ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 4:30 P.M. EDT BJS SUNDAY, AUGUST 22, 1999 202/307-0784 U.S. CORRECTIONAL POPULATION REACHES 5.9 MILLION OFFENDERS WASHINGTON, D.C. The combined federal, state and local adult correctional population grew by 163,800 men and women during 1998 to reach a new high of 5.9 million people, the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) announced today. This includes incarcerated inmates and probationers and parolees in the community, BJS said. Almost 3 percent of the nation's adult population, or about 1 in every 34 adults, were incarcerated or on probation or on parole at the end of last year. As of December 31, 1998, adults under community supervision surpassed 4 million for the first time, to a record 4.1 million, up from 3.2 million on December 31, 1990. At the end of 1998, 3,417,613 adult men and women were on probation, 704,964 were on parole, 1,232,900 were in prisons, and 584,372 were in local jails. From 1990 through 1998 the percentage of the total correctional population under community supervision declined from 74 percent to 69 percent. Among the probationers, criminal offenders sentenced to a period of correctional supervision in the community, 57 percent had been convicted of a felony, 40 percent of a misdemeanor and 3 percent of other infractions. Twenty-four percent were on probation for a drug law violation and 17 percent for driving while intoxicated. Nearly all adults on parole, a period of conditional supervision following a prison term, had been convicted of a felony (96 percent). More than half of people entering parole during 1998 were released from prison because of a requirement to do so under a sentencing statute. In 1998, 41 percent of those entering parole had been released by a parole board, down from 59 percent in 1990. More than 100,000 people were under community supervision in the federal system in 1998. Almost 1 million of the nation's federal, state and local probationers and parolees, about one in four of the total, were in Texas (555,780) and California (435,044). Texas led the nation with the largest percentage of its adult population under community supervision (3.9 percent), followed by Delaware and Washington, each with 3.6 percent. Twelve states reported fewer than 1 percent of their adult populations on parole or probation. West Virginia had the lowest rate of people under correctional supervision in the community (521 per 100,000 adults), followed by Kentucky (590), and North Dakota (596). Vermont and Idaho each reported a 21 percent increase in their probation population for the year ending December 31, 1998. Other states with an increase of at least 10 percent included Arkansas (up 19 percent), New Mexico (up 17 percent), Arizona (up 17 percent), Alabama (up 14 percent), Pennsylvania (up 12 percent), and Illinois (up 10 percent). Eleven states reported a decline in their probation populations, led by Louisiana and South Dakota, each down 7 percent. Large parole population gains were reported by many states for 1998. Ohio led with a 66 percent increase in parole in 1998, followed by Idaho (55 percent) and North Dakota (51 percent). Four states reported parole declines of 20 percent or more: Virginia (down 37 percent), North Carolina (down 30 percent), Washington (down 22 percent), and Oklahoma (down 21 percent). The parole and supervised release populations in the federal system rose by 5 percent. Nationwide, women constituted a larger percentage of the probation and parole populations in 1998 than they did in 1990. Women comprised 21 percent of adult probationers in 1998 (up from 18 percent in 1990) and 12 percent of those on parole ( up from 8 percent). At the end of 1998, more than a third of probationers (1,179,400) and more than 2 out of 5 adults on parole (311,300) were black, while two-thirds of probationers (2,186,600) and half of parolees (384,700) were white. Hispanics, who may be of any race, comprised 15 percent of probationers (515,000), and 21 percent of parolees (144,900). Over 1.5 million probationers and more than 420,000 parolees were discharged from community supervision in 1998. Among those discharged from probation 59 percent successfully completed their supervision, down from 69 percent in 1990. Among discharged parolees in 1998, 45 percent successfully completed their supervision, compared to 50 percent in 1990. During 1998, 17 percent of probationers and 42 percent of parolees were reincarcerated because of a rule violation or new offense. An estimated 3 percent of discharged probationers and 9 percent of parolees had absconded. The bulletin, "Probation and Parole in the United States, 1998: (NCJ-178234) was written by BJS statistician Thomas P. Bonczar and BJS statistical assistant Lauren E. Glaze. Single copies may be obtained from the BJS fax-on-demand system by dialing 301/519-5550, listening to the complete menu and selecting document number 168. Or call the BJS Clearinghouse number: 1-800-732-3277. Fax orders for mail delivery to 410/792-4358. The BJS Internet site is: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/ Additional criminal justice materials can be obtained from the Office of Justice Programs homepage at: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov # # # BJS99162 After hours contact: Stu Smith at 301/983-9354