report on Reform 

Schools: 1868 

State 

California 

Connecticut 

Illinois 

Indiana 

Kentucky 

Louisiana 

Maine 

Maryland 

Massachusetts 

Michigan 

Missouri 

New Hampshire 

New Jersey 

New York 

Ohio 

Pennsylvania 

Rhode Island 

Vermont 

Wisconsin 

Source : 

School 

Industrial School 

State Reform School 

Chicago Reform School 

House of Refuge 

House of Refuge 

House of Refuge 

State Reform School 

House of Refuge 

State Reform School 

Nautical Reform School 

State Industrial Girl's School 

House of Reformation 

State Reform School 

House of Refuge 

State Reform School 

State Reform School 

Catholic Protectory 

House of Refuge 

Juvenile Asylum 

Western House of Refuge 

House of Refuge 

State Reform School 

House of Refuge, (white dep't) 

House of Refuge, (colored dep't) 

Western House of Refuge 

Providence Reform School 

State Reform School 

State Reform School 

U.S. Office of Education; Washington, D.C. 

(1868) Annual Report of the Commissioner of 

Terms of Sentence 

Minority 


Minority or specific term 


Minority 


Minority or until reformed 


Minority 


Minority or specific term 

Minority 

Minority 

Minority 

Until 18; power to retain until 21 

Minority or specific term 

Minority 

Minority 

Minority or specific term 

Minority 

Minority 

Minority 

Indefinite or during minority 

Minority 

Minority 

Minority 

Minority 

Minority 

Minority 

Minority or specific term 

Minority 

Minority 

Education; 1870; pg. 545. 
738 

Table 5-13. 	 Sentence Length and Type by Place of Commitment for Those Under 18: 1910 

Juvenile Offenders Under Age 18 Committed in 1910 Under Sentence of Imprisonment 

Percent Distribution by Length of Sentence 

To State To Reformatories To County To Municipal 

Prisons and for Adults and To Reformatories Jails and Jails and 

Total Penitentiaries Juveniles for Juveniles Work Houses Work Houses 

Total Number 	 19,336 897 1,078 13,555 3,068 

Life 1 2 a a 1 a 

Definite Term 31 92 6 9 98 99 

1 Year or Over 	 11 84 

Less than 1 Year 	 20 8 

1 Month or Over (12) (7) 

Leas than 1 Month (8) (1) 

Minority 46 1 

Indeterminate 22 7 

Length of Sentence Not Reported 2 a 

Notes: a. Not available or not enumerated. 

Source: 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

Prisoners and Juvenile Delinquents in the United States: 1910; 1918; pg. 170. 

Table 5-14. 	 Percentage Distribution by Term of Commitment of Juvenile Delinquents Received from Court by Sex and 

Selected Offenses and Reasons for Commitment: 1933 

Definite Term Until Age - Tot a1 

Number Under Over 16, 17, or 19 or Indeterminate 

1 Year 1 Year 18 Years 20 Years 21 Years 

Male 

Robbery 

Assault 

Burglary 

Larceny, Except Auto Theft 

Auto Theft 

Sex Offenses 

Disorderly Conduct and Vagrancy 

Violating Parole or Probation 

Running Away 

Incorrigibility 

Delinquency 

Truancy from School 

Female 

Larceny, Except Auto Theft 

Sex Offenses 

Immorality and Sex Delinquency 

In Danger of Leading Immoral Life 

Running Away 

Incorrigibility 

Delinquency 

Notes: a. Not available or not enumerated. 

Source: 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

Juvenile Delinquents in Public Institutions: 1933; 1936; pgs. 34-35. 
More recent series do not report data on 

sentences in the same way. Information is 

available in the Children in Custody series 

on the "custodial status" of those present 

(Table 5-15). These data indicate that for 

the 1970's about 75 percent of those present 

are classified as committed, a little less than 

20 percent as detained, and about 8 percent 

as voluntary admissions. In private 

facilities, voluntary admissions made up 

almost 20 percent of the total. 

Offense Information 

Offense information for juveniles is limited, 

and difficult to evaluate and compare. 

Table 5-16 presents Census Bureau data on 

the offense distribution for juveniles present 

on the day of the survey in public and 

private facilities for the years 1880, 1890, 

and 1910. Table 5-17 presents similar 

information for the total committed over a 

year in 1910 and, for public facilities only, 

in 1933. These distributions indicate that 

for the years 1880 to 1933, about 25 to 40 

percent were reported there for property 

offenses; and about 50 to 60 percent for 

offenses such as incorrigibility, immorality, 

running away, vagrancy, truancy, 

homelessness, vicious habits or 

surroundings, and delinquency. Very few 

were classified as having committed violent 

offenses. 

Between 1940 and 1970, data are 

unavailable on the offense distribution of 

those present in juvenile facilities, and data 

published more recently have not been in a 

form comparable to the early Census 

reports. Table 5-18 presents a summary of 

the "reason held" divided into three 

categories (delinquency, status, and other 

non-offenders) for public and private 

facilities in the Children in Custody Series 

from 1977 to 1983. In keeping with the 

policy and legislative thrust to remove status 

offenders from public juvenile correctional 

facilities, a major focus has been looking at 

the percent of youth held who are status 

offenders or non-offenders. The data 

would seem to indicate that there has been a 

decline in the use of public facilities for 

status offenders over the period. In 1977, 

status offenders and the category "other 

non-offenders and voluntary admissions" 

were 14 percent of those held in public 

facilities; in 1983 they were only 7 percent. 

If one looks only at the private facilities 

included in the Children in Custody Series, 

one sees a very different distribution from 

that of the public facilities. The "status 

offense" and "other non-offender category" 

continue to make up two-thirds of those 

present. 

Tables 5-19A and 5-19B present data on 

offense for only those classified as 

delinquent (not status offense or other nonoffense) for public and private facilities for 

1983. These data indicate that for public 

facilities about half of those classified as 

delinquent were there for property offenses 

and almost one-fourth for "violent offenses," 

a category which included robbery. 

While these data would seem to indicate that 

the juvenile facilities now have youths who 

have committed more serious crimes than 

previously, paucity of data and differences 

in classification make it very difficult to 

make comparisons, especially because the 

early data are available only for combined 

public and private facilities and do not 

separate delinquents from other residents. 

Length of Stay and Type of Release 

Table 5-20 summarizes data on length of 

stay from several sources since 1868. While 

data are sporadic, it is clear that there has 

been a decline in the average length of stay. 

In 1868, at a time when commitments to 

juvenile facilities were frequently for the 

youth's remaining minority, the average 

length of stay was reported as 22 months. 

The next available data indicate that this 

average had fallen to about 17 months by 

1923. The Children's Bureau series on 

public facilities in the 1950's and 1960's 

reported averages of 9 to 11 months. 

Table 5-16. Offenses Distribution of Those Present in Juvenile Facilities for 1880, 1890, and 1910 

Offense 	 Percent Percent Percent 

Total Number 	 (11,468) 

Murder 

Manslaughter 

.Assault 

Suicide or Threat To Do Bodily Harm 

Robbery 

Embezzlement, Forgery, Fraud and 

Counterfeiting 

Burglary 

Larceny 

Receiving Stolen Goods 

Violating Revenue Laws 

Arson 

Trespassing and Malicious Mischief 

Rape 

Other Sex Offenses 

Escaping Custody; Effecting and Aiding 

Prisoner Escape 

Carrying Concealed Weapon, Violating 

City Ordinances 

Violating Liquor Laws, Gambling, Cruelty 

to Animals 

Drunk and Disorderly, Disorderly Conduct 

Vagrancy 

Disobedience, Incorrigibility, Running 

Away, Delinquency 

Truancy 

Homeless, Vicious Habits or Surroundings, 

Dependency 

Offense Not Stated, Unclassified, Other 

Notes: 

a. 	 Not separately enumerated. There were 16 homicides or .Ipercent of total offenses in 1890. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of the Interior, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1880) Report on the Defective, Dependent and Delinquent Classes of the Population of the United States as 

Returned at the Tenth Census: 1880; 1888; pg. 562. 

(1890) 	 Report on Crime, Pauperism and Benevolence in the United States at the Eleventh Census: 1890; 1895; 

pg. 593. 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 


(1910) Prisoners and Juvenile Delinquents in the United States: 1910; 1918; pgs. 28-29. 

Table 5-17. Percentage Distribution of Offense of Juveniles Committed to 

Juvenile Facilities: 1910 and 1933 

Offense 	 1910 1933 (public only) 

Total Number 	 14,147 (17,017) 

Homicide 

Assault 

Suicide 	or Threat To Do Bodily Harm 

Robbery 

Forgery 

Burglary 

Larceny 

Receiving Stolen Goods 

Violating Revenue Laws 

Violating Traffic and Motor Vehicle Laws 

Arson 

Trespassing and Malicious Mischief 

Rape 

Other Sex Offenses 

Violating Parole or Probation 

Carrying Weapons 

Violating Liquor Laws, Gambling, etc. 

Violating Drug Laws 

Drunk and Disorderly, Disorderly Conduct, 

Drunkenness, Vagrancy 

Delinquency 

Incorrigibility 

Running Away 

Truancy 

Immorality, Sex Delinquency, in Danger of 

Leading Immoral Life 

Dependency 

Other Offenses Peculiar to Children 

Other, Offense Not Stated, Unclassified 

Notes: 

a. 	 Murder was 3 or .02 percent of total, and manslaughter was 23 or .2 


percent of total offenders. 


b. 	 Not separately enumerated for this year. 

c. 	 Larceny category includes extortion, embezzlement, fraud, and forgery 

in 1933. 

d. 	 Vagrancy constituted 632 offenders or 4.5 percent of total offenders. 

e. 	 Includes auto theft. Larceny was 3,876 or 22.8 percent of total 


offenses and auto theft was 579, or 3.4 percent of total offenses. 


Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1910) Prisoners and Juvenile Delinquents in the United States: 1910; 

191 8; pgs. 28-29. 

(1933) 	 Juvenile Delinquents in Public Institutions: 1933; 1936; 

pgs. 16-17. 
Table 5-18. 	 Reason Held for Juveniles Present in Public and Private 

Juvenile Correctional Facilities: 1977-1 982/~3~ 

Delinquency Status Offense otherb 

Total 

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent 

1977 

Public 

Private 

Total 

1979 

Public 

Private 

Total 

1982/83 

Public 

Private 

Total 

Notes: 

a. 	 Includes juveniles present only. 

b. 	 The bulk of this category consists of persons held for dependency, 

neglect, abuse, emotional disturbance, or mental retardation; an 

insignificant portion consists of detained or committed juveniles 

for whom the reason held was not available. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and 


Delinquency Prevention; Washington, D.C. 


(1977) 	 Children in Custody: Advance Report on the 1979 

Census of Public Juvenile Facilities; 1980; 

Table 1, Table 2. 

Children in Custody: Advance Report on the 1979 

Census of Private Juvenile Facilities; 1980; 

Table 1, Table 2. 

(1979-1982/83) 	 Children in Custody: Advance Report on the 1982 

Census of Public Juvenile Facilities; 1983; 

Table 1 , Table 3. 

Children in Custody: Advance Report on the 1982 

Census of Private Juvenile Facilities; 1984; 

Table 1, Table 3. 
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3 

Table 5-20. Information on Time in Care and Type of Release fran Differing Sources: 1868, 1923, 1953-1967, 1977-1982, and 1966 and 1981 

Bureau of Education Children's 8ureaua 	 Children in custodya 

1868 Average Length of Stay - 22.2 mo. 	 Number of States Average Length of Stay in Months Average Length of and Territories Type of 

Based on 28 Public and Private Stay (Months) Reporting Institution Tot a1 Det alned Cmmlted 

Institutions 

1977 Public 

Private 

1979 Public 


Bureau of censusa Private 


1923 Average Length of Stay - 16.8 mo. 	 1982 Public 

Average length of stay is for those present, not Prlvate 


Excludes Mississippi and Utah. those released. 


Calculations from group data. 


University of chicagoC 

1966 	 Facility Average Length of Stay - 6.4 mo. 

1981 	 Facility Average Length of Stay - 6.3 mo. 

Calculated fran group data 

Notes: 

a. 	 Rates based on number of children. 

b. 	 kt available or not separately enumerated. 

c. 	 Rates based on facilities. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Office of Education; Washington, D.C. 


(1868) Annual Report of the Cmmissioner of Education; pg. 545. 


U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 


(1923) Children hder Institutional Care: 1923; 1927; pg. 374. 


U.S. 	 Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Children's Bureau Statistical Series; Washington, O.C. 


(1953) Sane Facts About Public State Training Schools for Juvenile Delinquents: 1956, Number 33; pq. 15. 


Statistics on Public Institutions for Delinquent Children; 


(1956) Number 48; 1958; pg. 7. 


(1962) Number 70; 1963; pg. 1. 


(1963) Number 78; 1964; pg. 1. 


(1964) Number81; 1965; pg. 1. 


(1967) Number 94; 1969; pg. 10. 


U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; Washington, D.C. 


(1977) Children in Custody: Advance Report on the 1979 Census of Public Juvenile Facilities; 1980; Table 2. 


(1977) . Children in Custody: Advance Report on the 1979 Census of Private Juvenile Facilities; 1980; Table 2. 


(1979, 1982) Children in Custody: Advance Report on the 1982 Census of Public Juvenile Facilities; 1983; Table 3. 


(1979, 1982) Children in Custody: Advance Report on the 1982 Census of Private Juvenile Facilities; 1984; Table 3. 


hiversity of Chicago, School of Social Services Administration; Yomg, Thomas M.; Pappenfort, Donne11 M.; Marlow, Christine R.; Chlcago, IL. 


(1966, 1981) Residential Group Care, 1966 and 1981: Facilities for Children and Youth with Special Problems and Needs; 1983; pgs. 107, 109. 

Recently the Children in Custody Series 

reports averages of about 4 months for 

public and 9 months for private facilities. 

If only those committed were included, and 

those merely detained were excluded, the 

average length of stay in public facilities 

was reported as about 6 months in 1982 by 

Children in Custody. The University of 

Chicago study, which reported facility 

averages from grouped categories, reported 

averages for public and private combined of 

about 6 months of stay for both 1966 and 

1981. These data on the decline in time in 

care are consistent with the fact that 

admissions have dramatically increased over 

the period while the number present has not 

shown these dramatic increases. 

Type-of-release data are limited. Table 5- 

21 presents information for the year 1868 

and Table 5-22 for 1933. As can be seen, 

in 1868 the usual type of release was 

indenture. By 1933, a majority of youths 

were released on parole. Of the total 

discharges for this year, 11 percent were 

escapes and 8 percent UC the admissions 

were recaptures. 

Additional Characteristics of the Youth 

Present and of the Facilities 

Table 5-23 presents Census Bureau 

demographics for youth present in juvenile 

correctional facilities from 1880 to 1980. 

The largest change is the decrease in the 

percent that is white and corresponding 

increase in the percent that is nonwhite. 

When these facilities were first established 

as alternatives to prisons for juveniles, they 

were more frequently used for white youth. 

Correspondingly, the percent that is white 

in juvenile facilities remains higher than the 

percent that is white in State and Federal 

prisons, despite the fact that the increase in 

percent nonwhite has been more pronounced 

over the 100-year period among juvenile 

facilities than State and Federal facilities. 

Age comparisons indicate an increase in age. 

The median age for 1890 was 14.0; in 1980 

it was 16.6. 

Table 5-24 presents a summary of data 

collected for the earliest report of the 

Office of Education Reform School Series, 

that of 1868. This report included extensive 

information on the 30 facilities then 

operating. Information on how time was 

spent indicates that the average resident 

spent about 6 1/4 hours working, 4 1/4 

hours studying, 4 1/4 hours in meals and 9 

1/4 hours in sleep. The average age at 

admission was 13. While in almost all cases 

the child was committed for the term of his 

or her minority, the average length of stay 

was reported to be 1 year and 10 months. 

The most frequent method of discharge was 

indenture. Employment in the institution 

was reported to be shoemaking, tailoring, or 

basket and broom making. The usual 

method listed for punishment for 

disciplinary infractions was corporal 

punishment or diminution of food. In some 

places punishment was solitary confinement 

or loss of correspondence. Somewhat 

surprisingly, on the average 71 percent of 

the residents were reported "reformed," 

although most schools left this item blank. 

Fifty-five percent of the children were 

either half or full orphans, and almost onethird were reported to be homeless. About 

27 percent were reported to be wholly 

illiterate. As can be seen from Table 5-25, 

which summarizes data from subsequent 

Office of Education reports, the percent 

reported illiterate had declined to 6 percent 

by 1912. 

Tables 5-26 and 5-27 present summaries of 

data on characteristics of persons present in 

juvenile facilities in 1890 and 1923 

respectively. In 1923 over 60 percent of 

those admitted had previously been under 

some form of institutional care or on 

probation. Similar data were reported for 

1933 (Table 5-28). In 1933, about 40 

percent of the youths admitted were living 

with both parents (Table 5-29). 
Table 5-21. 	 Reform Schools Included and Method of Release, Office of Education Report: 1868 

State School 	 Method of Release 

California Industrial School Indenture, probation, and discharge 


Connecticut State Reform School Indenture and discharge 


Illinois Chicago Reform School Indenture, discharge, and ticket-of-leave 


Indiana House of Refuge Indenture and discharge 


Kentucky House of Refuge Indenture and discharge 


Louisiana House of Refuge 


Maine State Reform School Indenture, discharge, and probation 


Maryland House of Refuge Indenture, ticket-of-leave, and discharge 


Massachusetts State Reform School Indenture and discharge 


Nautical Reform School Indenture, dlscharge, and probation 

State Industrial Girl's School Indenture, discharge, and probation 

House of Reformation Indenture, probation, and discharge 

Michigan State Reform School 


Missouri House of Refuge Indenture and discharge 


New Hampshire State Reform School 


New Jersey State Reform School 


New York Catholic Protectory 


House of Refuge Indenture and dlscharge 

Juvenile Asylum Placed in homes and sent to friends 

Western House of Refuge Indenture and discharge 

Ohio 	 House of Refuge Indenture and discharge 


State Reform School Indenture and dlscharge 


Pennsylvania 	 House of Refuge, (white dept.) Indenture and discharge & sent to alms house 

House of Refuge, (colored dept. .) Indenture and discharge 

Western House of Refuge Indenture and dlscharge 

Rhode Island Providence Reform School Indenture and discharge 


Vermont State Reform School 


Wisconsin State Reform School Discharge and ticket-of-leave 


Source: 

U.S. 	 Office of Education; Washington, D.C. 


(1868) Annual Report of the Commissions of Education; 1870; pg. 545. 


Table 5-22. 	 Movement of Population in Public Institutions for Juvenlle 

Delinquents by Sex: 1933 

Total Male Female 

Number of Admissions During the Year 25,329 18,807 6,522 

Percent: 


From Courts 67 7U 59 


Transferred from Other Institutions 2 2 1 


By Voluntary Agreement 2 3 1 


Parole Violators Returned 16 I4 19 


Escaped Delinquents Recaptured 8 9 7 


Uther Admissions 5 3 12 


Number of Discharges Durlng the Year 

Percent: 


Term Explred 


Paroled 


Pardoned 


Transferred to Other Institutions 


Escaped 


Died 


Otherwise Discharged 


Source: 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census; Washington, D.C. 


Jvvenile Delinquents in Public Institutions: 1933; 1936; pg. 7. 

Table 5-23. Number Present, Rate per 100,000 Population Aged 15-19, Sex, Race, Nativity, and Age of 

Persons in Juvenile Correctional Facilities, Census Data: 1880-1980 

Rate Per 100,000 Median 

Number Population Male Female White Nonwhite Foreign Born Age in 

Present Aged 15-19 Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Years 

Notes: 

a. 	 Not enumerated or information not available. 

b. 	 In 1933 includes public facilities only. 

c. 	 For 1933 characteristic data on sex, race, nativity, and age calculated on basis of total received 

in year (17,017) rather than number present. This data was unavailable for number present. 

d. 	 Foreign born data is for Public Training Schools only. 

e. 	 Classified by white (61L), Negro (36E), and other race (4%). 

f. 	 Classified by white, black, and Spanish origin: persons of Spanish origin may be of any race 


(11%). 


Children in Custody estimated 71,992 in juvenile correction facilities in 1979. This aeries 

includes children in facilities having any delinquents. g. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of the Interior, Census Office; Washington, D.C. 


(1880) Report on the Defective, Dependent and Delinquent Classes of the Population of the 


United States as Returned at the Tenth Census (June 1, 1880); 1888; pg. 561. 


(1890) 	 Report on Crime, Pauperism, and Benevolence in the United States at the Eleventh 

Census: 1890, Part I;1896; pgs. 515, 528, 561. 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 


(1904) Prisoners and Juvenile Delinquents in Institutions 1904; 1907; pgs. 250, 270. 


(1910) Prisoners and Juvenile Delinquents in the United States 1910; 1918; pg. 191. 


(1923) Children Under Institutional Care 1923; 1927; pg. 301. 


(1933) Juvenile Delinquents in Publlc Institutions 1933; 1936; pgs. 7, 12. 


(1950) 1950 United States Census of Population: Institutional Population; 1953; pgs. 2C-19, 
 7r-67 
 -- 7,. 

(1960) 1960 United States Census of Population: Inmates of Institutions; 1963; pgs. 11, 47. 

(1970) 1970 United States Census of Population: Persons In Institutions and Other Group 

Quarters; 1973; pgs. 20, 71. 

(1980) 1980 Census of Population: Persons in Institutions and Other Group Quarters; 1984; 

pgs. 69, 71. 
Table 5-24. Summary of Statistics Reported to Office of Education Concerning Reform Schools: 1868 

Resident Characteristics Percent Resident Characteristics Percent 

Foreign born 

Foreign parents 

Orphans 

Half-orphans 

Intemperate parents 

Fathers without occupation 

Parents separated 

Parents quarreled 

Parents irreligious 

Parents had been in prison 

Relatives had been in prison 

Had step parents 

Previously arrested 

Those who had been idle 

Those who had been profane 

Those not regular at Sunday school 

Those not regular at church 

Those who used intoxicating drinks 

Those who used tobacco 

Those who visited theaters 

Those who had been truants 

Those who had slept in barns, etc. 

Those who had been homeless 

Average age received 

Average length of stay 

Average number reformationsa 

47 

67 

59 

53 

15 

3 1 

31 

34 

24 

29 

12 yr. 11 mo. 

1 yr. 10 mo. 

71 

Punishment in Order of Frequency ~isted:~ 

Corporal punishment 

Diminution of food 

Solitary confinement 

Grades 

Deprivation of amusements 

Demerits 

School room punishments 

Deprivation of correspondence 

Moral agencies 

Total present 

Notes: 

a. 

b. 

Average number of reformations based 

Schools listed more than one form of 

on 8 reporting schools. 

punishment and each form of punishment was counted. 

Source: 

U.S. Office of Education; Washington, O.C. 

(1868) Annual Report of the Commissioner of Education; 1870; pgs. 546-547. 

Table 5-25. Summary of Data Reported by Office of Education Annual Reports: 1868-1912 

Number of 

Facilities 

Number of 

Students 

Present 

Number 

Served 

in yeara 

Percent 

Male 

Percent 

Female 

Percent 

White 

Percent 

Black 

Number 

Admitted 

Number 

Discharged Teachers 

Percent of 

Students illiterateb 

Notes: 

a. Characteristics based on number served except in 1868 when based on number present. 

b. Illiterate defined as neither reading or writing. 

c. Not enumerated. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Office of Education; Washington, O.C. 

(1868) Annual Report of the Commissioner of Education; 1870; pgs. 542-547. 

(1892) Education Report 1892-93: Reform Schools; pgs. 2067-2068. 

(1902) Education Report, 1902; pgs. 2097-2099. 

(1907, 	 1912) Education Report, 1912; pgs. 595-601. 
Table 5-26. Characteristics of Persons Present in Correctional Facilities for Juveniles by 

Region: 1890 

Total Region 

United 

States 

North 

Atlantic 

South 

Atlantic 

North 

Central 

South 

Central Western 

Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent 

Male 

Female 

-

Race

White 

Black 

Other races (Number) 

Foreign born 

English ~an~ua~e~ 

Speak English 

20-29 ;ears 

Marital Statusa 

Single 

Married 

Widowed 

Divorced 

ducati ion^ 

Can read and writeb 

Can read only 

Can neither read nor write 

ma 

Mechanics 

Apprentices 

No trade 

~m~lo~ment~ 

Employed 

Idle 

Occupations in institutionsa Boots and Shoes 

Clothing 

Furniture 

Chairs 

Wagons 

Brushes 

Carpenter Work 

Brick 

Farming 

Miscellaneous 

Institutional Duties 

Not stated (number) 

Ardent Spiritsa 

Total Abstainers 

Moderate/Occasional Drinkers 

Drunkards 

~esidence~ 

Reside in the state 

Reside elsewhere 

Health 

Good tIealthC 

I11 

Blind 

Deaf-Mutes 

Idiots 

Crippled 

Offenses Charged 

Against the Government 

Against society 

Against the person 

Against property 

Miscellaneous 

Total Number Present 

Notes: 

a. 	 Percentage calculated on the basis of reported numbers and details may not add up to total 

because of rounding. 

b. 	 The persons reported to be able to both read and write also include all those for whom 

literacy was not reported because it is assumed by the Census Office that when the enumerators did not report an individual as unable to read or write, the affirmative answer was 

intended. 

c. 	 The number reported in good health also includes those for whom health status was not 

reported because Census Bureau assumed that when the health question was not answered, the 

individual was in good health. 

d. 	 Data not enumerated or not available. 

Source: 

U.5. 	 Deoartment of the Interior. Census Office: Washinuton. O.C. 

(1890) Report on Crime, ~ab~erism, and Benevolence in'the United States at the Eleventh 

Census: 1890; 1896; pgs. 211, 213-215, 224, 235, 238, 241, 244, 247, 249, 252, 255. 
Table 5-27. Selected Characteristics of Juvenile Delinquents Admitted to and Released from Institutions for Juven~le Delinquents: First 6 Months of 1923 

Characteristic 

-

Sex 

Male 

Female 

bE 

Under 12 years 


12 - 14 vears 


15 - 17 years 


18 and over 


Age Unknown (Number) 


Nonwhite 

Commitment 

For Period of Minority or 

Period of Minority 

Indeterminate periodd 

For Definite ~erm~ 

Less than 1 year 

1 - 2 years 

Over 2 years 

Not Reported (Number) 

Indeterminate Period 

percenta Characteristic 	 percenta 

Type of careg 

Child-Placing or Child-Protective Agency 

Institution for Dependent or Neglected Children 

Institution for Juvenile Delinauents 

Institution for Feebleminded, ipileptic, or Insane 

Persons with Whom Livinq at Time of ~ommitment~'~ 


Both Parents 


Mother and Stepfather 


Father and Stepmother 


Mother Only 


Father Only 


Other Relative 


Foster Parents 


Other 


Not Reported (Number) 


Previous Care 

whlteC 


On Probation Prevlous to Admission 


Black 


On Probatlon Previous to Admission 


Previous Institutional and Aqency caree 

WhiteC 

Never Under Institutlon/Agency or on Probation 

Previously Under One Institution/Agency or on Probation 

Previously Under Two or More Institutions/Agencies or 

Probatlon Departments 


Not Reported (Number) 


Black 

Never Under Institution/Agency or on Probation 

Previously Under One Institution/Agency or on Probation 

Previously Under Two or More Institutions/Agencies or 

Probation Departments 


Not Reported (Number) 


Notes: 

Details may not add up to 100 percent because of rounding. 


Juven~le delinquents under 18 years of age. 


Juveniles of unknown color are included with white. 


