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Probation and Parole Statistics

Summary findings| BJS publications | Selected statistics
Also by BJS staff
| Related sites

See also, Reentry Trends in the United States, a special section, summarizing BJS data on inmates returning to the community after serving time in prison.

Summary findings

Probationers include adult offenders whom courts place on community supervision generally in lieu of incarceration.

Parolees include those adults conditionally released to community supervision whether by parole board decision or by mandatory conditional release after serving a prison term. They are subject to being returned to jail or prison for rule violations or other offenses.

  • At yearend 2006, over 5 million adult men and women were under Federal, State, or local probation or parole jurisdiction; approximately 4,237,000 on probation and 798,200 on parole.

  • The 1.8% growth in the probation and parole population during 2006 — an increase of 87,852 during the year — was slower than the average annual increase of 2.2% since 1995.

  • At the end of 2006 —

    – Among offenders on probation, about half (49 percent) had been convicted for committing a felony, 49% for a misdemeanor, and 2% for other infractions. Nearly three-quarters of probationers were supervised for a non-violent offense, including more than a quarter for drug law violation and a sixth for driving while intoxicated.

    – Nearly all of the offenders on parole (94%) had been sentenced to incarceration of more than 1 year. About 4 in 10 parolees had served a sentence for a drug offense.

    – Women made up about 24% of the nation's probationers and 12% of the parolees.

    – Approximately 55% of the adults on probation were white, 29% were black, and 13% were Hispanic. Forty-one percent of parolees were white, 39% black, and 18% were Hispanic.

  • Of the 2.2 million probationers who exited supverision during 2006, nearly 6 in 10 completed their full-term sentences or were released early while about 1 in 5 was reincarcerated.

  • Of those adults on parole on January 1, 2006, (665,300) and those released from prison to parole supervision (485,900) during 2006 from the 46 jurisdictions that provided detailed information, about 16% were re-incarcerated. This percentage has remained relatively stable since 1998.

  • By the end of 2000, 16 States had abolished parole board authority for releasing all offenders, and another 4 States had abolished parole board authority for releasing certain violent offenders.

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BJS Publications

This list is in order of the most recent publication first. Additional titles are listed on other topical pages and a comprehensive list is contained on the BJS publications page. To see a full abstract of a publication with links to electronic versions of the publication, click on the title below.

Probation and Parole in the United States, 2006, 12/07. Presents the number of persons on probation and parole at yearend 2006, by State, and compares the national totals to counts for yearend 1995 and 2000 through 2005. NCJ 220218

Probation and Parole in the United States, 2005, 11/06. NCJ 215091
Probation and Parole in the United States, 2004, 11/05. NCJ 210676
Probation and Parole in the United States, 2003, 7/04. NCJ 205336
Probation and Parole in the United States, 2002, 8/03 NCJ 201135
Probation and Parole in the United States, 2001 , 8/02. NCJ 195663
Probation and Parole in the United States, 2000 -- Press release
, 8/01. NCJ 188208
Probation and Parole in 1999 -- Press release, 7/00. NCJ 183508
Full report: Probation and Parole in the United States, 1998, 8/99. NCJ 178234
Probation and Parole Populations, 1997, 8/98. NCJ 172216
Probation and Parole Populations, 1996, 8/97. NCJ 166364
Probation and Parole Populations, 1995, 6/96. NCJ 161722
Probation and Parole Populations, 1994, 9/95. NCJ 156432

Census of Tribal Justice Agencies in Indian Country, 2002, 12/05. Presents detailed information gathered on tribal law enforcement agencies, tribal courts and services, and criminal record systems from the 2002 Census of Tribal Justice Agencies in American Indian Jurisdictions. NCJ 205332

American Indians and Crime: A BJS Statistical Profile, 1992-2002, 12/04. Reports the rates and characteristics of violent crimes experienced by American Indians and summarizes data on American Indians in the criminal justice system. NCJ 203097

Education and Correctional Populations, 01/03. Compares educational attainment of State and Federal prison inmates, jail inmates, and probationers to that of the general population. NCJ 195670

Correctional Populations in the United States, Presents data on the number of persons in the United States who were under some form of correctional supervision.

