Nearly three-quarters of those in the criminal justice system were on probation or parole in the community rather that serving time behind bars. Criminal justice experts say the sharp increases reflect tougher sentencing on a range of crimes as well as a greater proportion of drug arrests involving longer prison terms. At the same time, they said, the consequent pressure to ease congestion in packed prisons has led to early release or expanded use of alternatives to incarceration. Nearly 3 million individuals were on probation as of Dec. 31, the study found. Probation is a sentence handed out by the courts that generally involves reporting requirements and restrictions on travel and other activities.
Violations can bring incarceration.
Another 690,000 individuals were on parole, or conditionally released under supervision, after serving a prison term. Parolees can be returned to prison for violating a set of rules or committing another offense. The rest were not required to maintain regular contact. California followed with 370,000. The figures show that a higher percentage of males and whites are on probation than in the prison system.