Other Institution 

~iteracy~'~ 

White 

Literate 

Illiterate 

Not Reported (Number) 

Black 

Literate 

Illiterate 

Not Reported (Number) 

School Attendance by Aqe 

Not Attending Prior to Commitment 

12 years of age 

13 years of age 

14 years of age 

15 years of age 

16 years of age 

17 years of age 

18 years of age and olderJ 

(Total) 

School Attendance for the United States by 

Not Attending 

12 years of age 

13 years of age 

14 years of age 

15 years of age 

16 years of age 

17 years of age 

18 to 20 years of ageJ 

Employment Prlor to commitmente 

Em~loved 

~rkvibus~yEmployed 


Never Employed 


Not Reported (Number) 


Juveniles Leavlnq Institution 

Time in Care 

Male 

Less than 1 year 

1 - 2 years 

Over 2 years 

Female 

Less than 1 year 

1 - 2 years 

Over 2 years 

Total Number Admitted 

Total Number Released 

Includes commitments for indeterminate period under the maximum limit of which the person would be released before reaching 21 years of age. 


Percentages calculated on reported numbers. 


Excludes 21 of unknown age. 


Juvenile is counted more than once if under the care of two or more types of agencies. 


Includes only juvenile delinquents 10 years of age and over. 


Baaed on 1920 Census enumeration: presented so comparison can be made with items above. 


For juvenile delinquents the age group is "18 years and over." This is practically the same, however, as the age group "18 to 20 years," since 


few persons 21 years of age are committed to institutions for juvenile delinquents. 


Source: 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washj .ngton, D.C. 
 (1923) Chi1.dren Under Institutional Care 1923; 1927; pgs. 

Table 5-28. Percentage Distribution by Previous Institutional or Probational History of Juvenile Delinquents Received from 

Courts by Race and Sex: 1933 

Previous Institutional 

or Probational History Total 

All Classes 

Male Female Total 

White 

Male Female Total 

Black 

Male Female 

Other 

Races 

Total 

Total Number 17,017 13,153 3,864 12,959 9,716 3,243 3,610 3,057 553 448 

No Previous History 

Previously Under Agency Care 

Previously in Institution for 

Dependent Children 

Previously Placed on Probation 

Previously in Institution for 

Juvenile Delinquents 

No Reports as to Previous 

History 

46 

2 

2 

29 

10 

9 

44 

1 

1 

32 

11 

11 

52 

5 

4 

19 

6 

14 

49 

2 

2 

29 

10 

9 

47 

1 

1 

32 

11 

7 

53 

5 

4 

18 

7 

13 

36 

2 

1 

31 

11 

20 

35 

1 

1 

32 

12 

20 

43 

6 

1 

28 

4 

18 

42 

1 

1 

20 

8 

28 

Source: 

U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census; Washington, D.C. 

Juvenile Delinquents in Public Institutions: 1933; 1936; pg. 24. 

Table 5-29. Percentage Distribution of Juvenile Delinquents Received from Courts According to Persons 

with Whom Living at Time of Commitment: 1933 

Persons with Whom Living at 

Time of Commitment Total 

All Classes 

Male Female 

White 

Male Female 

Black 

Male Female 

Total Number 

Living with: 

Both Parents 

Mother Only 

Father Only 

Mother and Stepfather 

Father and Stepmother 

Other Relatives 

In Adoptive Home 

In Other Family Home 

In Institution 

Not Reported 

Source: 

U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D. C. 

Juvenile Delinquents in Public Institutions: 1933; 1936; pgs. 40-41. 
In general, government studies since 1933 

have included somewhat fewer data items 

on youth characteristics than the early 

reports included. Table 5-30 summarizes 

data from the Children's Bureau Series on 

Public facilities for the years 1945 to 1967, 

and Table 5-31 presents additional data on 

juvenile characteristics from the Children in 

Custody series. 

Table 5-32 lists the number of facilities 

included in Census Bureau, Children's 

Bureau, University of Chicago, and 

Children in Custody series during the period 

since 1880. Although differences in 

reporting make exact comparisons difficult, 

these data clearly indicate a large increase 

in the number of facilities over the 100-

year period. In 1880 there were 53 

reformatories included in the Census 

Report; by 1960 there were 663. Between 

the University of Chicago census in 1966 

and the similar study in 1981, the number 

of facilities more than doubled. This figure 

is consistent with the decline in average 

facility size also reported by the University 

of Chicago study. 

Tables 5-33 to 5-35 summarize data on 

facility characteristics from the Children's 

Bureau and the Children in Custody series. 

The data indicate a change in the number of 

staff per resident over the period since the 

1950's from about 2.6 children per full-time 

staff member in 1956 to about 1.2 children 

per full-time staff member in 1979. 
Table 5-30. Characteristics of Public Juvenile Custody Residents, Children's Bureau Series: 1945-1967 

Number Served 


During Year 


Number Reported 


Present 


Rate per 100,000 


Ages 10-17 


Percent Male 

Percent Female 

Percent White 

Percent Non-White 

Average Length of 


Stay (Months) 


Child/Staff Ratio 

Median Age (Years) 

Percent Runaways 

Percent ~eadmitted~ 

Number of States and 


Territories ~eporting~ 


Notes: 

In 1953, there were 109 schools reporting; in 1962, 226 schools reporting; in 1963, 230 schools reporting; in 1966, 


292 institutions reporting. 


All characteristics are based on 44,763 juveniles in training schools. 


Not enumerated. 


Actual count for juveniles in 35 States living in institutions, 8,849 lived outside institutions. 


Estimated number of children for entire United States in public custody. 


Based on national estimates. 


Readmitted for the same offense. 


Includes States and territories (1953 excludes Kentucky, Nevada, and Virgin Islands; 1956 excludes Georgia; 1967 excludes 


Nevada). 


Sources: 

Federal Security Agency, Social Security Administration; U.S. Children's Bureau Statistical Series; Washington, D.C. 


(1945) Children Served by Public Welfare Agencies and Institutions: 1945, Number 3; 1946; pgs. 12-18. 


U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Social Security Administration; Children's Bureau Statistical Series; 

Washington, 	 D.C. 

(1953) Some Facts About Public State Training Schools for Juvenile Delinquents: 1956, Number 33; pgs. 1, 13, 15-17, 19. 

(1956) Statistics on Public Institutions for Delinquent Children: 1956, Number 48; 1958; pgs: 4, 5, 7, 11, 27. 

U.S. 	 Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Welfare Administration; Children's Bureau Statistical Series; Washington, D.C. 

(1962) Statistics on Public Institutions for Delinquent Children: 1962, Number 70; 1963; pgs. 1, 3, 5. 

(1963) Statistics on Public Institutions for Delinquent Children: 1963, Number 78; 1964; pgs. 1, 2, 5. 

(1964) Statistics on Public Institutions for Delinquent Children: 1964, Number 81; 1965; pgs. 1, 2, 5, 15. 

U.S. 	 Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Social and Rehabilitation Service; Children's Bureau Statistical Series; 


Washington, D.C. 


(1966) Statistics on Public Institutions for Delinquent Children: 1966, Number 89; 1967; pg. 50. 


(1966,1967) Statistics on Public Institutions for Delinquent Children: 1967, Number 94; 1969; pgs. 1, 5, 10. 


U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 


(1945) Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1957; 1960; pg. 8. 


(1967) Statistical Abstract of the United States: 1982-83; 1983; pg. 25. 

000 000 000 gLE Nor. CINN bLnN CINCI 

000 000 000 mLnm 

ar-m om- mt.\0 %?=% 

m m m m m 40000 

.4CCCC 

cmmmm 

a > > >

sazz5 

n 

z 

t. 

7 

U 

mar. 

mom 

PINm CINLn 

a ~ m7r.m ~nr.~ m 

-mr. CIYLn nNLn 

r-~m NNQ a7r. o mew 

'-* 2. 5 CINLn 2:s 
Table 5-32. Number of Juvenile Facilities Included in Surveys by Control, Type, and Survey Sponsor: 

1880-1982 

Control Type 

Total 

Public Private Short Term Longer Term 

1880 (Census) 

1890 (Census) 

1904 (Census) 

1910 (Census) 

1923 (Census) 

1933 (Census) 

1940 (Census) 

1950 (Census) 

1960 

1966 (Univ. of ~hicago)~ 

1967 (Ch~ldren's ~ureau)~ 

1970 ensus us'^ 

1971 (Lh~ldren In Custody) 

1979 (Ch~ldren In 

1980 

1981 (Un~v. of ch~cago)~ 

b 1982 (Chlldren In Custody) 

Notes: 

a. 	 Not enumerated. 

b. 	 Children in Custody includes all facilities housing any delinquents or status offenders. 

c. 	 Includes facilities whose primary function is care of delinquents or status offenders. 

d. 	 Each budget unit is counted as separate facility. 

e. 	 Includes public training schools and detention centers only. 

f. 	 Public only. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Wash~ngton, D.C. 

(1880, 1890, 1904, 

1910, 1923: Children Under Inst~tutional Care, 1923; 1927; pgs. 262-263. 

(1933) Juvenile Delinquents in Public Instltut~ons, 1933; 1936; pg. 1. 

(1960) U.S. Census of Population 1960: Inmates of Institutions; 1963; pg. 13. 

(1970) U.S. Census of Populat~on 1970: Prisoners in Institutions and Other 

Group Quarters; 1973; pg. 23. 

(1980) 1980 Census of Population: Prisoners ~n Institutions and Other Group 

Quarters; 1984; pg. 5. 

U.S. 	 Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Social Rehabilitation Servlce; Children's 

Bureau Statistical Series; Washington, D.C. 

(1967: 	 Statistics on Public Institutions for Delinquent Children: 1967; Number 

94; 1969; pg. 4. 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Admin~strat~on, Nat~onalCriminal Justice 

Information and Statistics Service; Washington, D.C. 

(1971) 	 Children in Custody: A Report on the Juvenile Detent~on and Correctional 

Facllity Census of 1971 ; 1974; pgs. 5, 28. 

U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Delinquency Prevention; Washington, D.C. 

(1979, 1982: 	 Chlldren In Custody: Advance Report on the 1982 Census of Public Juven~le 

Facilities; 1983; Table 3. 

Children in Custody: Advance Report on the 1982 Census of Prlvate Juvenile 

Facilities; 1984; Table 3. 

University of Chicago, 	 School of Social Service Administration; Young, Thomas M.; Pappenfort, 

Donne11 M.; Marlow, Christine R.; Chicago, IL. 

(1966, 1981) Residential Group Care, 1966 and 1981: Fac~lities for Children and Youth 

with Special Problems and Needs; 1983; pg. 53. 
Table 5-33. Characteristics of Public Juvenile Custody Facilities, Children's Bureau Series: 1956-1967 

Institutions Occupancy 

Reception & 

Diagnostic Training Forestry Capacity Male Female Child-Staff 

Year Tot a1 Center School Camp ,u 

w On1 y On1 y Co-ed Ratio 

Notes : 

a. Includes 39 local training schools. Characteristics based on 233 institutions. 

b. Based on the 292 institutions reporting. 

c. Not enumerated. 

Sources : 

U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Social Security Administration; Children's Bureau Statistical 

Series; 	Washington, D.C. 

(1956) Statistics on Public Institutions for Delinquent Children: 1956, Number 48; 1959; pgs. 5, 23. 

U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Welfare Administration; Children's Bureau Statistical Series; 

Washington, 	 D.C. 


(1964) Statistics on Public Institutions for Delinquent Children: 1964, Number 81; 1965; pg. vi. 


U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Social and Rehabilitation Service; Children's Bureau Statistical 

Series; 	 Washington, D.C. 

(1966) Statistics on Public Institutions for Delinquent Children: 1966, Number 89; 1967; pgs. 4, 49. 

(1967) Statistics on Public Institutions for Delinquent Children: 1967, Number 94; 1969; pgs. 2, 4. 
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CHAPTER VI 

FEDERAL PRISON STATISTICS 

This chapter summarizes statistics on 

Federal prisoners presented in Justice 

Department reports that deal exclusively 

with Federal prisons. Data on Federal 

prisoners collected by the Census Bureau 

and other agencies as part of the statistics 

on State and Federal prisoners have been 

included in Chapter 111. Special statistics on 

Federal prisoners have been collected on a 

yearly basis by order of Congress since 

about 1886, about 10 years before the 

establishment of the first civilian Federal 

prison in 1896. The usual practice in the 

19th century was housing Federal prisoners 

in State facilities. This was in accord with 

a 1776 law passed by the Continental 

Congress which provided that State and 

county prisons might be used to incarcerate 

persons convicted of Federal offenses and 

that the Federal government would 

compensate the States for any expenses 

(Huston, Luther, The De~artment of Justice; 

Frederick Praeger, New York, 1967, p. 203). 

States upon entrance into the Union passed 

laws indicating they would accept Federal 

prisoners for suitable compensation. In 

States in which facilities were not suitable, 

Federal prisoners were transported to other 

jurisdictions. 

With the establishment of the Department of 

Justice in 1870, a campaign was begun to 

urge Congress to establish its own prison 

system. The 1886 report submitted by the 

Attorney General included strong 

recommendations that a Federal prison 

system be established. The report argued 

that the cost of maintaining prisoners had 

increased because of the decline of the 

contract system of prison labor in the States, 

and that conditions in many State facilities 

were unacceptable (Department of Justice, 

"Report of the Attorney General, 1886;" 

p.11). The 1886 report also notes that: 

U.S. prisoners as a rule are of a 

better class of men than the ordinary convict and capable of performing better work, (Department 

of Justice, "Annual Report of the 

Attorney General, 1886;" p. 12) 

It was suggested that if Federal prisons were 

built, special work programs could be 

established which would involve products of 

use to the Federal government. Also there 

had been an increase in Federal laws 

punishable by prison. In response to the 

requests for Federal prisons, in 1891 

Congress authorized the construction of 

three Federal prisons. Money for 

construction did not become available until 

several years later, but by 1905 three 

prisons were operating, the first beginning 

operation in 1896. Those at Atlanta and 

Leavenworth were constructed by prison 

labor. The third, at McNeil Island, was a 

territorial prison built in 1865 which had 

been offered to and refused by the new 

State of Washington. In 1984 about 60 

facilities were operated by the Federal 

Bureau of Prisons (see Chapter 111). 

Justice Department Statistics on Federal 

Prisoners 

Since 1886, when the first statistics were 

gathered, the collection of Federal prison 

statistics can be divided into three periods. 

The first period, up to 1930, was before the 

establishment of the Bureau of Prisons. In 

this period statistics were included in the 

yearly report of the Attorney General made 

by the Department of Justice. Early 

statistics focused on Federal prisoners 

housed in State facilities and included 

reports on the conditions under which they 

were kept and the cost to the Federal 

government. As Federal prisons were 

established, data were reported from each of 

these institutions. Each facility submitted a 

detailed report, and a summary table was 

produced containing the statistics mandated 

by Congress. 

After the establishment of the Bureau of 

Prisons in 1930, the statistics were moved to 

the Bureau's Annual Report. The statistical 
report was expanded to include information 

on Federal prisoners in local jails, and more 

data items were included. Statistics in this 

period were used to illustrate the work of 

the Bureau. 

In 1960, an Office of Research was 

established within the Bureau of Prisons and 

statistical reporting was reorganized. The 

research office began to publish separate 

statistical reports containing yearly data but 

published every 1 or 2 years. The inclusion 

of Federal prisoners in jails and State 

facilities was dropped, probably because 

there were far fewer Federal prisoners in 

local facilities by 1960 than there had been 

in 1930. 

The statistical report series begun in 1960 

has continued through 1984. The statistics 

kept on Federal prisons, dating from 1886 

to the present, represent the longest span of 

yearly data on prisons. However, because 

there have been major changes in 

inclusiveness and the ways in which data 

are categorized, care must be taken in 

examining this data for changes over time. 

There has also been a tendency to update 

tables so that data for the same year 

covering the same population but published 

at different dates are not always consistent. 

In preparing this chapter, every fifth report 

was reviewed and most tables present data 

at 5- or 10-year intervals. Additional data 

are available in the reports on an annual 

basis. 

Persons Present and Received Under Federal 

Jurisdiction 

Tables 6-1 to 6-6 present summary 

information on the numbers present and 

received under Federal jurisdiction. The 

most important variation in reporting 

statistics on the number of Federal prisoners 

is whether only those in Bureau of Prison 

institutions are included or whether those in 

other institutions are included as well. 

Another variation is whether the total 

includes only those present or received 

under sentence or includes all in Federal 

facilities. In general, data between 1930 

and 1974 included only those under 

sentence. Totals after 1974 usually include 

all present. This made a difference of only 

about 1000 between 1974 and 1975; 

however, in some periods this difference is 

more substantial. 

If one considers only those reported present 

in Federal facilities under the Bureau of 

Prisons, the rate per 100,000 has gone from 

about 2 in 1910 to about 12 in 1983 (Table 

6-6). As in the State system, the period 

since 1970 has seen large increases in the 

number present (from about 20,000 to over 

30,000); however, the rate of increase has 

not been as dramatic as that in the State 

system. Nationally the State prison 

population has more than doubled since 

1970. In the same period the Federal prison 

population increased by about 60 percent. 

As a percent of the total present in State 

and Federal facilities, those in Federal 

prisons have gone from 3 percent in 1910 to 

7 percent in 1983. In the period between 

1930 and 1970 the percent was somewhat 

higher, about 10 percent of the total. 

Federal Prisoners in Jails 

In the period prior to 1930, statistics usually 

included those Federal prisoners present in 

State as well as Federal facilities (Table 6-

l), but except for sometimes including jails 

in the District of Columbia, the reports did 

not include data on Federal prisoners 

present in local facilities. As indicated 

above, in 1930 the newly formed Federal 

Bureau of Prisons initiated a statistical 

reporting system which included those 

present and received in local facilities as 

well. This procedure continued until 1960. 

In 1930 there were more than 11,000 shortterm Federal prisoners in local facilities. 

This number declined over the period, 

partly because of changing legislation, 

including the repeal of prohibition, and also 

because of a policy of using jail detention 

as little as possible. By 1960 only 3,177 (of 

the total of 26,646) Federal prisoners were 

reported in facilities other than those under 

the Bureau of Prisons. 
-- 

Table 6-1. Federal Prisoners Present: Selected Years 1886-1925 

Penitentiaries Jails 

Total Federal Other 

Notes: 

a. 	 Flrst civll Federal penitentiary opened In 1896. 

b. 	 1900 lncludes Leavenworth, Kansas and McNeil Island, Washlngton. 


Atlanta, Georgla was added by 1905. By 1910 the Natlonal Training 


School for Boys in Washington, O.C. was added as well as Government 


Hospital for the Insane, later known as Salnt Elizabeth's. 


c. 	 Jails in the Dlstrict of Columbia only. 

d. 	 Not available. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of Justlce; Washlngton, D.C. 


Report of the Attorney General: 


(1886) 1886; pgs. 15-16. 


(1895) 1895; pgs. XI, XVI. 


(1900) 1900; pgs. 35, 39. 


(1905) 1905; pg. L2. 


(1910) 1910; pg. 67. 


(1915) 1915; pg. 361. 


(1920) 1920; Exhiblt 19. 


(1925) 1925; Exhlblt 8. 


Table 6-2. 	 Average Populatlon of Institutions Administered by the Federal Bureau 

of Prlsons for Each Flscal Year Ended June 30: 1896 to 1945 

Flscal Year Average Index Flscal Year Average Index 

Ended Dally of Change Ended Dally of Change 

June 30- Populatlon (1896 = 1) June 30- Populatlon (1896 = 1) 

Source: Complete table taken fron 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons; Washington, D.C. 

Federal Prisons: 1945; pg. 34. 
Table 6.3 . Average Number of Federal Prisoners (All Facilities) for Fiscal Years 

1931-1960 

Federal Institutions 

Fiscal 

Year Ended 

June 30- 

Grand 

Total Total 

Bureau 

of Prisons 

Institutions 

National 

Training 

School for 

Boys(a) 

Public 

Health 

Service 

Hospital 

Non-Federal 

Institutions 

Notes: 

a . Populations 1931 to 1939 lnclude Federal but not District of Columbia 

commitments. b . National Training School for Boys became a Bureau of Prisons institution 

July 1. 1939. 

Source: Entire table taken from 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice; Washington. D.C. 


Federal Prisons: 1960; pg . 3. 



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Table 6-6. Number and Rate per 100,000 U.S. Population of Persons Present and Received in 

Federal Institutions and Percent Federal of Total State and Federal Prisoners: 

Selected Years 191 0-1 983 

Present Received 

Year Number 

Rate per 

100,000 

Percent Federal 

of Total 

State & Federal Number 

Rate per 

100,000 

Percent Federal 

of Total 

State & Federal 

Note: 

a. 	 Data between 1910 and 1940 were taken from Census Bureau; data after 1940 are from 

Justice Bureau sources. Figures vary depending upon agency source and date of 

publication. 

Sources: 

U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1910,1923) Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 1926; 1929; 

pgs. 4, 7. 

(1930) Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 1929 and 1930; 

1932; pgs. 3, 64. 

(1940) Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 1940; 1943; 

pg. 11. 

U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons; Washington, D.C. 

(1950-1983) Statistical Report, Fiscal Year 1984; pg. 16. 
In the period around 1930, the Bureau 

implemented an expanded jail inspection 

program involving about 3,000 local jails. 

Initially the purpose of the program was to 

inspect jails to see if they were fit to house 

Federal prisoners, but the program 

developed into a mechanism for upgrading 

the nation's jails. By 1955 there were six 

full-time inspectors. In response to 

conditions, Federal standards were 

developed and a voluntary upgrading 

program was initiated. Some Federal money 

became available for jail upgrading and 

training. 

In the 1930's the annual report listed the 

following as major policies and the 

statistical reports focused on reporting 

information related to these policies: (1) 

marked emphasis on the use of probation, 

(2) wider use of parole, (3) development of 

better facilities for institutional treatment, 

(4) reduction of jail detention if safe and 

feasible ("Report of the Federal Bureau of 

Prisons, 1934-35," p. 139). Perhaps partly 

due to this policy, the numbers of Federal 

prisoners in jails declined, and reporting 

was dropped in 1960. 

Offense Distribution 

The distribution of Federal offenses shows 

clearly the impact of legislative shifts and 

shows more variation than that of State 

prisons. The U.S. Constitution specifically 

authorizes Congress to enact criminal legislation in only two areas: counterfeiting, and 

piracies and felonies committed on the high 

seas. Other Federal criminal laws have been 

enacted under Congress's authority to "make 

all laws which shall be necessary and proper 

for carrying into execution," the powers 

granted to it. (Luther Huston, p.187). The 

first laws concerned treason, counterfeiting, 

the use of postal service, and revenue. A 

Federal criminal code was not adopted until 

1909. 

Tables 6-7 to 6- 13 contain distributions of 

offenses for those present and received for 

the period 1886 to 1984. Tables have been 

divided by time span and according to the 

manner of classification and inclusiveness of 

data. As can be seen from Table 6-7, in 

the years before 1900 the only categories 

listed related to revenue, counterfeiting, and 

postal laws. The large category of "other 

offenses" included those related to governing 

territories and Indian reservations. 

In the period after 1900, a series of what 

were known as "new laws" were enacted. 

These related to interstate commerce, 

immigration, narcotics, white slave traffic, 

auto theft, and between 1920 and 1933, 

liquor prohibition. These new laws resulted 

in large increases in the number of prisoners 

received in Federal institutions. Table 6-8 

is a copy of a summary table included in 

the 1934-35 report which illustrates the 

growth produced by the "new offenses." 

One can see the very large impact of 

Prohibition on the number of prisoners 

received. This report notes that while there 

was a tenfold increase in the total number 

received over the period, there was only a 

threefold increase in prisoners received for 

"old offenses." In the period between 1929 

and 1934, 43 percent of those received in 

Federal prisons were convicted of liquor law 

violations. 

In the early 1920's the largest single new 

group of offenders were drug law violators. 

By the 1930's the largest group of offenders 

was liquor law violators. The repeal of 

Prohibition resulted in a decrease in liquor 

law offenders received in 1934; however, 

enforcement of other liquor law violations 

continued under revenue laws. Hence, as a 

percent of the total, this category continued 

to be high into the 1940's. 

During World War I1 the distribution of 

offenders in Federal prisons again changed. 

First, there was the increase of selective 

service violations. Members of the 

Jehovah's Witnesses constituted the largest 

group, over half of the 4,703 conscientious 

objectors serving sentences in 1945. 

Second, there were those sentenced for 

crimes while serving in the military. These 


Table 6-9. 	 Percentage Distribution of Offenses of Sentenced Federal Prisoners Received in Federal, State, and 

Local Institutions: Selected Years 1930-1960 

Offense 1930-31 1935 1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 

Total umber^ 

Violation of Revenue Laws 

Counterfeiting and Forgery 

Embezzlement and Fraud 

Violation of Postal Laws 

Murder/Manslaughter 

Kidnapping 

Assault 

Larceny 

Robbery, Burglary, Housebreaking 

Stealing Goods in Interstate 

Commerce 

Violation of Motor Vehicle Act 

National Bank and Federal 

Reserve Act 

Violation of National Banking 

Laws 

Violation of Bankruptcy Laws 

Violation of Volstead Act/and 

Other Liquor Laws 

violation of Indian-country 

Liquor Laws 

Violation of Drug Laws 

Violation of White Slave Laws/ 

Msnn Act 

Violation of Selective Draft 

Laws 

Gov't Reservation, D.C., 

Territorial Cases 

Court Martials 

Returned from Escape 

Violation of Immigration/ 

Naturalization Laws 

Juvenile Delinquency 

Other Offenses 

Notes: 

a. 	 Total may not equal 100 percent due to rounding. 

b. 	 Figures for counterfeiting only. 

c. 	 Includes .2 percent for counterfeiting and 3.0 percent for forgery in 1945; in 1950, 1.4 percent and 

7.1 	 percent respectively; in 1955, .5 percent and 8.1 percent respectively; in 1960, 1.3 percent and 

10.6 percent respectively. 

d. 	 The 3.5 percent for violation of postal laws for 1945 have been classified by type of offense: in this 

table, .4 percent as counterfeiting and forgery, .9 percent as embezzlement and fraud, and 2.2 percent 

as other. 

e. 	 Category includes 10.1 percent other national defense and security laws violations in 1945; .7 percent 

in 1950, .8 percent in 1955. 

f. 	 Data not available or not separately enumerated. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons; Washington, D.C. 


(1930-31) Report of the Attorney General, Statistical Review; pg. 112. 


(1935,1940) Federal Offenders: 1940; pgs. 292, 293. 


(1945,1950, Federal Prisoners: 1960; pg. 28. 


1955,1960) 
Table 6-10. Percentage Distribution of Offenses of Federal Sentenced Prisoners 

Received fran Court into Federal Institutions: Selected Years 

1970-1984 

Total Number 

Assault 

Bankruptcy 

Burglary 

Counterfeiting 

Drug Laws, Total 

Merihuana 

Narcotics 

Embezzlement 

Escape, Flight or Harboring 

a Fugitive 

Extortion 

Firearms 

Forgery 

Fraud 

Immigration 

Incane Tax 

Juvenile Delinquency 

Kidnapping 

Larceny/Theft, Total 

Motor Vehicle, Interstate 

postal 

Theft, Interstate 

Other 

Liquor Laws 

National Security Laws 

Robbery 

Securities, Transporting False 

or Forged 

Selective Service Acts, Total 

Jehovah's Witnesses 

Religious Objectors 

Other 

White Slave Traffic 

Other and Unclassifiable 

Goverrrnent Reservation, High 

Seas, Territorial, and 

District of Columbia 

Assault 

Auto theft 

Burglary 

Forgery 

Homicide 

Larceny/Theft 

Robbery 

Rape 

Sex Offenses, Except Rape 

Other and Unclassifiable 

Military Court-Martial Cases 

Note: 

a. 	 kt separately enumerated. 

Sources: 

U.S. Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, 

National Criminal Justice Information and Statistics Service; Washington, 	 D.C. 

(1970) Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics: 1973; 1973; pg. 363. 

(1975) Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics: 1977; 1978; pg. 649. 

(1980) Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics: 1982; 1983; pg. 551. 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons; Washington, D.C. 

