However, the commitment rates have been rising more rapidly for minority groups. Where appropriate, this section draws comparisons between the demographic characteristics of new prison inmates and those of the total inmate population. Colorado prison inmates differ significantly in such demographic characteristics as gender, age, and ethnicity from the state's overall population. At the end of FY 1996-97, 92.9 percent of Colorado's prison inmates were male and 7.1 percent were female. The female percentage is up from the end of FY 1992-93 when it stood at 5.5 percent.
Females comprise a smaller percentage of the inmate population than new commitments.
In FY 1996-97, 7.1 percent of inmates were female, while 9.5 percent of new commitments were female. This disparity is due to women being committed to prison for somewhat different types of crimes, generally fewer violent crimes than men. These types of crimes for which females are convicted generally have shorter sentences and shorter lengths of stay in prison. The Average Age of Inmates is Increasing Table 6.5 displays the average age of the inmate population. This represents an increase of three years since the end of FY 1986-87 for both genders.