In electronic formats only:

Correctional Populations in the United States, 1998 - Statistical tables, 09/02. NCJ 192929

In print and electronic formats:

Correctional Populations in the United States, 1997, 11/00. Includes the Survey of State and Federal inmates.
Full report NCJ 177613
Executive Summary NCJ 177614

Correctional Populations in the United States, 1996, 4/99. Includes the survey of Inmates in local jails.
Full report NCJ 170013
Executive Summary NCJ 171684

Correctional Populations in the United States, 1995, 5/97. Summarizes the 1995 Census of State and Federal Adult Correction Facilities.
Full report NCJ 163916
Executive Summary NCJ 163917

Correctional Populations in the United States, 1994, 7/96. Includes data on military corrections.
Full report NCJ 160091
Executive Summary NCJ 161559

Correctional Populations in the United States, 1993, 10/95. Includes State-by-State data about local jails.
Full report NCJ 156241
Executive Summary NCJ 156675

Right arrow Previous editions (non-electronic)

Trends in State Parole, 1990-2000, 10/01. Examines the changing nature of offenders entering and leaving parole and the effects on the trends and composition of the prison population. NCJ 184735

Offenders Returning to Federal Prison, 1986-97, 9/00. Describes offenders returning to Federal prison within 3 years of release and their time served upon return. NCJ 182991

Mental Health and Treatment of Inmates and Probationers, 7/99 Presents survey data on offenders who were in prison or jail or on probation and who reported prior treatment for a mental or emotional problem. NCJ 174463

DWI Offenders under Correctional Supervision, 6/99 Provides data on offenders in jail, in prison, or on probation for driving while intoxicated. NCJ 172212

Prior Abuse Reported by Inmates and Probationers, 4/99. Describes prior physical and sexual abuse reported by persons in prison, in jail, or on probation. NCJ 172879

Substance Abuse and Treatment of Adults on Probation, 1995, 3/98. Presents data from the 1995 Survey of Adults on Probation concerning probationers' use of alcohol and illegal drugs and substance abuse treatment they received. NCJ 166611

Characteristics of Adults on Probation, 1995, 12/97. Provides data from a nationally representative sample of official records of nearly 6,000 adults under probation supervision in 166 State and local probation offices nationwide. NCJ 164267

Probation and Parole Violators in State Prison, 8/95. Focuses on prisoners whose probation or parole was revoked, using data from the 1991 Survey of State Prison inmates, and provides details on offenses, types of violations, time served on probation/parole, time expected to serve, guns, alcohol and drug use, and personal characteristics. NCJ 149076

National Corrections Reporting Program, 1992 , 10/94. Describes the demographic characteristics, offenses, sentence lengths, and time served by persons admitted to and released from the Nation's prison and parole systems in 1992. NCJ 145862

Tables for subsequent years are available in spreadsheets as listed below.

Performance Measures for the Criminal Justice System, 10/93 . This compendium of Discussion Papers represents the work of the BJS-Princeton University Study Group on Criminal Justice Performance Measures. NCJ 143505

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Selected statistics

Correctional Populations in the United States - Statistical tables
in spreadsheet and portable document format files. Subjects include:

  • Jail inmates
  • Probation
  • Prisoners
  • Parole
  • Capital Punishment
  • U.S. military corrections

1998 data are currently available, 9/02

National Corrections Reporting Program:

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Also by BJS staff

Hughes, Timothy, James-Wilson, Doris, and Beck, Allen J. "Trends in State Parole, The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same" Perspectives (Journal of the American Probation and Parole Association), 26, No. 3 (Summer 2002): 28-33.

Beck, Allen J. "State and Federal prisoners returning to the community: Findings from the Bureau of Justice Statistics," (PDF file, 30K) Presented at the First Reentry Courts Initiative Cluster Meeting, Washington, D.C., April 13, 2000

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Related sites

From BJS

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