(19N) Statistical Report, Fiscal Year 1984; pgs. 44-45. 
Table 6-11. Percentage Distribution of Offenses of Sentenced Federal Prisoners Received 

in Federal Institutions: Selected Years 1923-1983 

Total Number 

Person: 

Homicide/Manslaughter 

Assault 

Rape 

Total 

Property: 

Robbery 

Embezzlement, Forgery & Fraud 

Burglary 

All Larceny 

Stolen Property 

Total 

Morals, Order, Government Charges: 

Other Sex-Related Crimes 

Liquor Law Violations 

Drug Law Violations 

Carrying & Possessing Weapons 

Non Support 

Selective Service Violations 

National Security Violations 

Immigration Violations 

Crimes Related to the 

Administration of Government 

Total 

Other 

Notes: 

(2,003) (9,800) (11,492) (13,237) (19,365) 

2.0 1.O 1.O 8.0 9.0 

9.0 3.0 18.0 10.1 12.0 

3.0 1.O 1.O 1.O .7 

5.0 2.0 28.0 31.2 11.3 

c 12.0 1.O c c 

19.0 19.0 49.0 50.3 33.0 

32.0 14.0 9.0~ 17.0 15.0~ 

a. 	 Includes 759 military court martials. 

b. 	 Includes 29 military court martials. 

c. 	 Included in "other" category. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1923) Prisoners 1923; 1926; pg. 32. 

(1930) Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 1929 and 1930; 

1932; pgs. 13-15. 

U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, National Prisoner Statistics; 

Leavenworth, 	 KS 


(1950) Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions: 1950; 1954; pg. 63. 


U.S. Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, National Criminal 

Justice Information and Statistics Service; 	Washington, D.C. 


(1970) Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics: 1973; 1973; pg. 363. 


U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons; Washington, D.C. 


(1983) Statistical Report Fiscal Years 1981-1983; pgs. 200-201. 


Table 6-13. Percentage Distribution of Offenses of Persons Present in Federal Facilities: Selected Years 1945-1984 

Offenses 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1984 

Total Number 

Assault 

Burglary 

Counterfeiting 

Drug Laws 

Marihuana 

Narcotics 

Embezzlement and Fraud 

Escape, Flight or Harboring 

a Fugitive 

Firearms 

Forgery 

Homicide (killing a Federal 

officer) 

Immigration 

Income Tax 

Juvenile Delinquency 

(except D.C.) 

Kidnapping 

Larceny/Theft 

Transportation, etc., 


of Stolen Vehicles 


Other 

Liquor Laws 

National Security Laws 

Robbery 

Selective Service Acts 

White Slave Traffic 

Other and Unclassifiable 

Government Reservations, D.C., 

High Seas & Territorial Cases 


Assault 


Homicide 


Rape 


Robbery 


Other and Unclassifiable 


Military Court-Martial Cases 

Not Reported 

Note: 

a. 	 Data not available or not separately enumerated. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons; Washington, D.C. 


(1945-1960) Federal Prisons: 1960; pg. 29. 


U.S. Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, National Criminal Justice Information and Statistics 

Service; Washington, 	D.C. 


(1965-1975) Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics: 1977; 1978; pg. 667. 


U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons; Washington, D.C. 


(1980,1984) Statistical Report, Fiscal Year 1984; pg. 35. 

Table 6-14A. Percentage Distribution by Time Served for Principal Types of Discharges from Federal institutionsa by 

Fiscal Years: July 1, 1930 to June 30, 1933. 

TIME SERVED 

EXPIRATION OF SENTENCE^ 

1930-31 1931-32 

Expiration 

of sentenceC 

Conditional 

Release Parole 

Other 

Types Total 

Under 6 months ....................... 6 months under 1 year ................ 1 year under 1 year 6 months ......... 1 year 6 months under 2 years ........ 2 years under 3 years ................ 3 years under 4 years ................ 4 years under 5 years ................ 5 years under 10 years ............... 10 years and over .................... Unclassified ......................... 

Total Number ................... 

Notes: 

a. 

b. 

c. 

d. 

Includes penitentiaries, reformatories, and camps. 

Exclusive of extra time served on account of committed flnes. 

Includes extra time served on account of committed fines. 

Less than one-tenth of 1 percent. 

Table 6-148. Average 

Years: 

Tlme Served, by Type of Discharge 

July 1, 1930 to June 30, 1933. 

for Jail Discharges, by Flscal 

-- 

Average Tlme Served on Sentence 

TYPE UF DISCHARGE 1930-31 

(days) 

Expiration of sentence: 

Expiration only .......................... 84.1 

Payment of fine and expiration ........... a 

Poor convict's oath and expiration ....... a 

Payment of flne only ......................... a 

Poor convict's oath only ..................... a 

Other types of dlschargeb .................... 42.5 

Total ............................... 80.0 

Notes: 

a. Not separately tabulated. 

1931-32 

(days) 

1932-33 

(days) 

81 .0 

72.1 

130.1 

5.6 

30.1 

40.3 

73.1 

73.0 

129.9 

4.9 

30.8 

51 .O 

71.3 70.0 

b. 	 Includes deportation, death, escape, probation, amendment of sentence, suspended 

sentence, etc. 

Table 6-14C. Average Time Served, by Offense, for Jail Discharges Each Flscal Year: 

July 1, 1930 to June 30, 1933. 

OFFENSE 

Counterfeiting and forgery ................... 
 Homiclde ..................................... 
 Immigration Act violation .................... 
 Interstate Commerce Act violation ............ 


Liquor Law vlolatlons ........................ 
 Mann Act violation ........................... 
 Motor Vehicle Act vlolatlon .................. 
 Narcotic Drug Act violation .................. 


National Bank and Federal Reserve Act 

violations ................................. 
 Postal Law v~olations ........................ 
 All other Federal offenses ................... 
 Not reported ................................. 


All offenses ......................... 


Note: 

Average Time Served 

1930-31 1931-32 1932-33 

(days) (days) (days) 

a. Average not computed for groups of less than 25 prisoners. 

Source: Complete tables taken from 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons; Washington, D.C. 

Statistical Review: 1932; pgs. 124, 125, 127. 
were noted to be younger than the usual 

Federal prisoner and to often have long 

sentences for serious crimes that might not 

have been committed but for the stress of 

war. 

Describing changes in the distribution of 

offenses after the war during the 19503, the 

authors of the reports noted that between 

1941 and 1955 the number of liquor law 

and selective service violators decreased by 

54 percent. Those received in prisons were 

described as being a younger and more 

hostile population. In this period auto theft, 

drugs, immigration offenses, and Indian 

territory commitments constituted the 

largest categories of those received. The 

last 30 years have seen a decline in auto 

theft and increases in immigration and drug 

offenses. In 1984 immigration offenses 

were the largest category of those received, 

making up 24 percent of the total (Table 6- 

10). Drug violations continue to be the 

largest percent of those present at a given 

time (27 percent in 1983). 

Sentence and Length of Time Served 

Bureau of Prisons data on time served are 

available from 1931. Tables 6-14A to 614C 

present data taken from a 1932 report 

summarizing time served in Federal prisons 

and reformatories as well as in local jails 

for the early 1930's. In these years most 

releases from Federal prisons and 

reformatories fell within the time span of 6 

months to 1 year, and the average time 

served in jails was about 70 to 80 days. 

Tables 6- 15 to 6-17 summarize data for the 

period 1940 to 1983. In 1940 data were 

available only for those released on parole. 

Comparable data from 1955 to 1983 indicate 

that, for the years included, sentences had 

increased up to 1979 and the percent of 

sentence served had declined. The average 

time served ranged from about 14 months in 

1955 to about 21 months in 1979. By 1983 

average time served had fallen again to 16 

months. In part, these recent shifts are 

reflective of changes in the offense 

distribution of those released. In the period 

since 1980, a larger percentage of those 

released have been immigration offenders, 

who have served an average time of 4 to 5 

months. 

Type of Release 

Tables 6-18 to 6-20 summarize information 

on type of release for the years 1895 to 

1982. These tables indicate the growth of 

conditional release. Parole was a release 

category after 191 0. Conditional release was 

introduced in 1933 and later changed to 

mandatory release in 1958. In 1982 

conditional releases made up 51 percent of 

total releases. 

Recidivism 

Some recidivism data are available since 

1895; however, it is unknown how complete 

the early data are. Table 6-21 pulls 

together this information at 5-year intervals. 

Between 1950 and 1960 data were located 

only for those with sentences of 1 year or 

longer. In 1895 only 9 percent of those 

received were reported as known to have 

had prior commitments. By 1935 the 

percent was almost half (46 percent). For 

the years in which information is available 

for all prisoners received (percents were 

somewhat higher when only those with 

sentences of 1 year were included), the 

highest percent of those received with 

known prior commitments was in 1970. In 

that year, 61 percent of the total prisoners 

received were reported to have had prior 

commitments. In that period, also, the 

numbers received had declined and reflected 

a larger percent of commitments for 

property offenses such as auto theft. In 

1984 about 43 percent of prisoners were 

reported to have had prior commitments. 

These percents are consistent with those 

reported for State prisons and reformatories 

(see Chapter 111). 
Table 6-15. 	 Length of Sentence and Tlme Served by Offense. Parole Releases fran Federal Institutions 

Together with Average Length of Sentence and Average Time Served for Male Parolees by Offense: 

Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 1940' 

Average for Male Parole Releases 

Number of 

Parole Percentage 

Offense Releases Wlich Average 

Lengthof Time Time Served 

Sentence Served Wds of Length 

Total (months) (months) of Sentence 

Counterfeiting and Forseryb ................... 
 Customs Act Vlolations ....................... 
 Embezzlement and ~raud~ .......................
 Escape, Flight, htiny, et~................... 
 Extortion and Racketeering ................... 
 Firearms Acts Vlolations ...................... 
 Immigration Act violationsb ................... 
 Internal Revenue Act violationsb .............. 
 Interstate Commrce Act violationsb ........... 
 Kidnapping .................................... 
 ~arceny/theft~: 

National Motor Vehicle Theft Act 

Violations (Dyer Act) ..................... National Stolen Property Act Violations ..... Theft fran Interstate Commrce 

(Car Seal Act) ............................ 
 Theft or Illegal Possession of Goverrment 

Property .................................. 
 Other and Not Specified ..................... 
 Liquor-law Violations ......................... 
 Narcotic Drug Act Violations: 

Marihuana Tax Act ........................... 
 Other and Not Specified ..................... 
 National Bang and Federal Reserve Act 

Violations ................................. 
 National Bank Robbery ......................... 
 Natlonal Bankruptcy Act Violations ............ Postal-law Violations: 

hrglary .................................... 
 Counterfeiting and Forgery .................. 
 Embezzlement 	 ................................ 
 Extortion ................................... 
 Fraud ....................................... 
 Larceny/Theft ............................... 
 Lottery Pranotion ........................... 
 Mailing Obscene Matter ...................... 
 Maillng Other Nonmailable Matter ............ 
 Robbery ..................................... 
 Other and Not Specified ..................... 
 White Slave Traffic Act violations ............ Goverment and Indian Reservations, 

D.C., Hlgh Seas, Military, Naval 

and Territorial casesb ...................... 
 Other and Not Classifiable .................... 


Total ................................. 


Notes: 

a. 	 Includes penitentiaries, reformatories, medical center and prison camps. 

b. 	 bt elsewhere classified. 

c. 	 Average not computed for groups of less than 25 prisoners. 

Source: Complete table taken fran 

U.S. 	 Department of Justlce, hreau of Prisons; Washington, D.C. 

Federal Offenders: 1940; pg. 399. 
Table 6-16. 	 Average Sentence Length in Months by Offense of First Releases from 

Federal Institutions: Selected Years 1955-1983 

Offense 1955 1960 1970 1979 1983~ 

Total 

Assault 

Bankruptcy 

Burglary 

Counterfeiting 

Drug Laws, Total 

Marihuana 

Narcotics 

Embezzlement 

Escape, Flight, or Harboring 

a Fugitive 

Extortion 

Firearms 

Forgery 

Fraud 

Immigration 

Income Tax 

Juvenile Delinquency 

Kidnapping 

Larceny/Theft, Total 

Motor Vehicle, Interstate 

Postal 

Theft, Interstate 

Other 

Liquor Laws 

National Security Laws 

Robbery 

Securities, Transporting False 

or Forged 

Selective Service Acts 

White Slave Traffic 

Other and Unclassifiable 

Government Reservation, High 

Seas, Territorial, and D.c.' 

Assault 

Auto Theft 

Burglary 

Forgery 

Homicide 

Larceny/Theft 

Robbery 

Rape 

Sex Offenses, Except Rape 

Other and Unclassifiable 

Military Court-Martial Cases 

Notes: 

a. 	 Data not available or not separately enumerated. 

b. 	 Juvenile delinquency was calculated separately for the District of Columbia. 

In 1955, the average sentence length was 48 months. In 1960, it was 51 months. 

c. 	 The average sentence length was calculated separately for the District of 

Columbia for 1955 and 1960. 

Total Cases 58 63 Burglary 60 81 Rape 122 144 

Assault 66 15 Homicide 450 240 Robbery 102 134 

Other and 

AutoTheft 31 33 Larcency/Theft 32 31 Unclassified 58 12 

d. 	 Source for 1983 does not specify that figures are for first release. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons; Washington, D.C. 

(1955) Federal Prisons: 1955; pgs. 80-81. 

(1960) Federal Prisons: 1960; pgs. 62-63. 

U.S. Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, National Criminal 

Justice Information and Statistics Service; 	 Washington, D.C. 

(1970) Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics: 1973; 1973; pg. 418. 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics; Washington, D.C. 

(1979) Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics: 1981; 1982; pg. 491. 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons; Washington, D.C. 

(1983) Statistical Report, Fiscal Years 1981-1983; pgs. 244-245. 
Table 6-17. Average Time Served and Percent of Sentence Served for First Release from Federal Facilities by Offense: Selected Years 1955-1983 

Average Time Served 	 Percent of Sentence Served 

Offense 1955 1960 1970 1979 1983~ 1955 1960 1970 1979 1983~ 

Assault 

Bankruptcy 

Burglary 

Counterfeiting 

Drug Laws, Total 

Marihuana 

Narcotics 

Embezzlement 

Escape, Flight, or Harboring 

a Fugitive 

Extortion 

Flrearms 

Forgery 

Fraud 

Immigration 

Incme Tax 

Juvenile Delinquency 

Kidnapping 

LarcenyITheft, Total 

Motor Vehicle, Interstate 

postal 

Theft, Interstate 

Other 

Liquor Laws 

National Security Laws 

Robbery 

Securities, Transporting False 

or Forged 

Selective Service Acts, Total 

Jehovah's Witnesses 

Religious Objectors 

Other 

White Slave Traffic 

Other and Unclasslfiable 

Goverrment Reservation, High 

Seas, Territorial, aad 

District of Columbia 

Assault 

Auto Theft 

Burglary 

Forgery 

Homicide 

Larceny/Theft 

Robbery 

Rape 

Sex Offenses, Except Rape 

Other and Unclassiflable 

Military Court-Martial Cases 

Notes: 

a. 

b. 

c. 

d. 

1983 source does not speclfy that figures are for first release. 

Data not available or not separately enumerated. 

Juven~le del~nquency does not lnclude Dlstrlct of Columb~a. Average tlrne served for Juvenile Delinquency 

In 1960, 22.0 months. Percent of sentence served for Juvenlle Delinquency in O.C. In 1955 was 38 percent; 

Average time served and percent of sentence served was calculated separately for the Oistrlct of Columbla 

In O.C. Ln 1955 was 18.1 

Ln 1960, 43 percent. 

for 1955 and 1960. 

months; 

Average 

Time Served 

L Sentence 

Served 

Average 

T~me Served 

X Sentence 

Served 

Average 

Tlme Served 

% Sentence 

Served 

1955 1960 1955 1960 1955 1960 1955 1960 1955 1960 1955 1960 

Total Cases 29.7 30.6 52 - -49 

-- 

Burglary 40. 1 51 .I 67 63 Rape 78.3 83.3 64 58 

Assault 39.5 12.5 60 83 Homlclde 227.0 86.0 50 34 Robbery 61.4 75.5 60 56 

AutoTheft 20.0 20.0 64 61 Larceny/Theft 23.8 24.0 75 77 

Other and 

Unclasslflable 87.5 9.3 64 78 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prlsons; Washlngton, O.C. 

(1955) Federal Prisons: 1955; pgs. 80-81. 

(1960) Federal Prlsons: 1960; pgs. 62-63. 

U.S. Department of Justlce, Law Enforcement Assistance Adminlstratlon, Nat~onal Crlm~nal Justlce InformatLon and Statistics Servlce; 

Washlngton, 	O.C. 

(1970) Sourcebook of Crlmlnal Justlce Statlstlcs: 1973; 1973; pg. 418. 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Justlce Statistics; Washlngton, O.C. 

(1979) Sourcebook of Criminal Justlce Statistics: 1981, 1982; pg. 491. 

U.S. 	 Department of Justlce, Federal Bureau of Prisons; Washington, D.C. 

(1983) Statistical Report, Flscal Years 1981-1983; pgs. 244-245. 
Table 6-18. 	 Percentage Distribution of Federal Prisoners' Type of Release from State and Federal Instltutlons: 

Selected Years 1895-1925 

Type of Release 1895 1900 1905 1910 1915 1920 1925 

Total Released (excluding transfers) (1,161) (1,640) (1,888) (1,332) (1,837) (3,830) (6,753) 

By Expiration of Sentence 87 93 87 90 80 59 80 

Paroled 0 0 0 0 11 24 14 

Died 8 3 3 1 2 1 1 

Pardoned or Commuted 4 3 4 7 4 8 1 

Habeas Corpus or Court Order 2 1 1 2 2 7 3 

Escapes 0 0 a b 1 1 1 

Notes: 

a. 	 Escapes not separately enumerated. Transfers and escapes totaled 96. 

b. Only 3 escapes; equals less than 1 percent of total releases. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice; Washington, D.C. 


Report of the Attorney General: 


(1895) 1895; pg. XIII. 


(1900) 1900; pg. 36. 


(1905) 1905; pg. 42. 


(1910) 1910: pa. 67. 


(1915) 1915; bg. 362. 


(1920) 1920; Exhibit 19. 


(1925) 1925; Exhibit 8. 


Table 6-19A. 	 Percentage Distribution of Type of Release of Federal Prisoners Released from State and Federal 

Institutions: Selected Years 1931-1960 

Fiscal Year Ended June 30- 1931 1935 1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 

Type of Release 

Total Discharged (42,156) (18,824) (24,426) (20,273) (19,192) (20,931) (17,652) 

Sentence Expired 64 60 52 48 L3 59 48 

Conditional/Mandator~ly I7eleaseda 0 18 32 2 5 50 13 19 

paroledb 11 13 12 19 19 21 26 

Died .3 .5 .5 .4 .2 .2 .3 

Escaped or Ran ~wa~' .5 .5 .8 .7 .8 1 1 

Other 24 8 3 7 7 6 gd 

Notes: 

a. 	 Conditional release cases occur flrst in 1933 as a result of new 1egislaLlon; in 1958 became mandatory 


release. 


b. 	 Includes 719 discharges of Selective Service Act violators paroled under the provisions uf Executive Order 

No. 8641 for 1945. 

c. 	 "Runaway" is used instead of "escape" In connection with offenders committed to institutions for juveniles 

or private soclal agencies. 

d. "OLher" includes number of Study cases discharged. 

Source: 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, hreau of Justlce; Washington, D.C. 


Federal Prisons: 1960; pg. 31. 

Table 6-198. 	 Percentage DlsLributlon of Type of Release of Federal Prisoners Released from Federal 

Instltutlons Only: Selected Years 1935-1960 

Flscal Year Ended June 30- 1935 19110 19b5 1950 1955 1960~ 

Type of Release 

Total Discharged (except transfers) (11,293) (16,506) (14,069) (15,488) (17,724) (15,472) 

Sentence Explred 4 5 30 3 5 36 58 46 

Condlt~onal/MandatorIly ~eleased~ 29 a7 35 37 15 2 1 

paroledb 2 2 18 26 2 3 2 5 29 

Died 1 1 .5 .2 .2 .4 

Escaped or Ran AwayC 1 1 1 1 1 1 

Other 2 4 3 3 1 3 

Notes: 

a. 	 Beglnnlng In 1958 the term mandatory release replaces the Lerm conditional release. 

b. 	 Includes 719 discharges of Selective Servlce Act violators paroled under the provisions of 


ExecuLlve Order No. 8641 for 1945. 


c. 	 "Runaway" 1s used lnsLead of "escape" In connection wlth offenders committed Lo lnstltutlons 


for juveniles or private social agencies. 


d. "Other" Includes number of study cases discharged. 

Source: 

U.S. 	 Department of Justlce, Bureau of Prlsons; Washington, D.C. 


Federal Prlsons: 1960; pg. 31 


Table 6-20. 	 Percentage DlstrlbuLlon of Type of Release of Federal Prlsoners Released from 


Federal Instltutlons: Selected Years 1970-1982 


Type of Release 	 1970 1975 1979 1982 

Total Number D~scharged (excludes transfers) (16,713) 

Releases 70 

CondlLlonal 3ba 

UncondlLlonal 36 

Deaths .2 

Executions 0 

Escapes 

Out on Appeal or Bond 

Other 

Notes: 

a. 	 Includes parole. 

b. 	 Data not available. 

Sources: 

U.S. DepartmenL of Justlce, Bureau of Prlsons; National Prlsoner Statistics; Washlngton, 

D.C. 

(1970) 	 Prlsoners In State and Federal Instltutlons for AdulL Felons: 1968, 1969, 


1970; Number b7; 1972; pg. 6. 


U.S. 	 Department of Justlce; Law Enforcement Assistance Adrnlnlstratlon, NaLlonal 


Crlminal Justlce Information and Statlstlcs Service; Washlngton, D.C. 


(1975) 	 Prlsoners In State and Federal Instltutlons on December 31, 1975; Natlonal 


Prlsoner Statlstlcs Bulletln SD-NPS-PSF-3; 1977; pgs. 22-23. 


U.5. 	 Department of Justlce, Bureau of Justlce Statistics; Washinqton, D.C. 


(1979) Prisoners In StaLe and Federal InstiLuLlons on December 31, 1979; haLlonal 


Prlsoner StaLlsLlcs Bulletin NPS-PSF-7, NCJ-73719; 1981; pgs. 20-21. 


(1982) 	 Prisoners In State and Federal InsLlLutlons on December 31, 1982; NaLlonal 


Prlsoner Statlstlcs Bulletln SD-NPS-PSF-9, NC3-93311; 1984; pgs. 26-27. 

Table 6-21. Recidivism of Federal Offenders Received from Court: Selected Years 1895-1984 

Percent Distribution 

Year 

No 

Total for Which Known 

Recidivism Prior 

Is ~e~orted~ Commitments 

One 

or More 

Known Prior Commitments 

One Two 

T

or 

hree 

More 

Notes: 

a. 	 Numbers reflect available information. Totals are not the same as total 

received reported for the same years in other tables. Those listed in the 

following years are unaccounted for: 1915, 16; 1920, 335; 1925, 626; 1935, 

44; 1975, 66; 1981, 1,346; 1984, 11. 

b. 	 Information on recidivism of those received from court was unavailable. 

Figures here are based on prisoners discharged from Federal penitentiaries, 

reformatories, medical centers, and prison camps by number of known previous 

commitments. Recidivism for 170 or 1 percent of the prisoners was not 

reported. 

c. 	 Totals for 1950, 1955, and 1960 are only for those prisoners under a sentence 

of more than 1 year. 

d. 	 In 1970, recidivism for 3,198 or 28 percent of all received, was not reported; 

in 1975, 3,482 or 23 percent; in 1981, 5,996 or 48 percent; in 1984 6,529 or 

37 percent. 

e. 	 Data not available. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice; Washington, D.C. 


Report of the Attorney General: 


(1895) 1895; pg. XIV. 


(1900) 1900; pg. 36. 


(1905) 1905; pg. 42. 


(1910) 1910; pg. 67. 


(1915) 1915; pg. 362. 


(1920) 1920; Exhibit 19. 


(1925) 1925; Exhibit 8. 


U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons; Washington, D.C. 


(1932) Report of the Attorney General, Statistical Review; pg. 75. 


(1934-35) 	 Federal Offenders: 1934-35;' pg. 160. 


(1940) Federal Offenders: 1940; pg. 370. 


(1945) Federal Prisons: 1945; pg. 78. 


(1950) Federal Prisons: 1950; pg. 67. 


(1955) Federal Prisons: 1955; pg. 71. 


(1960) Federal Prisoners: 1960; pg. 59. 


U.S. Oepartment of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, National 

Criminal Justice 	Information and Statistics Service; Washington, D.C. 

(1970) Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics: 1973; 1973; pg. 373. 

(1975) Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics: 1977; 1978; pg. 651. 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons; Washington, D.C. 


(1981) Statistical Report, Fiscal Years 1981-1983; pg. 46. 


(1984) Statistical Report, Fiscal Year 1984; pg. 52. 

Demographic Characteristics 

Table 6-22 summarizes data on sex, race, 

age, and marital status of Federal 

commitments from 1886 to 1960. Over this 

period the percentage of women in the 

Federal system increased more than the 

percentage of women in the State system. 

In 1886, women were about 1 percent of the 

total received. In 1984, they were 9 

percent. Given the nature of Federal laws, 

foreign born have remained a larger percent 

of the total than in the State system. In 

1983, Hispanics were almost 20 percent of 

the total present. The system also receives a 

higher proportion of white inmates than the 

State system. Of the total received in the 

Federal institutions in 1984, 77 percent were 

white, compared to about 55 percent in 

State institutions. 
Table 6-22. Sex, Nativity, Race, Marital Status, Age, Habit of Life, and Literacy of Federal Prlsoners Recelved from Court: Selected Years 

1886-1 960 

Characteristics of Those Received in Federal and State Facilitres Habit of Life Literacy 

Year 

Number 

Reported 

Percent 

Male 

Percent 

ForeignBorn 

Percent 

White 

Percent 

Other 

Races 

Percent 

Married 

Median 

~~e~ 

Percent 

Clalming 

Temperance 

Percent 

Admitting 

Intemperance 

Percent Can 

Not Read 

or Write 

Percent 

Can 

Read Only 

Percent 

Can Read 

and Wrlte 

Characteristics of Federal Prlsoners Received from Courts into Federal, State, and Local Institutions 

1940 23,003 95 15 73 27 c 27.2 c c 

1965 21,200 95 c c c c 28.8 c c 

1950i 18,063 96 22 74 26 4of 28.1 c c 

1955' 20,013 95 ~6~ 73 27 39f 27.6 c c 

1960i 16,783 95 llJ 70 30 37f 28.5 c c 

Notes: 

a. 	 Median age calculated from group data. 

b. 	 Characteristics are for the 1,261 Federal prisoners present on June 30, 1886. 

c. 	 Data not available. 

d. 	 All characteristics exclude 2 returned from escape that are lncluded In total received. 

e. 	 Calculations based on total reported by each characterlstlc, not necessarily on the total reported received. 

f. 	Characteristics are for prisoners received In Federal institutions only. 

g. 	 Forelgn-born is for White only. Other ethnlc groups include Black, Mexlcan, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, and others. 

h. 	 Literacy was categorized as those who could read and write and those who could do neither. 

i.All sentenced Federal offenders. 

j. 	 In 1955, 3,624 or 89.6 percent of the 4,043 foreign-born prisoners received In Federal lnstltutlons were born In Mexico. In 1960, 192 or 

78 percent of the 1,528 foreign-born prisoners recelved in Federal lristitutions were born in Mexico. 

Sources: 

U.S. Oepartment of Justice; Washington, D.C. 

(1886-1925) 	 Report of the Attorney General: 


1886; pgs. 220-221, 222-223. 


1895; pg. XIV. 


1900; pg. 36. 


1905; pg. 42. 


1910; pg. 67. 


1915; pg. 362. 


1920; Exhibit 19. 


1925; Exhiblt 8. 


U.S. 	 Oepartment of Justrce, Bureau of Prisons; Washington, D.C. 


(1930-1935) Federal Offenders: 1934-35, pgs. 166, 173, 176, 178, 179. 


(19L0-1945) Federal Prisons: 1945; pg. 7 


(1950) Federal Prisons: 1950; pgs. 64, 65. 


(1955) Federal Prisons: 1955; pgs. 68, 69. 


(1960) Federal Prisons: 1960; pgs. 47, 49, 50. 

CHAPTER VII 

PAROLE AND PROBATION STATISTICS 

Other than at the Federal level, the first 

attempt to collect yearly national Uniform 

Parole Reports was begun in the mid- 1960's 

by the National Council on Crime and 

Delinquency. In the late 1970's the same 

group began to collect similar information 

on probation. Earlier national information 

must be obtained from sporadic special 

studies of parole or probation and 

information on type of release contained in 

reports of State and Federal prisoners. This 

chapter pulls together selected tables from 

the following sources: 

Information on parole in 18 States 

published in the series State and 

Federal Prisoners in the 1930's; 

w The Attorney General's Survey of 

Release Procedures completed in 1939; 

w The series "Judicial Criminal 

Statistics" issued from 1932 to 1940 by 

the Census Bureau; 

The study "Corrections in the United 

States" prepared by the National 

Council on Crime and Delinquency in 

1965 for the Task Force Report on 

Corrections of the President's Commission on Law Enforcement and the 

Administration of Justice; 

m The LEAA study "State and Local 

Probation and Parole Systems" 

covering the year 1976; 

Uniform Parole Reports issued by 

NCCD from 1966 to 1980 and 

currently continued by BJS as Parole 

and Probation reports. 

Information on Federal parole and probation 

has been available on a yearly basis since 

these became Federal options in 1911 and 

1925 respectively. This information is 

included in the Reports of the Attorney 

General prior to 1930 and after this from 

Bureau of Prisons and Parole reports. 

Recent statistics are widely available in the 

Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics. 

The remainder of this chapter concentrates 

on national parole and probation and 

considers Federal data only if it is included 

in national totals. 

The Legislative Spread of Parole and 

Probation 

The "Attorney General's Survey of Release 

Procedures" published in 1939 contains brief 

histories of the spread of the use of 

probation and parole in the United States. 

This report notes that the first good time 

law was passed by the New York State 

legislature in 1817; however, the first laws 

providing for systems of parole date from 

1876 and the Elmira, New York 

Reformatory under Z. B. Brockway. 

Although it was originally connected with 

the reformatory and indeterminate sentence 

movements, parole soon developed independently and became more widespread. By 

1900 only 11 States had provisions for 

reformatories, but 20 States had instituted 

parole. By 1922 parole was used in 44 

States and the indeterminate sentence in 37. 

By 1939 only 3 States (Virginia, Florida, 

and Mississippi) had no parole provision, 

and 12 had no indeterminate sentence. 

Table 7-1 presents the extent of parole use 

by States in 1936, and Table 7-2 presents a 

comparison of the extent of parole use by 

type of sentence. Table 7-2 shows the large 

but not total link between the indeterminate 

sentence and use of parole. None of the 

jurisdictions in which the determinate sentence was exclusive or predominant had 

parole use of over 62 percent, while 17 of 

the 27 States in which the indeterminate 

sentence was dominant had parole use of 

over 77 percent. As discussed in Chapter 

111, the indeterminate sentence was first 

listed as a sentence type in the 1904 Census 

report. By 1910, 36 percent and by 1923, 

55 percent were reported committed under 

this type of sentence (see Table 3-13). 
Table 7-1. The Extent to Which Parole Is Used in the States: 1936~ 

Percent Percent 

Paroled Paroled 

hisdiction of Total Jurisdiction of Total 

Released Released 

Colorado 94 Arkansas 47 

Indiana 94 Arizona 46 

New Hampshire 94 Oregon 45 

Vermont 94 Iowa 41 

New York 93 Tennessee 38 

Washington 91 South Dakota 36 

Ohio 87 Texas 29 

Illinois 8 7 West Virgini~ 29 

Michigan 86 Rhode Island 25 

New Jersey 86 Nebraska 23 

Nevada 85 North Carolina 23 

Pennsylvania 85 North Dakota 23 

Maine 83 Louisiana 20 

Kansas 82 Oklahoma 14 

Massachusetts 81 Florida 12 

Utah 

Connecticut 

78 

7 7 

Delawareb Missouri 

10 

8 

New Mexico 

Montana 

6 7 

62 

Wyoming b Maryland 8 

5 

Minnesota 58 South Carolina 1 

Kentucky 53 ldahoC 0 

Wisconsin 

California 

51 

49 

Virginia d Mississippi 

0 

0 

Notes: 

a. 	 Statistics cwnpiled by the Survey frm original schedules submitted by the 

States to the Bureau of the Census. The base figure is released by officials 

(i.e., except death, suicide, and escape). Data for Alabama and Georgia are 

not available. The figure for the District of Columbia is 19 percent. The 

figures for the Federal parole system are 45 percent for the reformatories 

and 24 percent for the penitentiaries. 

b. 	 The figures for Rhode Island, Delaware, Missouri, and Maryland are not 

absolutely representative of the extent to which parole is used in these 

jurisdictions. The figures of total releases for the institutions in Rhode 

Island include a number of misdemeanants and those in Delaware and Maryland 

include a number of short-term prisoners. Prisoners in that category usually 

are not eligible for parole. The parole figures on Missouri do not include 

cases classified as conditional releases which are also supervised. The data 

cover a period prior to the passage of the 1937 law. 

c. 	 In practice, parole was discontinued in Idaho in 1933 in favor of conditional 

pardon. 

d. 	 Virginia and Mississippi have no parole law. 

Source: Complete table taken frm 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice; Washington, D.C. 

Attorney General's Survey of Release Procedures, Vol. IV, Parole; 1939; 

pg. 122. 
Table 7-2. Comparison of Extent of Parole with Type of Sentence (1936)~ 

Percent Percent 

Jurisdictions Where Definite Paroled Jurisdictions Where Indeterminate Paroled 

Sentences Are Exclusive or of Total Sentences Are Exclusive or of Total 

Predominant Released Predominant Released 

Montana Colorado 

Kentucky Indiana 

Arkansas New Hampshire 

Tennessee Vermont 

South Dakota New York 

Texas Washington 

West Virginia Ohio 

Rhode Island Illinois 

Nebraska Michigan 

North Dakota hew Jersey 

Oklahoma Nevada 

Florida Pennsylvania 

Delaware Maine 

Missouri Kansas 

Maryland Massachusetts 

South Carolina Utah 

Connecticut 

New Mexico 

lvlinnesota 

Wisconsin 

California 

Arizona 

Oregon 

Iowa 

horth Carolina 

Louisiana 

Wyoming 

Note: 

a. 	 Virginia and Mississippi have no parole law, and Idaho discontinued parole in 1933 

in favor of conditional pardon. Data were not reported for Alabama and Georgia. 

Source: Complete table taken from 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice; Washington, D.C. 

Attorney General's Survey of Release Procedures, Vol. IV, Parole; 1939; pg. 126. 
Table 7-3 lists States in the order of their 

adoption of adult probation options up to 

1938. The first statutes were adopted in 

Massachusetts in 1878. By 1917 only 

Wyoming had no provision for juvenile 

probation, but adult probation spread more 

slowly. By 1937 only 12 States had no adult 

probation laws, operating instead with 

suspension of sentence provisions. 

Use of Parole as a Method of Release 

Historically there have been two major 

aspects to parole: (1) the use of a parole 

board's or institution's discretion in release, 

and (2) a period of community supervision 

and the fulfilling of certain release 

requirements by the parolee. In the years 

since 1970, several States have modified the 

first aspect, while generally maintaining the 

second. In these States, prisoners are 

released under mandatory release provisions 

following expiration of determinate sentence 

(minus time off for good behavior) into 

some form of parole-like supervision. This 

modification is apparent from the statistics 

available on use of traditional parole. 

Information on type of release from 1923 

(the first year for which this data are 

available) indicates that 60 percent of those 

released from State and Federal prisons and 

reformatories were reported released on 

parole (Table 3-21). As discussed in 

Chapter 111, the percent of those 

conditionally released grew to 83 percent by 

1982; however, parole board releases, which 

once accounted for almost all conditional 

releases, accounted for only 61 percent of 

the conditional releases by 1982. The other 

40 percent of those released conditionally 

were under supervised mandatory release 

and probation. 

The Use of Probation 

The earliest national data on the use of 

probation come from the Census Bureau 

series, "Judicial Criminal Statistics." This 

series attempted to collect statistics from all 

trial courts of general criminal jurisdictions 

in each of the States. Coverage ranged 

from 24 States at the start of the series in 

1932 to 30 in 1935. In the 1940's, when the 

series was dropped, 27 States and the 

District of Columbia were participating. As 

authors of the series point out, differences 

in court organization made the inclusiveness 

of the series differ by State. In general, the 

attempt was made to include any court 

whose responsibility included felony cases. 

Tables 7-4A and 7-4B present a summary 

of the percent of persons found guilty who 

were reported to be placed on probation in 

1935 by State and by offense. Table 7-5 

presents similar information for 1940. The 

data indicate that in 1935 about 30 percent 

of the total convicted were placed on 

probation. Of the States participating, 

overall usage by State ranged from 62 

percent in Rhode Island to 15 percent in 

Utah. As the reports note, it is necessary to 

look at the data by offense by State for 

meaningful comparisons. In some States, 

courts handling minor cases were included. 

and in others they were not. These data are 

available in the Census Bureau reports from 

1932 to 1940. 

Due to problems in comparability, limited 

State participation, and the ending of the 

Census Bureau's direct responsibility for 

publication of criminal justice statistics, the 

series was dropped in the early 1940's. The 

only more recent similar data come from the 

F.B.I. Uniform Crime Reports, which from 

1955 to 1977 included some information on 

disposition of arrests. 

The Numbers Present on Probation and 

Parole 

Except for the data on parole from 18 States 

collected in the 1930's (Table 7-6) there is 

little information on the national totals for 

numbers present on parole or probation at a 

given time until the survey completed by 

the National Council on Crime and 

Delinquency for the President's Task Force 

in the 1960's. A major focus of this study 

was to gain an overall picture of corrections 
Table 7-3A. Progress in Adoption of Adult Probation Statutes: 1878-1938~ 

Year First Year First 

Jurisdiction Statute Jurisdiction Statute 

Passed Passed 

Massachusetts Wisconsin 

Missouri District of Columbia 

Vermont Delaware 

Rhode Island Illinois 

New Jersey Arizona 

New York Georgia 

California Montana 

Connecticut Idaho 

Michigan Virginia 

Maine Washington 

Kansas Utah 

Indiana Federal Goverrment 

Ohio West Virginia 

Colorado Oregon 

Iowa Tennessee 

Minnesota Maryland 

Nebraska Kentucky 

North Dakota Arkansas 

Pennsylvania North Carolina 

New Hampshire 

Notes: 

a. 	 The dates given in this table have been selected fran the Survey digests of the 

probation legislation in each jurisdiction. In some instances there are discrepancies between the dates selected as marking the introduction of probation 

into a particular State and those selected by other writers in the field. These 

differences are explained by the fact that it is sometimes difficult to decide 

when a particular statute is a probation law, due to the peculiarities of 

phraseology and terms employed within the States themselves. In making the 

above selection of dates we have been guided by the principle that in this study 

we are concerned only with adult probation and, therefore, have in all cases 

selected statutes that have reference to adult offenders. 

Table 7-36. States Having Suspension of Sentence Statutes Only: 1938 

b Alabama Nevada 	 South Dakota 

~lorida~ New Mexico Texas 

Louisiana OklahomaC Wyoming 

Mississippi South Carolina 

Notes: 

a. 	 No statute, but common law suspension of imposition of sentence allowed. 

b. 	 In desertion and nonsupport cases only, but of doubtful constitutionality. 

See State v. Moran, 43 Nev. 150, 182 Pac. 927 (1919). 

c. 	 Suspended sentence permitted only as to minors; family deserters may be 

"paroled" by the Governor on recanmendation of the trial judge. 

Source: Complete tables A and B taken fran 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice; Washington, D.C. 

Attorney General's Survey of Release Procedures, Vol. 11, Probation; 1939; 

pgs. 27, 29. 
Table 7-4A . Defendants Placed on Probation or Given Suspended Sentence With or Without Supervision, by States: 1935a 

Placed on Probation Placed on Probation 

or Given Suspended or Given Suspended 

Tota1 Sentence With or Total Sentence With or 

State Cefendants Without Supervision State Defendants Without Supervision 

Sentenced Sentenced 

kmber Percent Number Percent 

Thirty States ...... P 

59. 530 17. 844 -30.0 New Mexico ...... Connecticut ..... Rhode Island ......... 639 39 6 62.0 Iowa......... New Hampshire ........ 310 142 45.8 District of Columbia . 
 New Jersey .......... 4, 534 1, 886 41.6 Illinois....... 
 Massachusetts ........ 2, 358 94 1 39.9 Indiana ....... 
 Maine ............ 307 115 37.5 Wyoming ....... 
 Michigsn........... 2. 257 81 8 36.2 Vermont ....... 
 Ohio............. 4. 84 7 1. 742 35.9 Nebraska....... 
 Wisconsin .......... 2. 703 96 9 35.8 Montana ....... 
 California.......... 5. 523 1. 877 34.U South Dakota ..... 
 Minnesota .......... 1. 878 585 31.2 Colorado....... 
 Idaho ............ 360 109 30.3 Kansas........ 
 Pennsylvania......... 15. 554 4. 513 29.0 North Dakota ..... 
 Arlzona ........... 51 5 135 26.2 Washington ...... 
 Oregon............ 54 8 142 25.9 Utah......... 


Notes: 

a. States vary as to jurisdiction of trial courts of general jurisdiction which form the basis of table. so canparislns are of 

limited value . 

Source: Complete table taken from 

0.5. 	 Department of Commerce. Bureau of Census; Washington. O.C. 


Judicial Criminal Statistics: 1935; 1937; pg. 21. 


Table 7.48 . Defendants Sentenced to Probation or Suspended Sentence. by Offense. in 30 States: 1935 

Placed on Probation 

Total or Glven Suspended 

Offense Defendants Sentence 

Sentenced 

Number Percent 

Total Major Offenses .................... 


Stolen Property ........................... 
 Embezzlement and Fraud ....................... 
 Auto Theft ............................. 
 Forgery ............................... 
 Burglary .............................. 
 Larceny. Except Auto Theft ..................... 
 Carrying Weapons. etc ........................ 
 Violating Drug Laws ......................... 
 OtherSexOffenses ......................... 
 Prostitution and Commercialized Vice ................ 
 Aggravated Assault ......................... 
 Manslaughter ............................ 
 Rape ................................ 
 Robbery ............................... 
 Murder ............................... 


Selected Combinations of Offense Groups 

Homicide (2 groups) ......................... 
 Larceny(4groups) ......................... 
 Sex Offenses (3 grwps) ....................... 
 Offenses Against Property (6 groups) ................ 


Source: Complete table taken fran 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce. Bureau of Census; Washington. O.C. 


3udicial Criminal Statistics: 1935; 1937; pg. 22. 

Table 7-5. Defendents Convicted and Sentenced, by Type of Sentence, by States: 1940 

State Defendents 

Sentenced 

State Prisons and 

Reformatories 

Number Percent 

Probation and 

Suspended Sentence 

Number Percent 

Local Jails, 

Workhouses, etc. 

Number Percent 

All Other 

Number 

Sentences 

Percent 

Total, 27 States 

California 

Colorado 

Connecticutb 

District of Columbia 

Idaho 

Indiana 

Iowa 

Kansas 

Massachusetts 

Michigan 

Minnesota 

Montana 

New Hampshire 

New Jersey 

New Mexico 

New York 

North Dakota 

Ohio 

Oregon 

Pennsylvania 

Rhode Island 

South Dakota 

Utah 

Vermont 

Washington 

Wisconsin 

Wyoming 

Notes: 

a. 

b. 

c. 

Includes 63 death sentences. 

Statistics are for the year July 1, 1940 through June 30, 

Includes defendants sentenced to local jails, workhouses, 

1941. 

etc. 

Source: Complete table taken from 

Y 

U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of 

Judicial Criminal Statistics 1940; 

Census; 

pg. 6. 

Washington, D.C. 
Table 7-6. Movement of Paroled Prisoners, for a Selected Group of States: 

193 1 

(Includes 46 institutions in the following St

Conn., Ind., Kans., Minn., Nebr., N.H., N.J., 

Pa., R.I., Utah, Wash., W.Va., and Wis.) 

ates: 

N.Y., 

Ariz., Colo, 

Ohio, Oreg., 

Item Number 

Prisoners on parole, Jan. 1, 1931 

Prisoners released on parole during 1931 

Prisoners whose parole periods terminated during 1931 

Prisoners on parole, Dec. 31, 1931 

Within State in which released 

Outside State in which released 

hereabouts unknown 

No report 

Source: Complete table taken from 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D. C. 

Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 1931 and 

1932; 1934; pg. 42. 
both in the community and in prisons, and 

for both adults and juveniles. In addition, 

there was interest in the relative use and 

cost of each type of corrections. Tables 

7-7A and 7-7B are copies of summary 

tables from this report. It was reported that 

1.2 million adults and juveniles were under 

correctional supervision. The report showed 

that 67 percent of all those under 

correctional supervision at a given time 

were in the community (54 percent on 

probation and 13 percent on parole or 

aftercare). Expenditures for community 

supervision were, however, only 19 percent 

of the total. 

The next comprehensive study of probation 

and parole was done in 1976 by the Census 

Bureau for LEAA. Tables 7-8A and 7-8B 

are copies of summary tables from this 

report which present the distribution of the 

total correctional population. It was 

reported that 1.92 million adults and 

juveniles were under correctional 

supervision. By 1976 the percent of the 

total under correctional supervision who 

were in the community had risen to 76 

percent (65 percent on probation and 11 

percent on parole). A total of 1.46 million 

persons were reported under correctional 

supervision in the community. If only those 

under adult corrections are considered, the 

number at that time was 1.45 million of 

which about 75 percent were in the 

community (63 percent on probation and 12 

percent on parole). 

BJS reports for 1983, covering only adults, 

indicate that 7 years later the total number 

under correctional supervision, had risen to 

2.4 million, an increase of 59 percent (Table 

7-9B). Of the total, once again, about 74 

percent were under community supervision, 

indicating that the large increases in prison 

population had been accompanied by large 

increases in probation and parole. Sixtythree percent (1.5 million) were on 

probation and 1 1 percent (25 1,708) were on 

parole. Tables 7-10 to 7-12 include parole 

and probation information taken from 

NCCD and BJS reports for more recent 

periods by State and region. 

Organization and Caseload Size 

One concern in the 1930's, a period when 

parole was under considerable attack, was 

the type of supervision given to parolees. 

Table 7-13, taken from the 1931 report, 

lists the number of prisoners released on 

parole by the type of supervision. At this 

time only about 64 percent of parolees were 

under the supervision of a full-time salaried 

parole officer. By 1965, concern was more 

with the caseload of those responsible for 

parole and probation supervision. At this 

time 79 percent of adult probation officers 

had caseloads of over 80, and 44 percent of 

parole officers had caseloads of over 70 

(Table 7-14). Tables 7-15A and 7-15B 

present an estimate of the number of 

probation and parole agencies, and the use 

of presentence investigation taken from the 

Census Bureau report done for LEAA in 

1976. 

Length of Parole 

National information on the length of parole 

was found for 1931 and for 1965 (Tables 

7-16 and 7-17). In 1931, the modal 

category of the length of parole was 12 to 

14 months. Over half of all paroles were 

terminated by 14 months. In 1965, the 

national average was 29 months. 

Parole Outcome 

In the 1960's and 1970's the National 

Council on Crime and Delinquency collected 

considerable information on parole outcome. 

A selected table from the Uniform Parole 

Newsletter is presented in Table 7-18. 
-3 Table 7-7A. Some Characteristics of Corrections in the United States: 1965 

00 

Offenders Operating Costs Employees 

Type of Program Average Daily Percentage Annual Percentage Average Cost per Percentage a Population Distribution Operating Costs Distribution Offender per yearb Number Distribution 

Juvenile Corrections: 


Institutions 62,773 4.9 $ 226,809,600 22.5 


Commlnity 285,431 22.2 93,613,400 9.3 


Subtotal 348,204 27.1 320,423,000 31 .8 -- 41,320 34.2 

Adult Felon Corrections: 


Institutions 221,597 17.3 435,594,500 43.3 


Community 369,897 28.9 73,251,900 7.3 


Subtotal 591,494 46.2 508,846,400 50.6 -- 58,218 48.0 

Misdemeanant Corrections: 


Institutions 141,303 11.O 147,794,200 14.7 


Community 201,385 15.7 28,682,900 2.9 


Subtotal 342,688 26.7 176,477,100 17.5 -- 21,625 17.8 

Total 1,282,386 100.0 1,005,746,500 100.0 0 121,163 100.0 

Notes: 

a. Rounded to the nearest $100. 

b. Rounded to the nearest dollar. 


Source: Complete table taken from 


Task Force on Corrections, The President's Canmission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice; Washington, D.C. 


Task Force Report: Corrections; 1967; pg. 1. 


Task Force Report Source for Table 7-7A: 


Computed from the National Survey of Corrections and Special Tabulations provided by the Federal kreau of Prisons and the 

Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. 

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Table 7-9A. Comparison of the Sentenced Prison Population to the Probation and Parole 

Populations: 1979-1 983 

Year 

Sentenced 

Prison 

Populationa 

Probation 

Population 

Ratio 

Probationers 

to Prisoners 

Parole 

Population 

Ratio 

Prisoners 

to Parolees 

Notes: 

a. 	 Defined as prisoners in State/Federal institutions with sentences greater than 1 year. 

Source: Complete table taken from 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics; Washington, D.C. 


Probation and Parole 1983; 1984; pg. 2. 


Table 7-98. 	 The Combined Correctional 

Population: 1983 

Type of Percent 


Supervision Number of Total 


Probation 1,502,247 62.6% 


Jail 207,853 8.7 


Prisoners 438,830~ 18.3 


Parole 251 ,708 10.5 


Total 2,400,638 100.0 

Note: 

a. 	 The majority of those under correctional 


care on a given day (62.6%) are on 


probation. 


Source: Complete table taken from 

U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice 

Statistics; 	Washington, D.C. 


Probation and Parole 1983; 1984; pg. 6. 

- - - - -- - -- 

Table 7-10. Estimated Adult Prison Releases and Parole Entries, State and Federal: 1965, 1970, 1975 (BY Region) 

1965 	 1970 1975 

Total Tot a1 Ratio of Total Total Ratio of Total Total Ratio of 

Prison Parole Paroles/ Prison Parole Paroles/ Prison Parole Paroles/ 

Agency Releases Entries Releases Releases Entries Releases Releases Entries Releases 

State and Total Estimate 89,900 54,300 -604 92,200 57,500 .624 106,800 73,000 .683 

Northeast 

North Central 

South 

West 16,700 13,100 .784 15,400 13,200 .857 19,200 16,600 .865 

Source: Complete table taken from 

U.S. Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, National Criminal Justice Information and Service; 

Washington, 	 D.C. 


Parole in the United States: 1976 and 1977, Uniform Parole Reports; 1978; pgs. 54-55. 

Table 7-11. Number of Persons Present on Parole and Rate per 100,000 of Population Aged 10-20: Selected Years 1976-1983 

1976 1979 1981 1983 

Number 

Rate per 

100,000 Total 

Population Number 

Rate per 

100,000 Total 

Population Number 

Rate per 

100,000 Total 

Population Number 

Rate per 

100,000 

Population 

18 and Older 

United States 

Federal 

State 

Northeast 

Maine 

New Hampshire 

Vermont 

Massachusetts 

Rhode Island 

Connecticut 

New York 

New Jersey 

Pennsylvania 

North Central 

Ohio 

Indiana 

Illinois 

Michigan 

Wisconsin 

Minnesota 

Iowa 

Missouri 

North Dakota 

South Dakota 

Nebraska 

Kansas 

South 

Delaware 

Maryland 

District of Col 

Virginia 

West Virginia 

North Carolina 

South Carolina 

Georgia 

Florida 

Kentucky 

Tennessee 

Alabama 

Mississippi 

Arkansas 

Louisiana 

Oklahoma 

Texas 

umbia 

405~ 

5,264 

c 

2,750 

346 

5,801 

1,850 

3.234 

West 

Montana 

Idaho 

Wyoming 

Colorado 

New Mexico 

Arizona 

Utah 

Nevada 

Washington 

Oregon 

California 

Alaska 

Hawaii 

Notes: 

a. 	 State and Federal do not add up to total for United States due to estimates. 

b. 	 Excludes Puerto Rico and includes parole population for Delaware (405) inadvertently omitted from required total in source cited for 1976. 

c. 	 Not reported in sources utilized. 

Sources: 

U.S. Oe~artment of Justice. Law Enforcement Assistance Administration. National Criminal Justice Information and Statistical Service: 

washi"gton, 	 D.C. 

(1976) Parole in the United States: 1976 and 1977; 1978; pgs. 46-47, 52-53. 

U.S. Deoartment of Justice. Bureau of Justice Statistics (Research Center West: National Council on Crime and Delinauencv. San Francisco). , 	 . (19?9) Parole in the united States, 1979; 1980; pgs. 38-39. 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics; Waahington, D.C. 

(1981) Probation and Parole 1982 (Bulletin); 1983; pg. 4. 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census; Washington, O.C. 

(1981) Statistical Abstracts of the United States 1984; 1983; pg. 11. 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics; Washington, D.C. 

(1983) Probation and Parole 1983 (Bulletin); 1984; pg. 2. 
Table 7-12. Prabation Population by State: 1977, 1979, and 1983 

1983 

Probation Probation Probation Probationers 

Population Population Population per100,OOO 

12-31 -77 12-31 -79 12-31-83 Residents 

8~2,485~ 1,086,535~ 1,502,247 897 

46,665 42,441 51,448 30 

775, 820a 1,044,094~ 1,450,799 866 

United States 

Federal Institutions 

State Institutions 

Northeast 

Maine 


New Hampshire 


Vermont 


Massachusetts 


Rhode Island 


Connecticut 


New York 


New Jersey 


Pennsylvania 


North Central 

Ohio 


Indiana 


Illinois 


Michigan 


Wisconsin 


Minnesota 


Iowa 


Missouri 


North Dakota 


South Dakota 


Nebraska 


Kansas 


South 

Delaware 

Maryland 

District of Columbia 

Virginia 

West Virginia 

North Carolina 

South Carolina 

Georgia 

Florida 

Kentucky 

Tennessee 

Alabama 

Mississippi 

Arkansas 

Louisiana 

Oklahoma 

Texas 

West 

Montana 


Idaho 


Wyoming 


Colorado 


New Mexico 


Arizona 


Utah 


Nevada 


Washington 


Oregon 


California 


Alaska 


Hawaii 


Notes: 

a. 	 Includes 5,960 in Puerto Rico in 1977. Includes 6,002 in Puerto Rico and 148 

probationers under supervision in Guam in 1979. 

b. 	 Probations under supervision. 

c. 	 Data not available. 

Source: 

National Council on Crime and Delinquency, Research Center West; San Francisco, CA. 

(1977-1979) Probation in the United States 1979; 1981; pg. 22. 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics; Washington, D.C. 


(1983) Probation and Parole 1983; 1984; pg. 2. 

Table 7-13. Prisoners Released on Parole, by Kind of Supervision, for a Selected Group of States: 1931 

(Includes 45 lnstltutlons in the following States: Arlz., Colo, Conn., Ind., Kans., Mlnn., Nebr., N.H., 

N.J., N.Y., Ohlo, Oreg., Pa., R.I., Utah, Wash., W.Va., and Wis.) 

Kind of Supervision 

Total 

Full-tlme salaried agents resldent in the State 

Part-tlme salarled and official parole officers resident In the State 

Publlc servants or agencles In the State 

Private agencies in the State 

Prlvate indlvlduals resldent in the State 

Offlclal parole offlcers or field agents In other States 

Other agencles or lndlvlduals in other States 

Supervised only through periodical written reports by the prlsoner 

Released on parole In custody of a penal lnstltutlon 

Released on parole In custody of the U.S. Government on a deportation warrant 

Wlthout supervision of any klnd 

Source: Complete table taken from 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, O.C. 

Prisoners In State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 1931 and 1932; 

Table 7-14. Average Caseload In Probation and Parole: 1965 

Juvenlle Juvenile Mlsdemeanant Adult 

Slze of caseloada Probation Aftercare Probatlon ProbaLlon 

(percent) (percent) (percent) (percent) 

Under 40 3.66 19.10 0.68 0.78 

41 to 50 8.10 9.06 0.18 2.32 

51 to 60 11.60 4.68 4.26 2.65 

61 to 70 19.55 48.81 3.86 6.51 

71 to 80 29.71 5.73 2.38 7.64 

81 to 90 5.65 4.45 1.39 6.64 

91 to 100 11.05 5.75 10.91 6.41 

Over 100 10.68 2.42 76.34 67.05 

Total 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 

Source: Complete tabie taken from 

Task Force on Corrections, The President's Comrnisslon on Law Enforcement and 

Adrnlnlstratlon of Justlce; Washington, D.C. 

Task Force Report: Corrections; 1967; pg. 196. 

Number of Prisoners Percent 

Released on Parole Dlstrlbutlon 

1934; pg. 42. 

Adult 

Parole 

(percent) 

3.08 

4.81 

25.38 

20.74 

23.22 

3.66 

14.70 

4.41 

100.00 
100 

Table 7-15A. 	 Number of State and Local Agencies Performing Probation or Parole Functions, by Level of Government, 

September 1, 1976 

Agency unction^ 

Probation Parole Parole 

Authorities 

Level of Government Adult Juvenile Adult Juvenile 

Probation Probation Parole Parole 

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent 

State/Local Total 1,929 100 2,126 100 1,154 100 1,221 100 65 

State 


County 


Municipal 


Notes: 

a. Agencies having multiple functions are counted in more than one column. 

b. Percent rounds to zero. 

Source: Complete table taken from 

U.S. Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, National Criminal Justice Information and 

Statistics Service; 	Washington, D.C. 


State and Local Probation and Parole Systems; 1978; pg. 2. 


Table 7-158. 	 Number and Percentage of State and Local Probation Agencies That Conducted Presentence Investigations 

During 1975 Distributed by Proportion of Agency Workload Accounted for by Investigations 

Number of Agencies That Conduct Presentence Investigations 

Distributed by Percent of Agency 

Type of Agency Tot a1 Workload Accounted for by Investigations 

~gencies~ Total Percent 

1 to 25 26 to 50 51 to 75 76 and over 

Total 	 3,303 2,540 77 1,392 86 3 220 6 5 

Adult probation only 340 286 84 11 4 114 43 15 

Juvenile probation only 808 542 67 298 189 44 11 

Adult and juvenile probation 546 453 83 21 5 179 47 12 

Adult probation and parole 702 542 77 293 194 45 10 

Juvenile probation and parole 564 439 78 329 74 2 2 14 

Adult and juvenile probation 

and parole 	 343 278 81 143 113 19 3 

Note: 

a. Excludes the 565 agencies that have only parole functions. 

Source: Complete table taken from 

U.S. Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, National Criminal Justice Information and 

Statistics Service; 	Washington, D.C. 


State and Local Probation and Parole Systems; 1978; pg. 4. 

a, 'U'.. 

C . .m4. . @ 0 . .cc,..

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Table 7-17. Average Length of Parole Period by Region: 1965 

Average 

Region Parole Period 

(months) 

East and Northeast 

Midwest and Plains 

Border South 

South 

West 

Insular 

National 

Source: Complete table taken from 

Task Force on Corrections, The President's Commission on Law 

Enforcement and Administration of Justice; Washington, D.C. 

Task Force Report: Corrections; 1967; pg. 187. 
Table 7-18. Parole Outcome In First Year After Release fox Males Paroled In 1969, 1970, and 1971, Unlted Statesa 

Parolees w~th Probation 

or Parole Vlolatron Parolees with Prlor 

Parole Outcome Total Number Reported Paroled Admieslon to Prrson Prison Sentences 

1969 1970 1971 1969 1970 1971 1969 1970 1971 

Continued on Parole 

Percent 

Absconder 

Percent 

Return to Prlson as Technical VlolaLor 

Percent 

RecornmltLed to Prlson wlLh New Major Conv1ctron:s) 

Percent 

Total 

Percentage of ToLal 

Parolees wlth Prlor 

Non-prrson Sentences Parolees with Prror Drug Abuse Parolees w~th Prlor Alcohol Use 

ConLlnued on Parole 

Percent 

Absconder 

Percent 

Return to Prrson as Technical VlolaLor 

Percent 

RecommlLLed Lu Prison with New Major Convrctlon(s) 

Percent 

Total 

Percentage of Total 

Note: 

a. 	 These data are tabulated by the Unlform Parole Reports Program, whrch publishes informairon voluntarily suppiled to rt by State parole agencies. 

However, not all persons paroled by State parole agencles are included ~n thrs table. Some States transmitted daLa fur particular years and not for 

others; some States reporLed only on a random sample of Lherr parolees. In Lhls reporL, "rnlnor convictron" is defined as a court convlctlon and 

sentence for a minimum term of at least 60 days and a maximum term of less tha17 1 year; "major canvrctron" is defined as a court convlctlon and 

sentence Lo confinement for a mlnlmum term of at least 1 year; an "absconder" 1s deflned as a parolee whose whereabouts are unknown to the paroling 

authority; a "technrcal vlolaior" 1s a parolee who has been declared - by the paroling authurlly - to be in vlolatlon of the condltlons of hls parole 

and who has been returned Lo prison. Far addrtlonal informatlon and defrnltrons, see Gottfredson, eL al., "A Yatlunal Uniform Parole Reporting System," 

Natronal Councll on Crlme and Dellnquency Research Center, Davls, Callfornla, 1970. 

Source: Complete table taken from 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Adrnlnlstratlon, NaLlonal Crrrninal Justice Inforrnatlon and SLatlsLlcs Service; Washington, O.C. 

Sourcebook of Criminal 3ustlce Statistics: 1976; 1975; pg. 088. 

Sourcebook source: 

Natlonal Councll on Crme and Dellnquency, Natronal Probailon and Parole Instrtutes. 

Unlform Parole Reports Newsletter; 1973; Summary Table, Part 2. 
CHAPTER VIII 


COMBINED INFORhlATION ON 


INCARCERATION 


This chapter includes tables which present 

totals obtained if one combines information 

from the Federal, State, local, and juvenile 

levels on incarceration. Also included are 

tables which present data available only in a 

combined form. In certain early years, 

information, such as that on offenses, was 

tabulated only for the combined totals and 

not broken down by type of facility. 

The chapter also includes brief discussions 

of the possibility of undercounts in the 1923 

Census and a discussion of military prisoner 

counts. 

Those Present on the Day of the Survey 

Tables 8-1 and 8-2 present information on 

the number present and the rate per 100,000 

population on the day of the survey in 

Federal and State, local, and juvenile 

facilities combined and separately at 

approximately 10- year intervals since 1850. 

Table 8-3 gives rates per 100,000 for the 

U.S. population age categories most 

represented in each type of facility. These 

tables document the increase in all levels 

over the period. Comparing the rates in 

1880 with those about 100 years later (in 

1982/83) the rate per 100,000 population in 

State and Federal prisons increased from 61 

to 179. The increase in rate per 100,000 in 

jails over the same period was 44 to 95 and 

that for juveniles, 23 to 35. This increase 

has not been steady; rather rapid increases 

occurred in periods such as the Depression, 

and the most rapid increase for State and 

Federal prisons occurred in the period since 

1972. Corresponding increases in juvenile 

facilities in the last 10 years have not 

occurred. Tables 8-4 and 8-5 give 

combined totals and rate per 100,000 

present by State from 1880- 1983, including 

Census data for the period 1880 to 1980. 

The Possibility of Undercounts in the 1923 

Census 

As can be seen from Tables 8-1 and 8-2, 

between 1910 and 1923 the overall rate of 

those under sentence in adult facilities 

declined from 121.2 to 99.7. Looking at the 

breakdowns by place of incarceration (Table 

8-2), it can be seen that the decline was 

almost exclusively in the jail population. 

State and Federal rates remained almost 

stable. These declines have been attributed 

to the spread of probation, to Prohibition's 

resulting in some decline in public 

drunkenness and disorderly conduct, and to 

the low unemployment rate of 3 percent at 

the time. The 1923 report discussed the 

decline as follows: 

Too much stress should not be placed 

on the significance of these figures for 

individual States or divisions, owing to 

the possibility that differences noted 

may be due, at least in part, to 

variations in the completeness of the 

returns. Nonetheless, there seems little 

doubt that, in most parts of the 

country, there was decided decrease 

for 1923 as compared to 1910 in the 

number of prisoners confined in penal 

and reformatory institutions. This 

decrease, no doubt, reflects changes in 

the laws and in law enforcement, as 

well as the number of offenses 

occurring. The increased use of 

probation as a substitute for 

imprisonment is an important example. 

This has been especially influential in 

affecting the decrease of the prison 

population in New England (Census 

Bureau, "Prisoners, 1923;" 1926; p.11). 

This report alludes to the differences in 

reporting but notes that there had been a 

real decline. The question arises if and how 

much of the decrease between 1910 and 

1923 may be due to undercounts rather that 

actual declines. Examination of a 

preliminary report done in 1922 by the 

Census Bureau indicates that apparently 

there was indeed some undercounting in the 
Table 8-1. Total Persons and Rate per 100,000 U.S. Population Reported Present in Adult 

All Classes (Adults Sentenced Adults and 

and ~uveniles)~ All Juveniles 

Total U.S. Per Per 

Population 100,OUO 100,000 

in Thousands Total Population Total Population 

1983 (Justice) 

1982 (Justice) 

1980 (Census) 

1978/79 (Justice) 

1972 (Justice) 

1970' (Justice) 

1960 (Census) 

1950 (Census) 

1940 (Census) 

1933 (Census) 

1923 (Census) 

1910 (Census) 

1890 (Census) 

1880 (Census) 

1870~ (Census) 

1860~ (Census) 

1850~ (Census) 

Notes: 

and Juvenile Correctional Facilitiea: 1850-1981 

All Classes 

(Juvenile Facilities 

Excluded) 

Sentenced 

(Juvenile Facilities 

Excluded) 

Total 

Per 

100,UOO 

Population Total 

Per 

100,000 

Population 

a. 	 The figures include persons incarcerated in State and Federal prlsons and reformatories, jalls and other local facilities, and 

juvenile correctional institutions; excluded are persons conflned in military prisons and mntal hospitals. 

b. 	 Data not available or not obtained. 

c. 	 The Natlonal Jail Survey of 1970, conducted by the Department of Justice, LEAA, listed as confined (detained and under sentence) 

in the jails 31,674 more persons than dld the census report on institutionalized persons for that same year. The LEAA data 

listed 2,402 fewer persons in State and Federal prisons and reformatories. The above table uses the LEAA reports because 

sentenced and unsentenced offenders were classified separately only in the jail survey. The total for all classes reported by 

the census was 404,749, a rate of 199.7 per 100,000. 

d. 	 Frar 1940 until 1980, the census reports provided no breakdown of adjudication status. The 19110 report counted only those 


persons I4 years and older and &d not classify adults and juveniles separately. 


e. 	 Frar 1904 to 1933, the census cmnted only sentenced offenders. In addition, the 1904 census excluded those persons 


incarcerated for nonpayment of a fine. 


f. 	 Census reports for 1850-70 are unclear as to the definition of lnstltutions used In compiling the data. The clasalflcation 


here is bas~d upon the 1923 census report. 


Figures for juveniles in 1978/79 are for 1979; flgures for juveniles are actually for February 1, 1983 for 1982/83. g. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of the Interior, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 


(1850) Compendium of Seventh Census: 1850; 1854; Table CLXXVI. 


(1880) Report of Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent Classes of the Population of the U.S. as Returned at the Tenth 


Census: 1880; 1888; pg. 562. 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, 0.C. 

(1860,1870) Prisoners, 1923: Crime Conditions in the U.S. as Reflected in Census Statistics of Imprlsoned Ufferders; 1926; 

Table 1. 

(1890,1910) Prisoners and Juvenile Delinquents in the U.S.: 1910; 1918; pgs. 15, 157. 

(1923) Statistical Abstract of the United States: 1925; 1926; pg. 70. 

(1933) Statistical Abstract of the United States: 1935; 1935; pgs. 74, 77. 

(1940) U.S. Census of Population, 1940: Special Reports, Institutionalized Population Fourteen Years of Age and Older; 

1943; pgs. 2, 3, 15. 

(1950) U.S. Census Population 1950: Special Reports, Instltutlonal Population; 1953; pgs. 11, 19. 

(1960) U.S. Census of Population, 1960: Subject Reports, Inmates of Institutions; 1963; pgs. 4, 13. 

(1970) U.S. Census of Population, 1970: Subject Reports, Persons in Institutions and Other Group Uuarters; 1973; pg. 21. 

(1980) 19BO Census of Population, Persons In Institutions and Other Lrwp Uuarters; 1984; pgs. 78-110. 

U.S. Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, National Criminal Justlce Information and Statistics Servlce; 

Washington, D.C. 

(1970) 	 National Jail Census: 1970; 1971; pgs. 10-11. 

(1972) 	 Survey of Inmates of Local Jails: 1972; 1974; Table 0. 

(1972) 	 Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics: 1974; 1975; pg. 434. 

U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justlce and Delinquency Prevention; Washington, U.C. 

(1977,1979) 	 Children in Custody: Mvance Report on the 1979 Census of Public Juvenlle Facilities; 

Children in Custody: Advance Report on the 1979 Census of Private Juvenile Facilltles; 

1980; Tables 1, 2. 

Tables 1, 2. 

(1982) 	 Advance Report on the 1982 Census of Public Juvenile Facilities; 1983; 

Advance Report on the 1982 Census of Private Juvenile Facilities; 1984; 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics; Washington, D.C. 


(1978,1982) Jail Inmates 1982; 1983; pgs. 1-2. 


(1978,1983) The 1983 Jail Census; 19W; pg. 2. 


(1982) Prisoners in 1982; 1983; pg. 2. 

(1983) Bulletin: Prisoners at Mldyear, 1983; 1983; Table 2, pg. 2. 

Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin: The 1983 Jail Census; 1984; pg. 

Source for Population: 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1850-1972) Statistical Abstract of United States: 1976; 1976; pg. 5. 

(1978-1983) Statistical Abstract of the United States: 1983-1984; 1983; pg. 11. 

Table 4. 

Table 4. 

6. 
Table 8-2. Persons Reported Present on a Given Day During the Year in State and Federal Prisons, Jails, and Juvenile Facilities: 

1880-1 983 

State and Federal Total Offenders in Sentenced Offenders 

Prisons and Jail and Other in Jails and Other Juvenile ~acilities~ 

I7eformatoriesa Local Facilities Local Facilities 

Total U.S. Per Per Per Per 

Population 100,000 100,000 100,000 100,000 

in Thousands Total Population Total Population Total Population Total Population 

Notes: 

After 1971, the LEAA reports specify that the totals include only those prisoners with sentences of 1 year or more. 


All figures except 1933 include private juvenile correctional facilities, which received court commitments. 


Figure is for total number convicted. Excludes 1,736 juveniles in jails for whom conviction status was not given. Ifthese 


were included as convicted, the number in jails becomes 115,720. 


Unavailable or not yet published. 


Not separately enumerated. 


Unsentenced inmates were not included between 1904 and 1953. 


Not included here are 4,879 prisoners in 1880 and 2,308 prisoners in 1890. These were included in Table 8-1, and were 


categorized as Leased Out by the census reports. 


The 1904 report excluded those persons incarcerated for nonpayment of a fine. 


The 1982 Children in Custody Survey actually collected data for February 1, 1983. 


Sources: 

U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1880,1910) Prisoners and Juvenile Delinquents in the U.S.: 1910; 1918: pgs. 15, 157. 

(1923) Statistical Abstract of the United States: 1925; 1926; pg. 70. 

(1933) Statistical Abstract of the United States: 1935; 1935: pgs. 71, 74. 

(1940) U.S. Census of Population, 1940: Special Reports, Institutionalized Population Fourteen Years of Age and Older; 

1943: pgs. 2, 3, 15. 


(1950) U.S. Census Population 1950: Special Reports, Institutional Populations: 1953; pg. 2cll. 


(1960) U.S. Census of Population, 1960: Subject Reports, Inmates of Institutions: 1963: pgs. 13, 14. 


(1970) Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970; 1976; pgs. 419-420. 


(1980) 1980 Census of Population, Persons in Institutions and Other Group Quarters; 1984; pgs. 78-110. 


U.S. Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, National Criminal Justice Information and Statistics Service; 

Washington, D.C. 


(1970) National Jail Census: 1970; 1971: pgs. 10-11. 


(1972) Survey of Inmates of Local Jails: 1972; 1974; Table B. 


(1972-1974) 	 Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics: 1976: 1977; pg. 686. 


(1974) Children in Custody: 1974; 1977; pg. 3. 


U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justlce and Delinquency Prevention; Washington, D.C. 


(1977,1979) Children in Custody: Advance Report on the 1979 Census of Public Juvenile Facilities; 1980; Tables 1, 2. 


Children in Custody: Advance Report on the 1979 Census of Private Juvenile Facilities; Tables 1, 2. 


(1982) 	 Advance Report on the 1982 Census of Public Juvenile Facilities; 1983; Table 4. 


Advance Report on the 1982 Census of Private Juvenile Facilities; 1984; Table 4. 


U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics; Washington, D.C. 


(1978,1982) Jail Inmates 1982: 1983; pgs. 1-2. 


(1978.1983) The 1983 Jail Census: 1984: pq. 2. 


(1982) Prisoners in 1982; 1983; pg. i. 


(1983) Bulletin: Prisoners st Midyear, 1983: 1983; Table 2, pg. 2. 


Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin: The 1983 Jail Census: 1984; pg. 6. 


Source for Population: 

U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census: Washington, D.C. 

(1880-1976) 	 Statistical Abstract of the United States: 1976; 1976; pg. 5. 


(1977) Current Population Reports, Series P.25; 1977; no. 706, pg. 2. 

Table 8-3. Rate of Incarceration per 100,000 Population in the Age Categories Most Represented in Correctional 

Institutions: 1880-1982/83 

State and 

All Classes Sentenced Federal 

(Adults and Mults and Juveniles Prisons and 

U.S. U.S. U.S. Juveniles) : kl1 Juveniles: Facilities: Refomatorles 

Population Population Population Percent of Rate per Rate per Rate per Rate per 

Aged 15-19 Aged 20-44 Aged 15-44 Population 100,000 100,000 100,000 lOU,OOO 

(thousands) (tbusands) (thousands) Aged 15-44 Aged 15-44 Aged 1544 Aged 15-44 Aged 20-44 

Notes: 

a. 	 The population in each of the age categories was estimated for 1974. 

b. 	 Data not available. 

c. 	 The 1982 juvenile data are actually fran February 1983. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Oepartment of the Interior, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1850) Compendium of Seventh Census: 1850; 1854; Table CLXXVI. 

(1880) Report of Defective, Oeperdent, and Delinquent Classes of the Population of the U.S. as Returned at the 

Tenth Census: 1880; 1888; pg. 562. 

U.S. 	 Department of Commrce, Bureau of Census; Washington, O.C. 

(1860,1870) Prisoners, 1923: Crime Conditions in the U.S. as Reflected In Census Statistics of Imprisoned Offerders; 

1926; Table 1. 

(1880,1910) Prisoners and Juvenile Delinquents in the U.S.: 1910; 1918; pgs. 15, 157. 

(1923) 	 Statistical Abstract of the United States: 1925; 1926; pg. 70. 

(1933) 	 Statistical Abstract of the United States: 1935; 1935; pga. 71, 74, 77. 

(1940) 	 U.S. Census of Population, 1940: Special Reports, Institutionalized Population Fourteen Years of Age and 

Older; 	 1943; pgs. 2, 3, 15. 

(1950) 	 U.S. Census Population 1950: Special Reports, Institutional Population; 1953; pgs. 11, 19, 2c11. 

(1960) 	 U.S. Census of Population, 1960: abject Reports, Inmates of Institutions; 1963; pgs. 4, 13. 

(1970) 	 U.S. Census of Population, 1970: Subject Reports, Persons in Institutions and Other Group Uuarters; 1973; 

pg. 21. 

(1970) Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970; 1976; pg. 15, 419-420. 

(1980) 1980 Census of Population, Persons in Institutions and Other Group Uuarters; 1984; pgs. 7ti-110. 

U.S. Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, National Criminal Justice Information and Statistics 

Service; Washington, D.C. 


(1970) National Jail Census: 1970; 1971; pgs. 10-11. 


(1972) Survey of Inmates of Local Jails: 1972; 1974; Table 8. 


(1972) Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics: 1974; 1975; pg. 434. 


(1972-1974) 	 Sourcebock of Criminal Justice Statistics: 1976; 1977; pg. 686. 


(1974) Chlldren in Custody: 1974; 1977; pg. 3. 


U.S. 	 Oepartment of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; Washington, U.C. 

(1977,1979) Children in Custody: Advance Report on the 1979 Census of t'ublic Juvenile Facilities; 1980; Tables 1, 2. 

Children in Custody: Mvance Report on the 1979 Census of Prlvate Juvenile Facilities; Tables 1, 2. 

(1982) 	 Advance Report on the 1982 Census of Public Juvenile Facilities; 1983; Table 4. 


Advance Report on the 1982 Census of Private Juvenile Facilities; 1984; Table 4. 


U.S. 	 Oepartment of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics; Washington, D.C. 


(1978,1982) Jail Inmates 1982; 1983; pgs. 1-2. 


(1978,1983) The 1983 Jail Census; 1984; pg. 2. 


(1982) Prisoners in 1982; 1983; pg. 2. 


(1983) Pulletin: Prisoners at Midyear, 1983; 1983; Table 2, pg. 2. 


Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin: The 1983 Jail Census; 1984; pg. 6. 


Source 	 for Population: 

U.S. 	 Oepartment of Commrce, Bureau of the Census; Washington, O.C. 


(1850-1976) Statistical Abstract of the United States: 1976; 1976; pgs. 5, 6. 


(1978-1982) Statistical Abstract of the United States: 1983-1984; 1983; pg. 11. 

Table 8-4. Combined Totals of Persons Present in Local (Jails), State, and Federal Correctional Facilities by 

State: 1880, 1890, 1950-1983 

1880 1890 1950 1960 1970 1970 1978~ 1980 1983~ 

Census Census Census Census Census LEAA BJS Census BJS 

United States 58,609 82,330 264,567 346,015 328,021 337,329 465,553 466,371 655,380 

Northeast 

Maine 

New Hampshire 

Vermont 

Massachusetts 

Rhode Island 

Connecticut 

New York 

New Jersey 

Pennsylvania 

North Central 

Ohio 

Indiana 

Illinois 

Michigan 

Wisconsin 

Minnesota 

Iowa 

Missouri 

North Dakota 

South Dakota 

Nebraska 

Kansas 

South 

Delaware 

Maryland 

District of Columbia 

Virginia 

West Virginia 

North Carolina 

South Carolina 

Georgia 

Florida 

Kentucky 

Tennessee 

Alabama 

Mississippi 

Arkansas 

Louisiana 

Oklahoma 

Texas 

West 

Montana 

Idaho 

Wyoming 

Colorado 

New Mexico 

Arizona 

Utah 

Nevada 

Washington 

Oregon 

California 

Alaska 

Hawaii 

Notes: a. Not separately enumerated. Total for Dakota Territory was 60 in 1880. 

b. Total includes Federal prisoners; individual States exclude Federal prisoners. 

c. Data not clearly obtained. Total reported was 7,818. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Oepartment of Commerce, Bureau of the Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1880,1890) Prisoners and Juvenile Delinquents in the United States: 1910; 1918; pg. 16. 

(1940) Sixteenth Census of the United States: 1940, Population; 1943; pgs. 32-129. 

(1950) 1950 United States Census of Population, Institutional Population; 1953, pgs. 2C-72 to 2C-79. 

(1960) United States Census of Population 1960: Inmates of Institutions; 1963; pgs. 67-82. 

(1970) 1970 Census of Population, Persons in Institutions and Other Group Quarters; 1973; pgs. 74-77, 

78-94. 

(1980) 1980 Census of Population, Persons in Institutions and Other Group Quarters; 1984, pgs. 73-76, 78-1 .. . In. .. 

U.S. 	 Oepartment of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, National Criminal Justice Information 

and Statistics Service; Washington, O.C. 

(1970) Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics: 1973; 1973; pg. 351. 

U.S. 	 Oepartment of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics; Washington, D.C. 

(1978) Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics: 1980; 1981 ; pg. 493, 495. 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin; Washington, O.C. 

(1978,1983) The 1983 Jail Census; 1984; pg. 2. 

(1980) Prisoners in 1980; 1981; pg. 2. 

(1983) Prisoners at Midyear 1983; 1983; pg. 2. 
Table 8-5. Combined Totals of Rates per 100,000 Persons Present in Local, State, and Federal Correctional 

Facilities by 

Unlted States 

Northeast 

Maine 

New Hampshire 

Vermont 

Massachusetts 

Rhode Island 

Connecticut 

New York 

Neb Jersey 

Pennsylvania 

North Central 

Ohio 

Indiana 

Illinols 

Michiosn 

Wlsconsln 

Minnesota 

Iowa 

Missouri 

North Dakota 

South Dakota 

Nebraska 

Kansas 

South 

Delaware 

Maryland 

District of Columbia 

Virginia 

West Viroinla 

North carolina 

South Carolina 

Georois 

Florida 

Kentucky 

Tennessee 

Alabama 

Mississippi 

Arkansas 

Louisiana 

Oklahoma 

Texas 

West 

Montana 

Idaho 

Wyoming 

Colorado 

New Mexico 

Arizona 

Utah 

Nevada 

Washington 

Oregon 

California 

Alaska 

Hawaii 

State: 1880, 1890, 1950-1983 

1880 1890 1950 1960 1970 1970 1978 1980 1983~ 

Census Census Census Census Census LEAA BJS Census 8JS 

117 131 175 193 161 166 21 0 206 283 

143 162 138 141 115 122 135 149 201 

62 77 120 123 73 76 93 96 141 

135 144 238 232 21 1 202 273 258 382 

215 215 135 161 166 61 4 634 223 d 

102 121 352 379 243 173 278 274 292 

63 59 235 219 132 117 117 152 133 

112 126 252 280 21 3 168 280 348 331 

63 103 190 251 196 232 321 291 388 

117 160 283 407 31 5 174 372 356 457 

100 170 292 278 238 274 348 31 0 408 

85 114 189 181 175 172 153 21 1 21 4 

136 139 142 153 171 175 233 229 322 

107 166 201 260 164 198 274 205 350 

Notes: 8. Not separately enumerated. Total for Dakota Territory: 44. 

b. Calculation based on 1982 prellmlnary population. 

c. Statistics not available for calculation or data not obtained. 

d. For 1983, the rate for Olstrlct of Columbla would be 1,138 based on reported total. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census; Washington, O.C. 

(1880,1890) Prisoner and Juvenile Delinquents in the United States: 1910; 1918; pg. 16. 

(1940) Sixteenth Census of the Unlted States: 1940, Population; 1943; pgs. 32-129. 

(1950) 1950 United States Census of Population, Institutional Population; 1953; pgs. 2C-72 to 2C-79. 

(1960) United States Census of Population 1960: Inmates of Instltutlons; 1963; pgs. 67-82. 

(1970) 1970 Census of Population, Persons 11 Institutions and Other Group Quarters; 1973; pgs. 74-77, 

78-94. 

(1980) 1980 Census of Population, Persons In Institutions and Other Group Quarters; 1984, pgs. 73-76, 7~-?in .- . U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, Natlonal Crimlnal Justice Information 

and Statistics Service; Washington, O.C. 

(1970) Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics: 1973; 1973; pg. 351. 

U.S. 	 Department of Justlce, Bureau of Justlce Statlstics; Washington, D.C. 


(1978) Sourcebook of Crlminal Justice Statistics: 1980: 1981: oo. 493. 495. 
 , , ,= , 

U.S. 	 Department of Justlce, Bureau of Justlce Statlstics Bulletin; Washington, D.C. 


(1978,1983) The 1983 Jail Census; 1984; pg. 2. 


(1980) Prisoners in 1980; 1981; pg. 2. 


(1983) Prisoners at Midyear 1983; 1983; pg. 2. 


Sources for Population used to calculate rates: 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census; Washington, D.C. 


Historical Statistics of the United States. Colonial Times to 1970: 1976. 


Statistical Abstract of the United States: 1982-83; 1982; pg. 32. 


Statistical Abstract of the United States: 1983-1984; 1983, pg. 11 

1923 Census, but it is unclear whether or 

not this undercounting also occurred in 

1910. 

In 1917 and in 1922 special inquiries were 

made by the Census Bureau in preparation 

for the census of 1923. The 1917 and 1922 

reports were published in a small bulletin 

not regularly catalogued. Unlike the actual 

census of 1923, this report included persons 

not under sentence in jails and lockups and 

included police stations. Returns for 19 17 

were not as extensive as those for 1922, but 

adjusted comparisons were made in the 

bulletin. These tables indicate that there 

were also declines reported between 1917 

and 1922 in jails. These were attributed to 

probation use and the reduction in draft 

evaders present in jails by 1922. Table 8-6 

summarizes the totals reported present and 

the number of institutions in the 1922 

preliminary Census report compared to the 

1910 and 1923 published Census reports. 

Since the 1922 reports included unsentenced 

persons present and did not give complete 

breakdowns on adjudication status, direct 

comparisons are not possible. Some 

estimates have been made of the resulting 

differences; these are included in Table 8-6. 

Table 8-6 shows that the 1922 survey 

included more institutions than did the 1910 

or 1923 regular Census surveys. Most 

notably, all police stations and chain gangs 

were included. The 1922 report included 

some 6,439 total institutions, almost twice as 

many as those in the 1910 and 1923 reports. 

Of these, 107 were State and Federal 

prisons, 296 were chain gangs, and 24 were 

institutions operated by private charitable 

groups for women. The rest (6,012) were 

city or county jails and police stations; of 

these, 1,960 reported prisoners on the day 

of the inquiry and 253 did not respond 

(these were thought to have had no 

prisoners). The 1923 report which limited 

itself to only sentenced prisoners included 

3,571 institutions, far fewer than did the 

1922 report; however, more facilities were 

included in 1923 than in 1910. 

A comparison of the total number of jails 

canvassed in 1923 and 1910 indicates that 

the 1923 report included 379 more jails than 

did the 1910 report, but 750 of the jails in 

1923 were classified as nonreporting. The 

1923 report indicated that these were 

thought to contain few, if any more, 

prisoners. The 1910 report does not 

indicate the number of nonreporting jails. 

Because 1923 counted only those under 

sentence, estimates of those under sentence 

for 1922 must be made in order to achieve 

comparable figures. The 1922 report 

provides some information on the number 

of sentenced persons in county jails (54 

percent of the total) but does not provide 

information on the number sentenced in city 

jails and police station lockups. The report 

does indicate that the percent of sentenced 

prisoners was thought to be lower in police 

stations. Based upon the number sentenced 

in county jails, Table 8-6 includes some 

estimates for the total sentenced in 1922. 

These comparisons indicate that the 1923 

census reported about 20,000 fewer 

sentenced prisoners than the estimated 

number for 1922. The estimated rate of 

sentenced prisoners was about 118 to 122 

per 100,000 population for 1922, about the 

same as that reported for 1910. 

Thus, it is probable that the 1923 report had 

undercounts of about 20,000 jail inmates. It 

is not clear, however, whether the 1910 

report may have had a similar degree of 

undercounting, since the 1923 report 

included more facilities than did the 1910 

report. Hence, there may have been a 

decline in the period in rate per 100,000 

population, while both 1910 and 1923 

underreported jail inmates. It may be that 

both the 1910 and 1923 regular Census 

reports excluded a certain number of local 

facilities holding mostly unsentenced 

prisoners, and also a number of those under 

minor sentence. 

In summary, it appears that the 1910 and 

1923 Census may have undercounted the 

number of sentenced prisoners if the 1922 

report is to be accepted. Without 

examination of institution by institution 

reports for each year and more information 

on the number of sentenced prisoners in 

municipal jails, any conclusion is tentative. 

Military Prisoners 

The Census of 1880 reported a total of 468 

prisoners present in military prisons. 

Reports after 1890 until 1933 did not 

include military prisons. In 1933 the Census 

Bureau series "Prisoners in State and Federal 

Prisons and Reformatories" began to include 

a number of tables on military prisons. 

This practice was continued until 1946. 

Appendix C includes several tables from 

these reports, as well as more recent tables 

taken from the American Correctional 

Association and from the Sourcebook of 

Criminal Justice Statistics. 

In 1933 the total present in army and naval 

prisons was recorded as 421, and in 1940, 

the total was 486. During the war years this 

total increased, so that by 1945 the total was 

32,253. In commenting on this increase, the 

Census Bureau noted that although the 

civilian prison population had declined over 

the period of the war, the total present in 

civilian and military prisons actually 

increased by 2 percent. The report 

indicated that most of those present in the 

military prisons were there for military 

violations and not civilian offenses; 

therefore, it was true that the number 

present for civilian offenses had declined 

over the period (Census Bureau, "Prisoners 

in State and Federal Prisons, 1946;" p.103). 

More recent data indicate that the total 

present in army facilities (not including 

other branches) was 4,266 in 1973 during 

the Viet Nam War. By 1982 the total 

present in army facilities had declined to 

2,655. By the early 1980's the total present 

in all military facilities was about 4,771 (see 

Appendix C). 

Relative Use 

Table 4-4 in the chapter on jails has 

presented a comparison of the relative use 

of jails, and State and Federal prisons. This 

comparison indicates that jails currently 

house about one-third of those present in 

adult correctional facilities on a given day. 

This proportion has declined only slightly 

since 1880. In 1880, it was reported that 39 

percent of the total were in jails. In 1980, 

the corresponding proportion was 34 

percent. However, a larger proportion of 

those presently in jails are awaiting 

disposition than was the case in earlier 

decades (see Table 4-4). 

Offense Distribution 

In the years 1880 and 1910 it was possible 

to obtain the distribution of offenses only 

for the combined totals of jails and prisons. 

Table 8-7 presents this information along 

with the combined total distribution of 

offense for 1923 and a distribution obtained 

for 1972 by combining separate State, 

Federal, and jail reports for this year. 

These data demonstrate the relative 

consistency of the distribution of offenses 

over the period. The major changes were 

the growth in robbery (and corresponding 

decline in larceny) and drug offenses. To 

some extent the growth in robbery is related 

to changes in legal classification (see 

Chapter 111). 

Table 8-8 presents the distribution of 

offenses for all adults committed under 

sentence during the years 1910 and 1923. 

(Recent data on offenses of jail prisoners 

received, which could be combined with 

State and Federal distributions, were not 

located.) In 1923, of the total number of 

prisoners received in State and Federal 

prisons and jails under sentence, 75 percent 

were received for morals/order charges. 

Given the similarity of the 1923 distribution 

for those present with more recent 

distributions, it can be expected that the 

current distribution of those received would 

not be too dissimilar. 
-- - 

Table 8-7. 	 Percentage Distribution of Offenses Reported for Jail, State, and Federal Inmates Present on a Given Day 

During the Year: Selected Years 1880-1972/7ja 

Principal Mast 5erlous 

Offenses of Offenses of Offense of Pbst Serlous 

Offenses of Sentenced Sentenced Sentenced Offense of 

Category and Offense All Inmgtes Inmates Inmates Inmates Ail Inmates 

1880 191 0 1923 1972/73' 1972/7jc 

Person 

Homlclde, P4anslaughterd 

Assault 

ape^ 

Otherf 

Total 

Property 

Robbery 

Embezzlement, 

Forgery, ~raud' 


Burglary 


All Larceny 


Arson 


Stolen Property 


Total 

Morals, Order, 

Goverrment Charges 

Other Sex-Related Crlmes 

Liquor-Law Vlolatlons 

kunkenness 

Disorderly Conduct 

Vagrancy 

hug-Law Violations 

Gambling 

Traffic violatlonsh 

Malicious Mischlef 

Carrying and Possessing 

Lapo ns 


bnsupprt 


Revenue-Related Offenses 


Military Crimes. 


Custody charges1 


National Security 


Violations 


Crimes Related to 


the Admln. of ~0vt.j 


Total 

otherk 

Total Reported 

Unknown or Unclear 

Notes: 

a. 	 The figures lnclude inmates In all local, State and Federal correctional lnstltutlons, except juveniles and 

offenders in mllitary prlsons and mental hospitals. In 1973, reports of offense distrlbutlon wlthln State 

prlsons included only those prisoners whose sentences were at least 1 year. tlecause of rounding, flgures do 

not always total 100 percent. 

b. 	 Eleven percent of the total were classlfled as awaltlng trlal. 

c. 	 Recent surveys of lnmates In the local, State, and Federal facllltles have been conducted ~ndependently. The 

mst recent jail survey was canpleted In 1972. Thls has been cmblned wlth a Federal report for the same year 

and with the closest survey of state instltutlons, In 1973. Those flgures marked "p" were not categorized 

separately by all three surveys. The "Other" category may contaln a percentage of these offense types. 

d. 	 In the 1972 jall survey, kidnapping 1s grouped with homlclde. 

e. 	 Includes statutory rape. 

f. 	 Includes kidnapplny and sexual assault other than rape. 

g. 	 Extortion and counterfeltlng are also lncluded in thls category. 

h. 	 Usually driving under the influence of alcohol. 

1. 	 Includes escape, harboring a criminal, and parole violations. 

J. 	 Includes unlawful ~mmigratlon, perjury, contempt, and related offenses. 

k. 	 Varies in content because of changes in categorization detall, but is largely restricted to those offenses 

mounting to less than 1 percent of the total. Surveys In 1910 and 1972-73 provlded much less detail descrlbiny 

the specific crimes than dld those In 1880 or 1923; hence thls category 1s much larger In the former cases. 

m. 	 Not specified. 

n. 	 In 1910, disorderly conduct 1s canbined wlth the flgures under the category entltled "drunkenness." In 


1972-73, vagrancy and drunkenness are canbined. 


p. 	 See footnote "C". 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of the Interlor, Census Offlce; Washlngton, D.C. 

(1880) 	 Report on the Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent Classes of the Population of the Unlted 

States, as Returned at the Tenth Census: 1880; 1888; pgs. 504-510. 

U.S. 	 Department of Comwrce, Bureau of Census; Washlngton, U.C. 


(1910, 1923) Prisoners 1923; 1926; pgs. 198-199. 


U.S. 	 Department af Justice, Bureau of Prlsons, National Prlsoner statistics; Washlngton, D.C. 


(1972) Statistical Report, Flscal Years 1971 and 1972; 1974; pg. 56. 


U.S. Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Admlnlstratlon, Natlonal Crlmlnal Information and 

Statistics 	Service; Washlngton, D.C. 


(1972) Survey of Inmates of Local Jalls: 1972; 1973; pg. 17. 


(1973) Census of Prisoners In State Correctional Facllltles: 1973; 1977; pgs. ZU-216. 

Table 8-8. Percentage Distribution of Offenses Reported for Jail, State, and Federal 

Inmates Received: 1910, 1923 

Offense of Sentenced Offense of Sentenced 

Adults Received Adults Received 

Category and Offense On All Levels: On All Levels: 

1910 1923~ 

Person 

Homicide, Manslaughter 

Assault 

Rape 

Total 	 5.7 

Property 

Robbery 

Embezzlement, Forgery, Fraud 

Burglary 

All Larceny 

Total 	 12.8 

Morals, Order, Government Charges 

Other Sex-related Crimes 1.3 

Liquor-law Violations 1.6 

Drunkenness, Vagrancy, Disorderly Conduct 66.6 

Drug-law Violations 0.1 

Traffic Violations b 

Carrying and Possessing Weapons 1.4 

Nonsupport 0.6 

City Ordinance Violations 1.I 

Malicious Mischief 2.1 

Gambling 1.5 

Total 	 76.3 

Other 	 5.2 

Total Reported 

Not Reported 

Notes: 

a. 	 The jail survey for this year was based on reports received for the first 6 months 

of the year; the year's figures were then estimated by the Census Bureau. 

b. 	 Not enumerated. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1910, 1923) Prisoners 1923; 1926; Table 14. 

(1933) 	 County and City Jails: Prisoners in Jails and Other Penal Institutions 

under County or Municipal Jurisdiction 1933; 1935; Table 35. 
Characteristics 

Table 8-9 is a summary of information in 

the 1890 Census report on the characteristics 

of persons present in prisons and jails. 

APPENDIX A 


SUMMARY OF INSTITUTIONALIZATION RATES 


AS REPORTED BY THE CENSUS BUREAU 

APPENDIX A 

SUMMARY OF INSTITUTIONALIZATION 

RATES AS REPORTED BY THE CENSUS 

BUREAU 

The tables in this appendix summarize 

Census Bureau data on the number of 

persons present in institutions since 1850, 

when the first counts were made, up to 

1980. Examination of these tables places 

into context the changes that occurred in 

prison populations over the same period. 

These reports indicate that, of all 

institutions, only correctional facilities and 

homes for the aged are currently undergoing 

increases. 

Data Sources 

In addition to data on prisons, the Census 

Bureau collected counts of persons present 

in other forms of institutions at 

approximately 10-year intervals. As is the 

case with prisons, data prior to 1880 are 

viewed as incomplete. Since 1880, reporting 

methods and inclusiveness also varied, and 

there are significant problems with data 

comparability. However, this source, 

despite problems, represents the only 

national information spanning the period. 

Attempts have been made to note all 

significant variations, and in certain years 

estimates are made of omissions, based on 

other information. These are noted as 

estimates in the tables. 

In presenting the data, the time span was 

divided into three periods: 1850- 1890, 

1904- 1933, and 1940- 1980. These represent 

three different periods in the way the data 

were reported (see Chapter I). 

Table A-1 presents the number and rate per 

100,000 reported present in institutions for 

the 1850 to 1890 censuses. Prior to 1880, the 

only two forms of institutionalization 

reported were almshouses and prisons. 

While these two categories probably 

constituted the largest percent of those in 

institutional quarters, it is well known that 

other types of institutions existed. About 

20 mental asylums were in existence by 

1850, and the first public facility for 

juvenile delinquents was established in 1825 

in New York. Later Census takers have 

noted that the 1850 report probably overestimates the number in almshouses due to 

inclusion of some outdoor paupers and 

underreports the number in prisons and 

houses of correction due to omissions. 

As was the case with prisons, the first year 

that reports are considered comparable to 

later years was 1880. In this year, extensive 

reports were taken of those in almshouses, 

prisons and reformatories, mental hospitals, 

schools for juvenile delinquents, homes/ 

schools for the mentally handicapped, and 

schools/homes for the deaf and blind. The 

1890 report added the category of other 

"benevolent institutions," largely consisting 

of homes for the aged and chronically ill. 

The period can be characterized by 

increases not only in prisons but also in 

mental hospitals and other forms of 

specialized institutions and by declines in 

almshouses. In this period the number of 

mental hospitals increased from 20 in 1850 

to 162 in 1890. Nevertheless, in 1890 a 

large portion of those in almshouses were 

still classified as mentally ill or physically 

ill. Of the total reported in almshouses in 

1890, 23 percent were listed as insane, 5 

percent blind, 1 1 percent feeble-minded, 13 

percent crippled, and 18 percent had some 

other disability. More than half were over 

50 years old. 

Commenting on the trends observable from 

1850 to 1890, the census reporters noted 

that the growth in prisons was offset by the 

decline in almshouses. However, they noted 

that the increase in the population of other 

charitable institutions (not previously 

included) was known to have been, "rapid, 

absolutely and relatively," (Bureau of 

Census, "Crime, Pauperism and Benevolence 

at the Eleventh Census of the United 

States," 1895; p. 11). 
Table A-I. Number and Rate of Institutionalized Persons as Counted by U.S. Census: 1850-1890 

Corrections (Jails, State, Federal) 

Number 

Rate per 100,000 

Rate per 100,000 20 to 44 

Training School for Juvenile 

Delinquents/Detention Centers 

Number 

Rate per 100,000 

Rate per 100,000 Aged 15 to 19 

Almshouses (Paupers) 

Number 

Rate per 100,000 

Mental Hospitals and Residential 

Treatment Centers 

Number 

Rate per 100,000 

Homes and Schools for Mentally 

Handicapped 

Number 

Rate per 100,000 

Homes for Dependent/Neglected 

Children 

Number 

Rate per 100,000 

Homes/Schools for Blind and Deaf 

Number 

Rate per 100,000 

Other Benevolent Institutions/ 

Hospitals 

Number 

Rate per 100,000 

Total 

Number 

Rate per 100,000 

Notes: 

a. 	 Censuses of prisoners before 1880 were generally thought to be incmplete by those working 

on subsequent reports. 

b. 	 Not separately enumerated. 

c. 	 Prior to 1880, census acccunts tried to report the total number of "insane" in the population, but did not note the number in special institutions. In 1850, only 20 special instltutions were in existence; by 189U, there were 162 reported. In 1850, the census reported 

a total of 15,610 insane persons; in 1860, 24,042; in 1870, 37,432 and in 1880, 91,997 of 

vhom 45 percent were in instltutlons for the insane. Another percentage of the "insane" 

were in almshouses. 

d. 	 Prior to 1880, census acccunts tried to report the total number of "idlots" in the ppulation but did not note the number in special institutions. Prior to 1900, almost all in 

this grwp who were in institutions were in almshouses. In 1890, there were 24 institutions reported; in 1910, there were 63. The 1850 census reported 15,787 "idiots"; 1860 

reported 18,930, 1870 reported 24,527, and 1880 reported 76,895 of whom 3 percent were in 

special schools or homes. 

e. 	 The 1890 census is the first to report the number of dependent children in special homes. 

The 1880 census reports the number of homeless children but does not clarify where these 

children were to be found; 9,486 have been shtracted frm the total of 54,883 homeless 

children reported because this is the number under 16 in almshouses for the same year. 

f. 	Some of the earliest census ccunts are those of the total deaf and blind in the population; 

towever, separate institutional counts are available only spradlcally. In 1850 there 

were 19,597 deaf and blind reported; in 1880 there were 82,806 of which 9 percent were in 

schools/homes. 

g. 	 Not enumerated. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of Interior, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1850) Compendium of the Seventh Census: 1850; 1954. 

(1860) Compendium of the Eighth Census: 1860; 1864. 

(1870,1880) Report on Defective, Dependent and Delinquent Classes as Returned at the 

Tenth Census: 1880; 1888. 

(1 890) Crime, Pauprim and Benevolence at the Eleventh Census of the United States: 

1890, Vol. 11, Part 1; 1895. 
Comparisons of the population of the 

various institutions by national origin and 

race was an abiding concern of census 

takers in this period. There was a special 

focus on the country of origin for foreignborn inmates. Summarizing the differences 

between institutions, the 1890 census taker 

notes: 

In other words the benevolent 

institutions absorb a large proportion 

of the native white population; the 

almshouses and hospitals for the 

insane, a large proportion of foreign 

born white population; and the prisons 

a large proportion of the colored 

population (Census Bureau, 1895; p.8). 

Commenting on the differences in ages of 

those in different forms of institutionalization, the Census report of 1890 noted: 

"Crime is the experience of youth; 

pauperism on the contrary is an experience 

of old age." (Census Bureau, 1896; p. 284) 

Table A-2 summarizes the numbers aild 

rates reported per 100,000 total population 

for the years 1904 to 1933. Since in these 

years separate reports were completed for 

the differing types of institutions, data were 

combined from a number of reports. In 

1933, only partial reports were completed, 

and there is no information on the category 

"benevolent institutions" as reported in 

earlier censuses. The last year in which a 

report was done on almshouses was 1923. 

By the late 1930's, few if any of these 

institutions were in operation. Most of 

almshouses were closed or converted to 

homes for the aged, hospitals, or jails. 

Correspondingly in this period, there was a 

continued increase in mental hospitals and 

homes for the mentally handicapped. 

Homes for dependent and neglected children 

increased slightly up to 1923 and by the 

1933 report had begun a decline in rate per 

100,000 total population that was to 

continue into 1980. The Census reports 

began to talk about deinstitutionalization of 

children by 1904. The report in 1904 notes: 

During the last decade there have been 

marked changes in the methods of 

dealing with juvenile delinquents, and 

these changes have been in the 

direction of noninstitutionalization in 

the case of first offenders. (Bureau of 

Census, 1907; p.227) 

The reports on the children under 

institutional care in 1923 and 1933 for the 

first time reported the numbers in foster 

care. In 1923, about 33 percent of the 

children under care were in foster care. By 

1933, the percent had increased somewhat to 

about 42 percent. 

As indicated in earlier chapters, information 

on the number of jail inmates between 1904 

and 1933 omits those not under sentence. 

Estimates of the total number of persons 

present as of the time of the count can be 

made on the basis of the percent under 

sentence in the years before and after this 

period. Table A-2 in reporting prison and 

jail data includes both the numbers reported 

and estimates for the totals including 

unsentenced inmates. As discussed in 

Chapter VIII, these figures indicate there 

were increases up to 1910 in total 

corrections population, a decline by 1923 

(although 1923 may have had some 

omissions), and large increases by 1933. 

Table A-3 presents numbers and rates of 

persons under care for the period 1940-

1980. As indicated in previous chapters, in 

1940, analysis of institutional population 

data was done in connection with analysis 

of the work force. For this reason, the 

tables of the report include only those aged 

14 years and older. The text of the report 

published by the Census Bureau provides 

indications of the numbers this policy 

caused to be omitted, and these have been 

included in the tables. Some estimates for 

correctional and mental health facilities 
Table A-2. Number and Rate of Institutionalized Persons as Counted by U.S. Census: 1904-1933 

Correct ions 

Number as Reported 81 ,7 7za 


Rate per 100,000 100.6 


Estimate of Number if 


Msentenced Prisoners 

Included 97,308 


Estimated Rate per 100,000 118.4 


Rate per Age 20 to 44 339.8 


Training School for Juvenile 

Delinquents/Detention Centers 

Number 23,034 


Rate per 100,000 28.0 


Rate per 100,000 Aged -15 to 2 303.0 


Almshouses (Paupers) 

Number 


Rate per 100,000 


Nental Hospitals 

Number 


Rate per 100,000 


Homes and Schools for Mentally 

Handicapped 

Number 


Rate per 100,000 


Homes for Dependent/ 

Neglected Children 

Number 


Rate per 100,000 


Homes for Adults or Adults and 

Children 

Number 


Rate per 100,000 


Hospitals and sanitariumsg 

Number 


Rate per 100,000 


Institutions for Blind and Deaf 

Number 


Rate per 100,000 


Homes for Unwed Mothers 

Number 


Rate per 100,000 


Total 

Number 649,80 7 


Rate per 100,000 790.9 


Number Excluding Hospitals 578,380 


Rate per 100,000 703.9 

Notes: 

a. 	 Reports from 1904 to 1933 did not count those in jails who were under sentence. These 

are included in reports from 1880 and 1890 and after 1933. The 1904 report also did not 

include those in prison for non-payment of fines. 

b. 	 Corrections for the omission of those not under sentence can be made based upon the percent 

in jails who were not sentenced in 1880 and 1890 and in years after 1933. These corrections were made and are included in the table. 

c. 	 All years except 1933 include phlic and private facilities. Private facilities are 


excluded in 1933. 


d. 	 After 1923, no reports were done on almshouses. By 1923, 75 percent of inhabitants were 

over 50. Increasingly those with physical or mental ailments and children were removed 

from almhouses, so that they became precursors of current homes for aged. 

e. 	 Includes separate facilities for epileptics. In 1923, there were 8,777 reported inmates 

in special facilities for epileptics. 

f. 	 In 1904, this category was reported to include homes for aged with and without means, 

persons afflicted with incurable diseases and otherwise disabled. Some were specialized, 

others not. Also included unemployed, temporary shelters, families, wayfarers. These 

institutions were distinct from poorhouses. Attempts were made to exclude places operated 

for profit. 

g. 	 This included primarily hospitals which were open to give treatment to all regardless of 

mans to pay. In 1923, the report on hospitals concentrated on treatment episodes and did 

not give number present on given day. 

h. 	 Separately reported for first time. Continues into 1980 Census. Listed as reason for 

entrance into poorhouses in some years prior to this. 

i. 	An additional 102,577 were reported in foster care under state supervision in 1933. In 

1923, the number in foster care was 78,211. 

j. 	 Not enumerated. 

Sources: 

U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1904) 	 Paupers in Almshouses: 1904; 1905. 

Benevolent Institutions: 1904; 1905. 

Prisoners and Juvenile Delinquents: 1904; 1907. 

Insane and Feeble-Minded in Institutions: 1904; 1906. 

(191 0) 	 Paupers in Almshouses: 1910; 1918. 

Benevolent Institutions: 191 0 ; 1918. 

Prisoners and Juvenile Delinquents: 1910; 1918. 

Insane and Feeble-Minded in Institutions: 1910; 1914. 

(1 923) 	 Children Under Institutional Care: 1923; 1927. 

Paupers in Almshouses: 1923; 1926. 

Prisoners: 1923; 1926. 

Patients in Hospitals for Mental Disease: 1923; 1927. 

Hospitals and Dispensaries; 1925. 

Feeble-Minded and Epileptics in Institutions; 1926. 

(1933) 	 Patients in Hospitals for Mental Disease: 1933; 1935. 


Mental Defectives and Epileptics in Institutions: 1933; 1935. 


Children Under Institutional Care and In Foster Homes, 1933; 1935. 


Juvenile Delinquents in Public Institutions; 1936. 


Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories, 1933; 1937. 

Table A-3. Number and Rate of Persons Under Care 1940-1980 

1 940a 1950 1960 1970 1980 

(~ncludes a 

large amount 

of estlmated 

data) 

Number 

Rate per 100,000 

Rate per 100,000 aged 20-44 

Number 

Rate per 100,000 

Rate per 100,000 aged 15-19 

Homes for Aged/Oependent 

Number 

Rate per 100,000 

Rate per 100,000 aged 65 and over 

245,026~ 

184.9 

2713.2 

296,783 

196.1 

2418.9 

469,717 

261.9 

2846.8 

927,514 

456.4 

4684.4 

1,426,371 

629.7 

5582.2 

Mental Hospltals/Resldentlal Treatment 

Number 

Rate per 100,000 

593,165~ 

447.8 

613,628 

405.5 

630,046 

351.3 

433,890 

213.5 

255,284 

112.8 

Homes/Schools for Mentally Handicapped 

Number 

Rate per 100,000 

lncluded 

below 

134,189 

88.7 

174,727 

97.4 

201,992 

99.4 

149,421 

66.0 

Homes for Dependent/Neglected Chlldren 

Number 

Rate per 100,000 

150,000~ 

113.2 

96,300 

63.6 

73,306 

40.9 

47,594 

23.4 

38,281 

16.9 

Homes for Unwed Mothers 

Number 

Rate per 100,000 

lncluded 

below 

3,135 

2.1 

3,497 

2.0 

4,209 

2.1 

1,623 

.7 

Homes for Chronlc Disease/ 

Physically Handlcapped/TB 

Number 

Rate per 100,000 

lncluded 

below 

117,374 

77.6 

131,776 

73.5 

106,771 

52.5 

95,392 

42.1 

Other/Not Reported 

Number 

Rate per 100,000 

23,430~ 

17.7 

1, 367d 

.8 

Total Number 

Rate per 100,OO 

1 ,328,79za 

1003.1 

1,566,846 

1035.4 

1,886,967 

1052.3 

2,126,719 

1046.6 

2,492,157 

1100.3 

Notes: 

a. 	 The 1940 census report on lnstltutlonal population contalns tables presenting results only for those 14 

years of age or older. The text, however, contalns some mentlon of the number below age 14 for certaln 

categories. Where possible, adjustments to the numbers reported have been made to Include those left 

out. Based on the text, 1,800 persons were added to the number In mental hospitals and 150,000 were 

lncluded as the total In Homes for Dependent and Neglected Chlldren. The total number ln juvenlle 

correctional facllltles was estlmated by utlllzlng Bureau of Prlson data for the same year on total 

In State and Federal prlsons and subtracting thls from the total reported excluding jalls. 

b. 	 In 1970, LEAA reported 160,863 In jails and 196,429 In State and Federal prlsons. Thla total (357,292) 

1s 29,272 more than census reports for the same year. It 1s uncertain as to whether LEAA surveys done 

separately contalned dupllcatlon. The 1980 estimates are also somewhat lower In census data than BJS 

reports In a slmllar tlme frame. 

c. 	 In 1940, reports dld not break out several categorl~s lncluded In subsequent reports. Excludes chlldren 

under 14. 

d. 	 Olagnostlc and reception centers In 1960. 

Sources: 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

(1940) U.S. Census of Pooulation, 1940: S~eclal Revorts. Instltutlonallzed Pooulatlon, Fourteen Years , . of Age and Older; 1943. 

(1950) U.S. Census of Populatlon, 1950: Speclal Reports, Instltutlonal Populatlon; 1953. 

(1960) U.S. Census of Populatlon, 1960: Subject Reports, Inmates of Instltutlons; 1963. 

(1970) U.S. Census of Povulatlon. 1970: Subiect Reoorts. Persons In Instltutlons and Other G~OUD 

Quarters; 1973. 

(1984) Data for 1980 census from unpublished data obtalned from Famlly Studles Dlvlslon; 1984. 
have also been obtained from other reports 

and added to the numbers reported in 

tables. It is clear from even the numbers 

reported that the rate of institutionalization 

in 1940 was the highest ever recorded in the 

U.S. up to that date. 

During the period from 1950 to 1980 the 

Census Bureau had relatively consistent 

institutional categories. The period since 

1950, especially after 1960, has been one in 

which "deinstitutionalization" has been a 

dominant theme in social welfare policy. In 

the area of child welfare, this policy has 

been followed by "permanency planning" 

and the attempt to reduce use of foster care 

as well. The period has witnessed dramatic 

declines in mental hospitals and in homes 

for dependent and neglected children, and 

lesser declines in facilities for the mentally 

handicapped. It should be noted that 

admission data (not available in Census 

reports) present a different picture of the 

use of institutions, since admissions have 

not declined (see Lerman, P. 

Deinstitutionalization and the Welfare State; 

1982). 

However, looking only at counts of those 

present, the total rates of institutionalization 

are kept high by the large increases in 

homes for the aged between 1950 and 1980. 

Table A-3 shows that increases in rates have 

occurred, not only relative to the population 

as a whole, but also, to a lesser extent, if 

one considers only the population over 65 

years of age. 

This summary indicates that apart from 

homes for the aged, correctional facilities 

are the only institutions not undergoing a 

decline from rates of the 1940's. However, 

compared to other institutions, correctional 

rates have been relatively more stable over 

time. 
APPENDIX B 


PERSONS EXECUTED UNDER STATE AUTHORITY 


BY STATE BY DECADE: 1864 - 1984 

Table 6-1. Persons Executed Under State Authority by State by Decade: 1864-1984~ 

1890'sb 1900's 1910's 1920's 1930's 1940's 1950's 1960's 1970's 1980- Total 

and Before 1984' 

TOTAL 

Whlte 128 169 324 506 700 41 9 300 92 2 9 2649 

Race Unknown (29) (37) (26) (51) (79) (55) (32) (1) (0) (0) (310) 

Murder 212 281 570 96 1 1383 980 564 152 3 29 51 34 

Rape 0 5 40 69 112 172 92 28 

Other 0 3 26 8 28 23 19 8 

Offense unknown (2) (9) (4) 

Alabama 

(1927-1963) 

Total 

Whlte 


Murder 


Rape 


Other 


Whlte 


Murder 


Rape 


Other 


Arkansas 

(1913-1964 ) 

Total 

Whlte 


Race Unknown 


Murder 


Rape 


Other 


Callfornla 

(1893-1967) 

Total 36 48 46 78 107 83 74 30 

Whlte 17 17 21 29 59 51 49 19 

Race Unknown (9) (20) (11) (37) (25) (8) 

Murder 36 48 45 78 102 81 71 26 

Rape 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 

Other 0 0 1 0 5 2 3 4 

Colorado 

(1890-1967) 

Total 12 7 4 7 2 5 13 3 6 

Whlte 2 3 1 4 13 8 1 5 

Race Unknown (9) (3) (3) (3) (7) (5) (2) 


Murder 12 7 4 7 2 5 13 3 6 


Rape 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 


Other 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 


Total 


Whlte 


Murder 


Rape 


Other 


Dlstrlct of 

Columbla 

(1853-1957) 

Total 34 14 3 15 21 22 4 

Whlte 14 5 1 (1 0 7 1 


Murder 34 13 2 14 21 19 4 


Rape 


Other 


Notes: 

a. 	 Does not lnclude executlons under local authorlty. Except for Dlstrlct of Columbla, data 1s presented from 1864 to 1984. 


The earllest recorded execution under State authorlty was In 186h. 


b. 	 Includes 57 executlons prlor to 1890. 

c. 	 Does not lnclude executlons after year end 1984. 

d. 	 Data by State does not lnclude breakdown by race for 1984 executlons whlch was not obtained. 

Source: 	 Data tabulated by Westat from a llstlng complled by Negley K. Teeters and Charles J. Zlbulka, 1864 to 1967, and 

revlsed by M. Watt Espy, Jr. Llstrng published In Bowers, Wllllam; Plerce, Glenn; and McOevltt, John; Legal Homlclde: 

Death as Punlshment In Amerlca 1864-1982, Northeastern Unlverslty Press, Boston, 1984. Data from 1981 to 1984 taken 

from BJS Bulletln, "Capltal Punlshment 1983" and BJS Bulletln "Capltal Punlshment 1984." 
Table 0-1. Persons Executed Under State Authority by State by Decade: 1864-1984~ (Continued) 

1890'sb 1900's 1910's 1920's 1930's 1940's 1950's 1960's 1970's 1980- Total 

and Before 1984' 

Murder 


Rape 


Other 


w1964) 

Total 

Whlte 

Race Unknown 

Murder 

Rape 

Other 

Whlte 


Murder 


Rape 


Other 


Total 

Whlte 

Race Unknown 

Murder 

Rape 

Other 

Indlana 

(1897-1981 ) 

Total 1 12 4 12 33 7 2 1 1 73 

Whlte 0 6 2 7 26 5 1 1 1 49 

Murder 1 12 4 12 33 7 2 1 1 73 

Rape 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 

Other 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 

Iowa 

m94-1963) 

Total 2 1 1 8 8 7 1 3 

Whlte 2 0 0 6 8 7 1 3 


Murder 


Rape 


Other 


Kansas 

(194q-1965) 

Total 

Whlte 


Murder 


Rape 


Other 


%%%962) 

Total 

Whlte 

Murder 

Rape 

Other 

Notes: 

a. 	 Does not lnclude executlons under local authorlty. Except for Olstrlct of Columbia, data 1s presented from 1864 to 1984. 

The earllest recorded execution under State authorlty was In 1864. 

b. 	 Includes 57 executlons prlor to 1890. 

c. 	 Does not lnclude executlons after year end 1984. 

d. 	 Data by State does not lnclude breakdown by race for 1984 executlons whlch was not obtained. 

Source: 	 Data tabulated by Westat from a llstlng compiled by Negley K. Teeters and Charles .I.Zlbulka, 1864 to 1967, and 

revlsed by M. Watt Espy, Jr. Llstlng published In Bowers, Wllllam; Plerce, Glenn; and McDevltt, John; Legal Hornlclde: 

Death as Punlshment In Arnerlca 1864-1982, Northeastern Unlverslty Press, Boston, 1984. Data from 1981 to 1984 taken 

from BJS Bulletin, "Capltal Punlshment 1983" and BJS Bulletin "Capltal Punlshment 1984." 
Table 8-1. Persons Executed Under State Authority by State by Decade: 1864-19~4~(Continued) 

1890'sb 1900's 1910's 1920's 1930's 1940's 1950's 1960's 1970's 1980- Total 

and BeFore 1984' 

Louisiana 

(1957-1961) 

Total 

Whlte 

Murder 

Rape 

Other 

,-- -. Total 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 

Whlte 6 

Murder 7 

Rape 0 

Other 0 

?%%961) 

Total 

Whlte 

Murder 

Rape 

Other 

Massachusetts 

(1901-1947) 

Total 9 13 16 18 9 

Whlte 3 10 12 8 2 

Race Unknown (3) (3) (3) (10) (7) 

Murder 9 13 16 18 9 

Rape 0 0 0 0 0 

Other 

Whlte 

Murder 

Rape 

Other 

Mlssourl 

(1938-1965) 

Total 

Whlte 

Murder 

Rape 

Other 

White 

Murder 

Rape 

Other 

Nevada 

(1905-1978) 

Total 

Whlte 

Race Unknown 

Murder 

Rape 

Other 

Notes: 

a. Does not lnclude executions under local authority. 

b. Includes 57 executlons prlor to 1890. 

c. Does not lnclude executlons after year end 1984. 

d. Data by State does not lnclude breakdown by race for 1984 executlons whlch was not obtained. 

Source: 	 Data tabulated by Westat from a llstlng complled by Negley K. Teeters and Charles 3. Zlbulka, 1864 to 1967, and 

revlsed by M. Watt Espy, Jr. Llsting published In Bowers, Wllllam, Plerce, Glenn, and McDevltt, John, Legal Homlclde, 

Death as Punlshment In Amerlca 19864-1982, Northeastern University Press, Boston, 1984. Data from 1981 to 1984 taken 

from 835 Bulletln, "Capltal Punlshment 1983" and BJS Bulletln "Capltal Punlshment 1984." 
Table 8-1. Persons Executed Under State Authority by State by Decade: 1864-1984~ (Continued) 

1890'sb 1900's 1910's 1920's 1930's 1940's 1950's 1960's 1970's 1980- Total 

or Before 1984~ 

(1869-


1900) 


Total 9 0 2 0 1 

Whlte 8 2 1 

Race Unknown (1 ) 

Murder 9 2 1 

Rape 0 0 0 

Other 0 0 0 

Total 

Whlte 

Race Unknown 

Murder 

Rape 

Other 

New Mexlco 

(1933-1960) 

Total 

Whlte 

Race Unknown 

Murder 

Rape 

Other 

New York 

(1890-1963) 

Total 51 66 121 125 154 114 55 10 

Whlte 29 57 99 106 125 69 39 2 


Race Unknown (8) (4) (4) 


Murder 5 1 66 121 125 154 112 53 10 


Rape 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 


Other 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 


North Carollna 

(1901-1961) 

Total 

Whlte 

Murder 

Rape 

Other 

North Dakota 

(1905) 

Total 

Whlte 

Race Unknown 

Murder 

Rape 

Other 

Total 36 25 26 85 82 51 32 7 

Whlte 31 17 15 52 57 27 18 3 

Murder 36 25 26 85 82 51 32 7 

Rape 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 

Other 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 

Oklahoma 

(1915-1966) 

Total 

Whlte 


Murder 


Rape 


Other 


Notes: 

a. 	 Does not lnclude executlons under local authority. Except for Dlstrlct of Columbia, data 1s presented from 1864 to 1984. 

The earllest recorded execution under State authorlty was In 1864. 

b. 	 Includes 57 executlons prlor to 1890. 

c. 	 Does not lnclude executlons after year end 1984. 

d. 	 Data by State does not lnclude breakdown by race for 1984 executlons whlch was not obtained. 

Source: 	 Data tabulated by Westat from a llstlng complled by Negley K. Teeters and Charles J. Zlbulka, 1864 to 1967, and 

revlsed bv M. Watt Esov. Jr. Llstlno A , 
oubllshed In Bowers. Wllllam: Plerce. Glenn: and McOevltt. John: Leoal - - Homicid~: - -- --.

Death as Punishment in'~mer1ca 1864-1982, Northeastern ~niverslty Press, Boston, 1984. Data from 1981 to21984 taken 

from BJS Bulletln, "Capltal Punlshment 1983" and 8J5 Bulletln "Capltal Punlshment 1984." 
Table 0-1. Persons Executed Under State Authority by State by Decade: 1864-1984~ (Continued) 

1890'sb 1900's 1910's 1920's 1930's 1940's 1950's 1960's 1970's 1980- Total 

and Before 1984' 

%-I 962) 

Total 

Whlte 

Murder 

Rape 

Other 

Total 

Whlte 

Race Unknown 

Murder 

Rape 

Other 

South Carollna 

(1912-1962) 

Total 

Whlte 

Murder 

Rape 

Other 

South Dakota 

(1947) 

Total 

Whlte 

Murder 

Rape 

Other 

Tennessee 

(1 909-1 960 ) 

Total 

Whlte 

Murder 

Rape 

Other 

Texas 

(1924-1982) 

Total 

Whlte 


Race Unknown 


Murder 


Rape 


Other 


Utah 

m03-1977) 

Total 

Whlte 


Murder 


Rape 


Other 


Vermont 

-1954) (1864-

1899) 

Total 13 1 3 0 1 1 2 

Whlte 11 1 2 NA NA 2 

Race Unknown (2) (1) (1 (1) 

Murder 13 1 3 1 1 2 

Rape 0 0 0 0 0 0 

Other 0 0 0 0 0 0 

Notes: 

a. 	 Does not lnclude executlons under local authorlty. Except for Dlstrlct of Columbia, data 1s presented from 1866 to 1984. 

The earllest recorded execution under State authorlty was In 1864. 

b. 	 Includes 57 executlons prlor to 1890. 

c. 	 Does not lnclude executlons after year end 1984. 

d. 	 Data by State does not lnclude breakdown by race for 1984 executlons whlch was not obtained. 

Source: 	 Data tabulated by Westat from a llstlng complled by Negley K. Teeters and Charles 3. Zlbulka, 1864 to 1967, and 

revlsed by M. Watt Espy, Jr. Llstlng published In Bowers, Wllllam; Plerce, Glenn; and McDevltt, John; Legal Homlclde: 

Death as Punlshment In Amerlca 1864-1982, Northeastern Unlverslty Press, Boston, 1984. Data from 1981 to 1984 taken 

From BJS Bulletln, "Capltal Punlshment 1983" and BJS Bulletln "Capltal Punlshment 1984." 
Table 0-1. Persons Executed Under State Authority by State by Decade: 1864-1984~(Continued) 

1890'sb 1900's 1910's 1920's 1930's 1940's 1950's 1960's 1970's 1980- Total 

and Before 1 98bc 

Murder 


Race Unknown 


Rape 


Other 


%$%3 ) 

Total 

Whlte 

Murder 

Rape 

Other 

W:;;9t;;;;;;a 

Total 3 10 17 24 20 11 9 

White 0 4 4 14 17 6 8 

Murder 3 9 16 17 17 10 9 

Rape 0 1 1 7 0 1 0 

Other 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 

Total - ~ --

Whlte 4 0 2 2 0 8 

Race Unknown (1 ) (1 

Murder 5 1 4 3 I 14 

Rape 0 0 0 0 0 0 

Other 0 0 0 0 0 0 

Notes: 

a. 	 Does not lnclude executlons under local authorlty. Except for Dlstrlct of Columbia, data 1s presented from 1864 to 1984. 

The earllest recorded execution under State authorlty was In 1864. 

b. 	 Includes 57 executlons prlor to 1890. 

c. 	 Does not lnclude executlons after year end 1984. 

d. 	 Data by State does not lnclude breakdown by race for 1984 executlons whlch was not obtained. 

Source: 	 Data tabulated by Westat from a llstlnq complled by Neqley K. Teeters and Charles J. Zlbulka, 1864 to 1967, and 

revised by M. Watt Espy, Jr. Llstlng published in Bowers, Wllllam; Plerce, Glenn; and McOevltt, John; Legal Homlclde: 

Death as Punishment In Amerlca 1864-1982, Northeastern Unlverslty Press, Boston, 1984. Data from 1981 to 1984 taken 

from BJS Bulletin, "Capital Punishment 1983" and BJS Bulletln "Capltal Punishment 1984." 
APPENDIX C 


MILITARY PRISON TABLES 

-- -- - - - - - 

-- 

- - - - - - - - 

---- - - 

--- 

--- 

--- 

-------------- 

----- 

Table C-1 	 .-MOVEMENTOF 	POPULATION IN PRINCIPAL MILITARY AND NAVAL 

PRISONS:1933 

ITEM Total Naval ITEM Total :!;- Naval 

---	

i 

1- -- Prisoners present at be-	 Discharges durlng the 

ginning of year .--,-,,, 421 315 106 y e a r . 1 282 == 


197 85 

1-
 Admissions during the Sentence expirod,, . 
 200 175 85

Paroled -------	 -------- Releaqed by court 

order-------.--.- 3 -------- Died----- -----------1 : 1 --------

year 339 215 124 12 12

Received from 

courts..------------ 287 150 117 

Parole violntors re- Escaped. -,--,-,,-._ 8 0 

turned---,,----- -- 1 1 -,___-,-- Transferred to other peTransferred from 	 nal institutions. ,.,,,, 88 

Prisoners present at end 

94 8

other penal institutions-----,---,--

71 1 64 
 7 of year--,-.,,.,,,,,_,, 384 247 137

Table C-~.-PRIBONERS RECEIVED FROM COURTS, BY LENGTH OF SENTENCEAND 

OFFENSE,FOR PRINCIPAL MILITARY AND NAVALPRISONS:1933

Iu U 

0 5 4-a u 

2 	 I as 9 u 


I 

LENQTII OF 


SENTENCE 8 


I-------

Total,,,,,,-,287 3 5 8 34 12 73 19 36 18 31 8 22 

Under 1 year-,----60 ------ -,-_--1 2 ------ 28 4 3 3 -,-,--1 8 

lyear-------__---- 103 - - 1 2 19 5 23 8 15 5 9 7 9 

2 years------_--,-.. 47 1 ---,--3 6 3 6 4 9 5 9 -,----1 

3 years---------,.- 28 1 2 1 2 1 9 1 4 2 3 -,,,-, 2 

4 years 8 1 - - 1 1 2 1 2 ---------------,------

5 years---.--_----- 21- - - 1 3 - - 4 1 2 1 7 -,-,--2 

6toOyenrs.--_-_- 5 ------ 1 - - 1 1 1 . . 1 -------,,-,, 

1 ye 4 -----. 1 ------ --,-,-1 -,-----,,, -.,--,,-,,- 2 ------ ------ 15years---"------- 1 ---------,-, -------,,-,,--,,----,,-, 1 ---,---------------,--

------I 

Table C-3.-PRISONERSRECEIVED FROM COURTS, BY RACEAND NATIVITY AND

BY AGE,FOR PRINCIPAL MILITARY AND NAVAL PRISONB:1033

RACE AND NlTl\'llT Total NIYB~ AGE Total ~nval tary 

Tot- , 287 160 117 Total.-.,.,.,..,,,,, 287 150 117 -== h e 	 562 150 112 18 to 20 years-,-,,,,,,,.. 12 3 9 

Native white-----,-- 254 	 143 11 21 to 24 years-,,.,,,,.,., 	 74 46

Foreign-born white-- 8 7 1 25 to 29 years,,,-,-,,,,., 83 287 38

Negro. --.---------,--,-- 1 -------- 1 30 to 34 years.._-,-,,,,,, 27 9 1S 

Filipino- ---------------- 4 -----,-- 4 35 yonrs nnd over,,-. 

-	-,

.,,, 12 4 8 

Age not reported --.,--,_79 79 --_ _ -

Source: Complete table taken from 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics; Washington, D.C. 

Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and Heformatories: 1933; 1935; 

pg. 68. 
---- 

---- 

----- ------ 

----------- 

----------- 

- 

---- 

----- 

I 

Table C-4.--PRISONERSDISCHARGED FROM PRINCIPAL MILITARY AND NAVAL 

PRISONS, BY METHOD OF DISCHARGE AND 	OFFENSE,AND BY TIMESERVED:

1933 

Ex- Other 	 1 Ex- Other

OFFENSE TO~~I	 pila- 2; TIME SERVED TOM n~ra- 2; metlltion tlon ods 

Total............... 282 280 12 	 10 Total..-----.- 282
 200 12 10 


Homicide .-------------- 8 7 1 ------- Under 0 months.-. 41 40 ------ 1 

Robbery ..-.-.-.--.----. 14 11 2 1 O to 11 months---. 55 64 ------ 1 

Aggrnvntcd assault 10 10 -.---. -.-.--. 12 to 17 months--- 21 21 ------ ------- Other assnolt .---------.. 34 27 4 3 18 to 23 months--- 44 30 3 2 

Bunry 15 12 1 2 2 year 42 38 2 2 

Lnrccny, except auto 

86 2 41 

Auto theft ............... 17 17 ............. 4 years............ 13 10 1 2 

theft ..-.--.-.--------- 81 3 3 years.-.-.--.---. 30 1 1 

Elnbezzlementandfmud. 21 20 1 ....... 5 years ............ 7 6 1 1 


For 25 24 1 ---.--. 6 to 9 yenrs ---.--.-1G 12 4 ------- R a p e 4 4 ---.-. 	 .--.--.I0 to 19 years-.--.-2 2 - - -- - - --- - - - Other sex offenses --.-.--34 34 ------ ------- Disorderly cond. and dr.. 3 3 --.--- .- - .-.. Other offenses ........... 11 10 ...... 1 


Table C-~.--PRISONERS DISCHARGED FROM PRINCIPAL 
 MILITARYAND NAVAL

PRISONS, BY TIMESERVED AND 	OFFENSE, AND BY LENGTET OF SENTENCE:


1933 

OFFENSE AND LENOTH Under 6 6 to 11 12to 17 18to 23 2 3 4 6 6 to9 
 OF SENTENCE months months months months yenrs years years years years 


Total..---..---.-.- 282 41 65 21 44 42 41 13 7 16 a 

By offense: 

1Iomicide------------	 8 ---------------- 1 1 2 - - 2 1 1 

Robbery............. 14 ........ 2 	 2 4 4 1 1 -..-.-
 Aggravated assnult-.- 10 1 3 -------- 3 2 1 ........................ 
 Other nssault .------;34 3 13 1 2 2 4 4 ------ 5 ------ Burglnry ............. 15 ........ 1 .-. . -.- - 2 2 4 - - 3 3 ------
 Larceny, except auto 

the- - 86 26 17 8 13 9 8 1 ------ 4 ------ Auto theft ..--..-..-.17 2 1 2 10 1 ------ 1 ------------------ Embezzlement and 

frnud............... 21 1 6 4 3 5 3 ........................ 
 Forgery.............. 25 2 7 1 5 6 4 ........................ 
 Rape................. 	 4 ........................ 1 ...... 1 ...... 1 ...... 1 


Other sox offenses .-.- 34 -------- 2 3 3 10 12 3 - 1 .-.-.. Disorderly cond. and 

drunkenness....... 3 I 1 -.------ 1 ....................................
 Other oUenses .----.--11 6 3 1 ........ 1 .................. 1 ...... Ry length of sentence: 

Under 1year .--.--..-42 36 0 .................................................... 
 1 year ................ 64 2 48 12 2 .................................... 
 2 years............... 41 ........ 1 6 34 .................................... 
 3 years ............... 28 1 ........ 2 3 22 .............................. 
 4 years ............... 16 .........-..,.. 1 3 10 1 ........................ 
 6 years............... 48 1 ................ 2 734 4 .................. 
 6 to 0 years........... 21 1 ........................ 3 4 0 3 4 ...... 
 10 ye:us .............. 12 ...................................... 1 2 2 7 ...... 
 11 to 14 yenrs......... 4 ...................................... 1 ...... 1 2 ...... 
 15 to 10 years......... 3 ............................................ 1 ...... 2 ...... 
 20 yecirs and over ..... 	 4 .................................................. 1 1 2 


Source: Complete table taken from 

U.S. 	 Department of Justlce, bureau of Justice Statistics; Washington, D.C. 

Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and Heformatories: 1933; 1935; 

pg. 64. 
-- -- 

-- 

Table 	~-~.-ARA~Y GENERAL PRISONERS PRESENT ON DECE~~RER 31, IN UNITED

STATES DISCIPLINARY BARRACKS, REIIABILITATIONCENTERS,AND FEDERAL 

INSTITUTIONS: 1940 TO 1046

I Army Institutions II-- Federal 

Yenr All instiDiscl- Rehnbii- institu- tutions 	 l,".::; Oversens

Total 	 pllnnry ltation installa- tions 

bnrracks centers Unitct, stntcs tions 

---- --____ 

1940----.---.-.--..------------ 15.7i4 11,884 10.652 ----..-... 357 875 3,890 

1046--.---.----.-.------------- 32,2-53 29,193 10,055 3,629 1,009 8,500 3,093 

1044--.-------..--------------- 24,217 22.359 8.562 7.710 1,531 4,556 1,858 1813...-----..---.------------- 11,701 10,627 2.603 5,642 718 1,574 1,Oil 1942---..-.---..--------------- 4,389 3,880 1,938 713 954 275 509 

94 	 1,4W 1,194 654 ...-..---. 554 86 302 

1940...--.-..--.-----------.--- 486 273 278 ..-.--.-..--..--_-- --- ------- 108 

I Btntistlca lor Federal Institutions prosentod In other Part3 of this report cover the army prisonersconhed
 lnsuch institutions. 


Table 	C-7.-~~OVE~IENTOF POPULATION, ARMY GENERAL PRISONERSIN UNITED 


STATES DISCIIJLINARY BARRACKS AND 	 REIIABILITATION
 CENTERS: 1946 

Dlscipli- Rehnhilihlovement of populntion Totnl nnrg liar- tntion 

rucks centers 

Prisoners prrsc~lt Jnnnnry 1.-.-.-.-.---.-------------------------- 10,664 16,055 3,620 

Admissioris.......-------------------------------------------------- 10,749 10,748 1

Received by rommitment ...--.-.----------------------------- 10,494 10,493 1

Susl~cnded sentence vacated ....---.-.-.---. 	 ---..----.-..-.-...--- 198 198 - - ----- - . Iibt~rr~lod 	 from parole. .-.--.---...------------------------------- 7 7 ----------- - 

0:her n:l~nissions ----- ----- -----------.--------------------------- M) 60 ----------- 'l'ra~isferrcd from Federal institutions, disc:il~linnry bnrrncks, nnd 

rrhnhilitntion centers .--...-.-.-.--------------------------------- 16,053 15,624 429

Reductions.---.-..--------------------------------------------- 18,773 16,707 2,

Restored to tlutg -.---------.------------------------------------- Q.136 4.204 1,931 

T)ishonornl)ly dischnrgcd .-.--,..------------------..---.--------- 10,896 10,603 93 

Heltknscd on porolc ...-.-------..-.-.-..--------------------------
 Pied 14 13 1 


444 444 ------------

Otl~cr 	 rcductions.--------------	 -,.--------.-------------------- 1,284 1,243 41

Tmnslerl.t~d t,o Federal institutions, disciplinary bnrrncks, and 

rcl~nhilitnlion contcrs .----...-------------------------------------
 17,OGl 15,008 1,903

Prisoners 11rescnt T)cccmbcr 31..--.---.---------------------------- 10,652 10,652 ------------


Table 	C-~.-GENERAL COURTS-MARTIAL PRISONERSPRESENTON JUNE30,. IN 


UNITED STATES NAVAL PLACES OF CONFINE~IENT: 1940 TO
 1946 

Yenr 	 Year Prisonen 

present 

Source: Complete table taken from 

U.S. 	 Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 


Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 1946; 1948; 


pgs. 103, 104. 

Table C-9. Average daily population of U.S. Army confinement and correctional facilities,' by 

facility, 1973-82 

Facility 	 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 

Fort Bragg 177 154 85 30 10 7 6 9 12 II 

Fort Campbell 165 131 8 6 7 7 35 24 22 2 8 3U 4 1 

Fort Carson 77 117 4 7 4 2 2 1 10 I I 3 1 39 50 

Fort Hood I18 135 9 6 5 5 33 3 1 3 7 49 67 56 

Fort Lewis 140 144 77 4 9 22 18 2 0 29 40 54 

Fort Meade 131 122 7 1 20 18 12 16 20 36 3 5 

Fort Ord 162 171 7 3 4 2 26 13 12 16 33 78 

Fort Polk 4 2 27 13 10 8 8 13 25 2 1 16 

Fort Riley 9 3 52 3 6 2 4 27 48 57 8 2 78 84 

Fort Benning 127 6 7 3 7 27 18 13 12 3 2 4 3 5 2 

Fort Bliss 49 42 33 21 14 10 10 7 12 - Fort Dix 280 171 7 1 33 19 12 16~ 26 20 14 

Fort Cordon 125 9 7 53 3 8 2 0 17 19 23 30 3 8 

Fort Jackson 39 20 15 2 2 2 2 I I - Fort Knox 244 196 6 3 47 2 1 19 2 3 27 2 5 38 

Fort Sill 155 109 19 19 21 16 18 2 1 30 56 

Fort Leonard Wood 179 4 6 21 13 7 4 7 IU 4 2 

Fort Fi tzsimnons 1 1 2 3 2 I 3 2 2 0 

U.S. 	Army Disciplinary 

Barracks 931 1,153 1,152 1,189 1,038 818 1,022 1,315 1,402 1,452 

U.S. 	 Army Retraining 

Brigade 1,031 953 580 412 450 518 502 714 805 578 

a~risoners at Navy facility. 

Source: Table provided to SMCEBOOK staff by the U.S. Department of Defense, Department of 

the Army. 

Source: Complete table taken from 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics; Washington, D.C. 


Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics: 1983; 1984; pg. 590, 


Table 6.4 4. 

Table C-10. Normal capacity and average population of U.S. 

Army correctional centers, by location, 1982 

WTE: Data hove been collected from the organizations or 

ogencies through o mail survey. Facilities listed ore for 

military personnel 17 years of age and older. "Normal 

copacity" is the nwnber of inmcrtes the facility was designed 

to hold. 

Correctional center krrnal Averaqe papulotion 

ond location capacity Mole Female 

U.S. 	 Disciplinary Barracks, 


Fort Leavenworth, Konsos 1,500 


Fort Benning 


Confinement Facility, 


Fort Benning, Georgia 62 


Fort Cordon 

Confinement Focility, 

Fort Cordon, Georgia 60 

Fort Knox Area 

Confinement Focility, 

Fort Knox, Kentucky 50 

Fort Sill 

Confinement Focility, 

Fort Sill, Oklahoma 70 

U.S. 	 Army Retraining Brigade, 


Fort Riley, Konsos 1,000 


Fort Cunpbell 

Confinement Focility, 

Fort Canpbell, Kentucky 60 

Fort Carson 

Confinement Facility, 

Fort Carson, Colorado 62 

Fort bd 

Confinement Facility, 

Fort tbod, Texas 75 

Fort Lewis 

Confinement Facility, 

Fort Lewis, Washington 50 

Fort Meode 

Confinement Facility, 

Fort George G. Meode, 

Maryland 55 

Fort Ord 

Confinement Focility, 

Fort Ord, Colifornio 100 

Fort Polk 

Confinement Focility, 

Fort Polk, Louisiana 34 

Fort Richordson 

Confinement Facility, 

Fort Richardson, Alaska 25 

Fort Riley 

Confinement Focility, 

Fort Riley, Kansas 96 

U.S. 	 Eighth Army 

Confinement Focility, 

Camp Hunphries, Koreo 50 

Berlin 


Confinement Focility, 


Berlin, Germany 


SETAF 

Confinement Focility, 

Camp Dorley, ltoly 4 I 0 

Monnheim . Confinement Focility, 

Monnheirn, Germany 156 182 4 

Fort Clayton 

Confinement Focility, 

Fort Clayton, Panama 19 6 0 

Source: American Correctional Association. , -

1983 

Directory of Juvenile and Adult Correctional Departments, Institutions, Agencies and Paroling Authorities 

(Colleqe Park, Md. : American 'Correctional Association. 

1983), pp. 341-343. Table constructed by SOURCEBOOK 

staff. Reprinted by permission of ACA. 

Source: Complete table taken from 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics; Washington, D.C. 

Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics: 1983; 1984; pg. 591, 

Table 6.4 5. 
Table C-11. Normal capacity and average population of U.S. 

Navy correctional centers, by location, 1982 

WTE: See MTE, Table C-10, The Navy alsa operates other small 

correctional centers and detention spaces in the Mited Stater 

and overseas. All facilities are for Naval personnel 17 years of 

age and older awaiting murt-martial or serving court-martial 

sentences. "Normal capacityll is the number of imtes the 

facility was designed to hold. 

Correctional center krrnal Average 

and location capacity population 

Naval Station, 

Long Beach, California 

Naval Station, 

34 23 

San Diego, California 187 170 

Naval Station, Treasure Island, 

San Francisco, California 148 Ill 

Naval Submarine Base, 

New London, Connecticut 20 14 

Naval Air Station, 

Jacksonville, Florida 50 64 

Naval Air Station, 

Pensacola, Florida 72 46 

Naval Station, 

Pearl Harbor, Hawaii 82 54 

Noval Administrative Comnand, 

Great Lakes, Illinois 170 130 

Naval Station, 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 2 10 143 

Naval Education and 

Training Center, 

Newport, Rhode Island 75 32 

Naval Station, 

Charleston, South Carolina 95 82 

Naval Air Station, 

Mill ington, Tennessee 68 57 

Naval Air Station, 

Corpus Christi, Texas 65 35 

Naval Station, 

Norfolk, Virginia 287 264 

Naval Station, 

Seattle, Washington 59 62 

Naval Station, 

Guantanamo Bay, Cuba 24 6 

Naval Station, 

Cum 23 14 

Fleet Activities, 

Yokosuka, Japan 49 40 

Naval Base, 

Subic Bay, Philippines 

Naval Station, 

56 48 

Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico 10 7 

Naval Station, 

Rota, Spain 15 20 

Source: American Correctional Association.. -1983 

Directory of Juvenile and Adult correctional oedartments, 

Institutions, Agencies and Paroling Authorities (College Park, 

Md.: American Correction01 Association, 1983). DD. 345. 346. 

Table constructed by SOCRCEBOOK staff. kepr inted by permission. 

Source: Complete table taken from 

U.S. 	 Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics; Washington, D.C. 

Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics: 1983; 1984; pg. 591, 

Table 6.4 7. 
APPENDIX D 


SOURCES OF CORRECTIONS STATISTICS 

GOVERNMENT SOURCES OF CORRECTIONS STATISTICS 

Sources cited here include written reports. In addition, data from 1904 to the present on the number of ersons present, 

received in, and released from prison by State will soon be made available as a public use data tape by ASthrough the 

National Criminal Justice Archives at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. 

(Publication date given in left column. An asterisk (*) 

indicates publication date not given or not obtained.) 

U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

Compendium of Seventh Census: 1850. 

Compendium of Eighth Census: 1860. 

Report on the Defective and Delinquent Classes of the Population of 

United States as Returned at the Tenth Census: 1880. 

Report on Crime, Pauperism, and Benevolence in the United States at the 

Eleventh Census: 1890, Part I. 

Report on Crime, Pauperism, and Benevolence in the United States at the 

Eleventh Census: 1890, Part 11. 

U.S. Department of Commerce (or Commerce a~ldLabor), Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

Prisoners and Juvenile Delinquents in Institutions: 1904. 

Summary of the State Laws Relating to the Dependent Classes: 1913. 

Prisoners and Juvenile Delinquents in the U.S.: 1910. 

Number of Prisoners in Penal Institutions: 1922 and 1917. 

Prisoners, 1923: Crime Conditions in the U.S. as Reflected in Census 

Statistics of Imprisoned Offenders. 

Children Under Institutional Care: 1923. 

The Prisoner's Antecedents: Supplementary to "Prisoners, 1923." 

Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: 

1926 Summary 

1926 

1927 

1928 

1929 and 1930 

1931 and 1932 

1933 

1934 

1935 

1936 

1937 

1938 

1939 
U.S. Department of Commerce (or Commerce and Labor), Bureau of Census; Washington, D.C. 

(Continued) 

Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and Reformatories: (Continued) 

1940 

1941 

1942 

1943 and 1942 

1943 

1944 

1945 

1946 

County and City Jails: Prisoners in Jails and Other Penal Institutions 

Under County or Municipal Jurisdiction: 1933. 

Juvenile Delinquents in Public Institutions: 1933. 

Judicial Criminal Statistics: 

1933 

1934 

1935 

1936 

1938 

1940 

Judicial Criminal Statistics in 43 Ohio Counties: 1937 

Judicial Criminal Statistics: Ohio, Minnesota, and the District of 

Columbia: 1938. 

U.S. 	 Census of Population, 1940: Special Reports, Institutionalized 

Population Fourteen Years of Age and Older. 

U.S. 	 Census of Population, 1950: Special Reports, Institutional 

Population. 

U.S. Census of Population, 1960: Subject Reports, Inmates of Institutions. 

U.S. Census of Population, 1970: 	 Subject Reports, Persons in Institutions 

and Other Group Quarters. 

1980 Census of Population: Persons in Institutions and Other Group 

Quarters. 

General Statistical Reference 

1926 Statistical Abstract of the United States: 1925. 

1935 Statistical Abstract of the United States: 1935. 

1976 Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970. 

1976 Statistical Abstract of the United States: 1976. 

1983 Statistical Abstract of the United States: 1982-83. 

1983 Statistical Abstract of the United States: 1984. 
U.S. Office of Education; Washington, D.C. 

1868 - 1917 Annual Report of Commissioner of Education (yearly reports on reform 

schools and State industrial schools). 

U.S. Department of Labor, Children's Bureau; Washington, D.C. 

1936 The Child-Monthly News Summary: Vol. 1, No. 1. 

1937 Social-Statistics Supplement to the Child-Monthly News Summary: No. 1. 

1937 Social-Statistics Supplement to the Child-Monthly News Summary: No. 2. 

Federal Security Agency, Social Security Administration: Children's Bureau Statistical Series; 

Washington, D.C. 

1946 Number 3: Children Served by Public Welfare Agencies and Institutions 

1945. 

1951 Number 8: Juvenile Court Statistics 1946- 1949. 

Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Social Security Administration; Children's 

Bureau Statistical Series; Washington, D. C. 

Number 18: Juvenile Court Statistics 1950- 1952. 


Number 28: Juvenile Court Statistics 1953. 


Number 31: Juvenile Court Statistics 1954. 


Number 33: Some Facts About Public State Training Schools for Juvenile 


Delinquents. 

Number 37: Juvenile Court Statistics 1955. 

Number 48: Statistics on Public Institutions for Delinquent Children 

1956. 

Number 52: Juvenile Court Statistics 1957. 

Number 57: Juvenile Court Statistics 1958. 

Number 65: Juvenile Court Statistics 1960. 

Number 69: Juvenile Court Statistics 1961. 
U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Welfare Administration; Children's 

Bureau Statistical Series; Washington, D. C. 

Number 

1962. 

70: Statistics on Public Institutions for Delinquent Children 

Number 73: Juvenile Court Statistics 1962. 

Number 79: Juvenile Court Statistics 1963. 

Number 

1963. 

78: Statistics on Public Institutions for Delinquent Children 

Number 

1964. 

81: Statistics on Public Institutions for Delinquent Children 

Number 83: Juvenile Court Statistics 1964. 

Number 85: Juvenile Court Statistics 1965. 

Number 86: Personnel and Personnel Practices in Public Institutions for 

Delinquent Children: A Survey. 

America's Children and Youth in Institutions: 1950-1960-1964 (Seth 

Low). 

U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Social and Rehabilitation Service; 

Children's Bureau Statistical Series; Washington, D. C. 

1967 Number 89: Statistics on Public Institutions for Delinquent Children 

1966. 

1967 Number 90: Juvenile Court Statistics 1966. 

1967 Number 93: Juvenile Court Statistics 1967. 

1969 Number 94: Statistics on Public Institutions for Delinquent Children 1967 

U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C. 

1886- 1930 Annual Report of the Attorney General (yearly reports which contain 

Federal prison reports until 1930). 

U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Washington, D.C. 

1930- 1960 Annual Report of the Work of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (contains 

yearly report on Federal prison system). 
U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons; National Prisoner Statistics; Washington, D.C. 

Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions: 1950; Number 4. 

Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions: 1951; Number 7. 

Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions: 1950. 

Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions: 1952; Number 9. 

Prisoners Released from State and Federal Institutions: 195 1. 

Prisoners Released from State and Federal Institutions: 1952 and 1953. 

Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions: 1953; Number 11. 

Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions: 1956; Number 17. 

Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions: 1957; Number 19. 

Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions: 1958; Number 21. 

Personnel in State and Federal Institutions: 1958; Number 22. 

Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions: 1959; Number 24. 

Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions: 1960; Number 27 

Personnel in State and Federal Institutions: 1961; Number 31. 

Personnel: 1962; Number 35. 

Characteristics of State Prisoners: 1960. 

Prisoners Released from State and Federal Institutions: 1960. 

State Prisoners: Admissions and Releases, 1964. 

Executions: 1930- 1966; Number 4 1. 

Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions for Adult Felons: 1966; 

Number 43. 

Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions for Adult Felons: 1967; 

Number 44. 

State Prisoners - Admissions and Releases: 1970. 

Capital Punishment: 1930- 1970; Number 46. 

Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions for Adult Felons: 1968, 1969, 

1970; Number 47. 
U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons; Washington, D.C. 

Federal Bureau of Prisons Statistical Tables: Fiscal Year 1964. 


Federal Bureau of Prisons Statistical Report: Fiscal Years 1967 and 1968. 


Federal Bureau of Prisons Statistical Report: Fiscal Years 1969 and 1970. 


Federal Bureau of Prisons Statistical Report: Fiscal Years 197 1 and 1972. 


Federal Bureau of Prisons Statistical Report: Fiscal Year 1973. 


Federal Bureau of Prisons Statistical Report: Fiscal Year 1974. 


Statistical Report: Fiscal Years 1978- 1980. 


Statistical Report: Fiscal Years 198 1 - 1983. 


U.S. Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (National Criminal 

Justice Information and Statistics Service); Washington, D.C. 

National Jail Census: 1970. 


National Jail Census: 1970. 


Capital Punishment 197 1-72; National Prisoner Statistics Bulletin SD-


NPS-CP- I. 

Children in Custody: A Report on the Juvenile Detention and Correction 

Facility Census of 197 1. 

Survey of Inmates of Local Jails: 1972. 

Census of State Correctional Facilities 1974: Advance Report; National 

Prisoner Statistics Special Report, Number SD-NPS-SR- 1. 

Capital Punishment 1973; National Prisoner Statistics Bulletin SD-NPSCP-2. 

Capital Punishment 1974; National Prisoner Statistics Bulletin SD-NPSCP-3. 

The Nation's Jails. 

Capital Punishment 1975; National Prisoner Statistics Bulletin SD-NPSCP-4. 

Census of Prisoners in State Correctional Facilities 1973: National 

Prisoner Statistics Special Report. 

Capital Punishment 1976; National Prisoner Statistics Bulletin SD-NPSCP-5. 

Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions on December 31, 1975; National 

Prisoner Statistics Bulletin SD-NPS-PSF-3. 

Children in Custody: 1974. 

Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions on December 31, 1976; National 

Prisoner Statistics Bulletin SD-NPS-PSF-4. 

Parole in the United States: 1976 and 1977. 
U.S. Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (National Criminal 

Justice Information and Statistics Service); Washington, D.C. (Continued) 

1978 State and Local Probation and Parole Systems. 

Children in Custody: A Report on the Juvenile Detention and Correction 

Facility Census of 1975. 

1979 Census of Jails and Survey of Jail Inmates: 1978; National Prisoner 

Statistics Bulletin, No. SD-NPS-J-6P. 

Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions on December 31, 1977; National 

Prisoner Statistics Bulletin SD-NPS-PSF-5. 

1979 Expenditure and Employment Data for the Criminal Justice System 1977 

Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics: 


1974 1973 


1975 1974 


1976 1975 


1977 1976 


1978 1977 


1979 1978 


U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics; Washington, D.C. 

A National Survey of Parole-Related Legislation Enacted During the 1979 

Legislation Session. 

Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions on December 31, 1978; National 

Prisoner Statistics Bulletin SD-NPS-PSF-64671. 

Profile of Jail Inmates: Sociodemographic Findings from the 1978 Survey 

of Inmates of Local Jails; National Prisoner Statistics Report SD-NPS5-6, NCJ-65412. 

Parole in the United States: 1979. 

Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin SD-NPS-PSF-7A, Advance Report: 

Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions on December 31, 1979. 

Probation in the United States: 1979. 

Census of Jails, 1978: Vols. I-IV. Data for Individual Jails in the 

Northeast, North Central, South, and West. 

Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions on December 31, 1979; National 

Prisoner Statistics 'Bulletin NPS-PSF-7, NCJ-737 19. 

Characteristics of Parole Population, 1978. 

Parole in the U.S., 1979. 

Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin: Veterans in Prison. 

Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin: Prisoners in 1980. 
U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics; Washington, D.C. (Continued) 

Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin: Capital Punishment 1980. 


Capital Punishment 198 1; NCJ-86484. 


Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin: Prisoners at Midyear 1982. 


Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin: Prisons and Prisoners. 


Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin: Prisoners 1925-81. 


Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin: Prisoners in 198 1. 


Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin: Characteristics of Persons Entering 


Parole During 1978 and 1979. 

Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin: Setting Prison Terms. 

Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin: Probation and Parole 1982. 

Justice Expenditure and Employment in the U.S., 1979; NCJ-87242. 

Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions on December 31, 1981. 

Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin: Prisoners and Alcohol. 

Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin: Prisoners and Drugs. 

Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin: Prisoners in 1982. 

Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin: Jail Inmates 1982. 

Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin: Prisoners at Midyear 1983. 

Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report: Career Patterns in Crime. 

Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin: Case Filings in State Courts, 1983. 

Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions on December 31, 1982. 

Capital Punishment 1982; NCJ-91533, 

Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin: Capital Punishment 1983. 

Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report: Prison Admissions and 

Releases, 198 1. 

Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report: Returning to Prison. 

Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin: The 1983 Jail Census. 

Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin: Federal Drug Law Violators. 

Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report: Time Served in Prison. 

Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin: Prisoners in 1984. 

Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report: Examining Recidivism. 

Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report: Prevalence of Imprisonment. 

Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin: Capital Punishment 1984. 

Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin: Prison Admissions and Releases, 

1982. 

Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin: Jail Inmates, 1983. 
U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics; Washington, D.C. (Continued) 

Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin: Probation and Parole, 1984. 

Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin: Parole in the United States, 1980 

and 1981. 

Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics: 

1979 

1980 

1981 

1982 

1983 

1984 

U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice; Washington, D.C. 

American Prisons and Jails, Vol. I: Summary Findings and Policy 

Implications of a National Survey. 

1980 American Prisons and Jails, Vol. 11: Population Trends and Projections. 

1980 American Prisons and Jails, Vol. 111: Conditions and Costs of 

Confinement. 

American Prisons and Jails, Vol. IV: Supplemental Report - Case Studies 

of New Legislation Governing Sentencing and Release. 

U.S. Department of Justice; Washington, D.C. 

Report: The United States Parole Commission, October 1, 1976 to 

September 30, 1978. 

Attorney General's Survey of Release Procedures, Vol. 11, Probation. 

Attorney General's Survey of Release Procedures, Vol. IV, Parole. 

U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; 

Washington, D.C. 

Children in Custody: Advance Report on the 1979 Census of Private 

Juvenile Facilities. 

Children in Custody: Advance Report on the 1979 Census of Public 

Juvenile Facilities. 

Children in Custody: Advance Report on the 1982 Census of Public 

Juvenile Facilities. 

Children in Custody: Unpublished Advance Report on the 1982 Census 

of Private Juvenile Facilities. 
U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; 

Washington, D.C. (Continued) 

1984 Children in Custody: Advance Report on the 1982 Census of Private 

Juvenile Facilities, Including Comparisons with Public Facilities. 

The President's Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice; Task Force on 

Corrections; Washington, D.C. 

1967 Task Force Report: Corrections. 

NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCES USED 

Barnes, H.E. and Teeters, N.K., New Horizons in Criminology. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: 

Prentice-Hall, 1942. 

Bedau, The Death Penalty in America. New York: Anchor Press, 1967. 

Bye, R.T. Capital Punishment in the United States. Philadelphia: The Committee of 

Philanthropic Labor of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of Friends, 1919. 

Bowers, William; Pierce, Glenn; and McDevitt, John. Legal Homicide: Death as Punishment in 

America 1864-1982. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1984. 

Cahalan, Margaret. Trends in Incarceration in the United States Since 1880, Crime and 


Delinquency, 25:1, 1980. 


Huston, Luther A. The Department of Justice. Washington, D.C.: Frederick A. Praeger, 1967. 

Lerman, Paul. Deinstitutionalization and the Welfare State. 1982. 

Pappenfort, Donnell M.; Kilpatrick, Dee Morgan; and Roberts, Robert W. Child Caring: Social 

Policy and the Institution. Chicago: Aldine Publishing Co., 1973. 

Ploski, Harry; and Williams, James. The Negro Almanac: A Reference Work on the Afro- 


American, 4th ed. New York: Wiley, 1983. 


Probation in the United States: 1979. San Francisco: National Council on Crime and 


Delinquency, Research Center West, 1981. 


Rubin, Sol. Crime and Delinquency. Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.: Oceana Publishing, 1970. 

Sellin, T. "A Note on Capital Executions in the U.S." British Journal of Delinquency 1:6, 1950. 

Young, Thomas M.; Pappenfort, Donnell M.; and Marolow, Christine R. Residential Group 

Care, 1966 and 1981: Facilities for Children and Youth with Special Problems and Needs. 

Preliminary Report submitted to OJJDP. Chicago: School of Social Service Administration, 

University of Chicago, 1983. 
APPENDIX E 


SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT CURRENT STATISTICS 

APPENDIX E 

SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT CURRENT 

STATISTICS 

Throughout the preceding chapters, 

individual problems with statistics have 

been mentioned, and the gaps in the tables 

point to those items for which more 

consistent data are needed. This Appendix 

presents a few additional thoughts 

concerning current data collections gained 

by the review of existing past data. Any set 

of recommendations reflects the needs or 

orientation of the reviewer. This review has 

been done within the perspective of 

attempting to construct, through the use of 

statistics, a picture of trends over a 

100-year period. As a result, the discussion 

focuses on what would be of most use in 

maintaining and improving this historical 

picture, which is one part of the history of 

the United States. 

Another major reason for collecting criminal 

justice statistics concerns providing 

information to make planning and policy 

decisions relevant for the present and near 

future. It is not always clear when the goals 

of recording an "objective" picture and of 

formulating policy might conflict. The 

review has indicated that policy perspectives 

have been present to differing degrees in 

each data collection period. Policy issues 

and perspectives are apparent in the type of 

data items which are given attention and in 

the way in which the data are presented. 

In general, the data presented by the Census 

Bureau in the Institutional Population Series 

and in the State and Federal Prisoner 

Statistics series up until 1946 reflected the 

goal of presenting an overall picture of 

prisons, while addressing, through the data 

items chosen for study, major issues of 

concern. The series stopped short of 

making policy recommendations. The 

Bureau of Justice Statistics, the major 

agency currently responsible for data 

collection in this area, has indicated its 

interest in producing policy-relevant 

statistics, and recent bulletins have not 

hesitated to address policy questions. 

To some extent, historical tables in the 

previous chapters reflect the items of special 

concern in each particular time period, such 

as the nativity of prisoners in the late 

nineteenth century, or juveniles in jails in 

the 1920's, or criminal careers in the 1980's. 

However, several of these same concerns 

have reoccurred over the period. These 

include race/ethnicity, juveniles in adult 

facilities, over-crowding, recidivism, the 

impact of different types of sentences and 

methods of release on time served, offense 

distribution, and employment and substance 

abuse among prisoners. 

One factor the review has demonstrated is 

that there is a common core of data which 

has been attempted to be collected almost 

since data collection in this area began. 

While new series have been instituted, the 

data items concerning prisons, jails, and 

facilities for juveniles are not significantly 

different than they were in 1923. 

Differences have existed in the legal 

mandates and corresponding resources of the 

various agencies responsible for data 

collection in this area. Currently more data 

are being collected in the area of corrections 

and crime than ever before. New series 

have been initiated on victimization, 

probation and parole, and jails, all of which 

did not have regular data collection efforts 

prior to the 1970's. No longer is there a 

simple lack of data, as was the case in many 

areas prior to 1970. Of more concern is 

how best to collect and present the 

information. 

The following are some thoughts coming out 

of the effort to pull together the statistics: 

It would be helpful if there were 

more coordination between the Census 

Bureau Institutional Population Census and 

BJS and OJJDP. The differences which 

occurred to varying degrees in both 1970 

and 1980 in totals reported for persons 

present and for the number of institutions 

are significant cause for confusion. Either 

consistent definitions of institutions should 

be used, or, if different definitions are 

used, the methodology sections should 

explain why. 
rn It would be helpful if the 

Institutional Population Reports contained 

more explanatory text. The Census Bureau 

decennial reports in which explanatory text 

was provided (up to 1940) are more useful 

than current reports. Perhaps the detailed 

tables by metro area could be published 

separately and a smaller national and State 

report could be prepared which would. give 

more explanation. Because Census reports 

contain the only unified data on 

institutionalization, a brief discussion would 

make the data much more useful, especially 

for historical purposes. 

rn The reconciliation of juvenile 

reports from various sources is of special 

concern. The Census Bureau and Children 

in Custody differ significantly in definitions 

of facilities included. Studies which 

attempt to present the total picture of 

facilities housing juveniles, such as the 

University of Chicago studies, are especially 

useful. It is also helpful when studies 

classify the primary function of a facility 

and the legal status of residents. Only in 

this way can one be sure there is no double 

counting of the same facility: it cannot be 

counted by one study as a facility for 

delinquents and by another as a facility for 

dependent or emotionally disturbed youth. 

rn It would be useful to have data on 

offense and time served of jail 

commitments. These data were last 

published for the year 1933. 

Recent BJS Bulletins on State 

prisoners contain much data not available or 

not published in the 1970's, especially on 

admissions and releases. These data include 

time served and sentence and recidivism of 

those received. These bulletins also present 

much historical information. This 

information resembles that produced in the 

yearly reports of the Census Bureau between 

1926 and 1946. On the other hand, the 

bound versions of National Prisoner 

Statistics (the continuation of the 

Census/Bureau of Prison series) do not 

contain extensive information. There are 

some problems with this policy from an 

historical perspective. One is format. The 

unbound short bulletins are easily lost. 

Many of bulletins published in the 1950's 

by the Bureau of Prisons are currently 

unavailable in most government document 

were never received. Microforms will be 

available, but are less readily used. A more 

substantial publication that is issued at 

regular intervals and contains consistent 

information would be more valuable 

historically. This publication should cover 

the data items included in the old Census 

Bureau series and contain sufficient 

explanatory text. Recent bulletins make the 

data interesting and relevant to policy issues 

that are of concern. Many statistical reports 

have lacked these aspects in the past, but 

the condensed bulletin format does not 

provide complete methodological notes. 

Much of the information in BJS Bulletins 

has a policy orientation, while the reduced 

NPS reports contain less information but 

have a more straightforward data-reporting 

stance. It would be helpful if NPS reports 

contained an expanded core of items 

regularly published. 

rn Consideration should be given to a 

unified study covering all levels of 

corrections in one year, perhaps every 5 

years. The 1880 and 1923 Census reports 

were useful because they had a unified 

approach. The 1965 study done for the 

President's Task Force was very useful 

because it covered State, Federal, jails, 

juveniles, and probation and parole data. 

rn Statistics published by the Federal 

Bureau of Prisons would be more useful if 

they were accompanied by explanatory text. 

The tables contain extensive statistical 

information, but the computer-generated 

tables are sometimes confusing and require 

some discussion to clarify meaning. 

Detail should be maintained in the 

published distribution of offenses. The 

categories "violent" and "not violent" are too 

broad to be meaningful but have been used 

in recent reports on jails and juveniles. The 

detailed information is available in 

unpublished tables, at least for jails, and 

should be published in the reports. 

H It would be helpful to have actual 

counts of the number of persons who are 

under certain ages in jails and prisons, 

rather than only counts of those persons 

considered legal juveniles, especially as 

States differ on age definitions of a 

juvenile.