U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Statistics Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 1996 January 1997, NCJ 162843 This report is one in a series. More recent editions may be available. To view a list of all in the series go to http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pubalp2.htm#pjmidyear The full text of this report is available through: * the BJS Clearinghouse, 1-800-732-3277 * on the Internet at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/ * on the BJS gopher: gopher://www.ojp.usdoj.gov:70/11/bjs/ * on the National Criminal Justice Reference Service Electronic Bulletin Board (set at 8-N-1, call 301-738-8895, select BJS). By Darrell K. Gilliard and Allen J. Beck, Ph.D. BJS Statisticians Prisons -- * Between July 1, 1995, and June 30, 1996, the Nation's prison population grew by 5.3%, less than the average annual growth of 7.7% since 1990. * Four States had 12-month growth rates of more than 14.0% -- Nebraska, Montana, North Carolina, and Oregon. The District of Columbia (down 6.9%), New Hampshire (-0.7%), and Connecticut (-0.2%) recorded declines. *At midyear 1996 there were an estimated 420 prison inmates per 100,000 U.S. residents-- up from 292 at yearend 1990. Jails-- * On June 28, 1996, an estimated 518,492 inmates were held in the Nation's local jails, up from 507,044 at midyear 1995. *The 12-month increase of 2.3% in the jail population was significantly below the average annual increase of 4.2% since 1990. * In 1996 jails reported their lowest occupancy rates in 12 years. At midyear, jails were operating at 8% below their rated capacity (562,020). * Since 1990 the number of jail inmates per 100,000 U.S. residents has risen from 163 to 196. At midyear 1996 an estimated 1,630,940 persons were incarcerated in the Nation's prisons and jails. Federal and State prison authorities and local jail authorities held in their custody 615 persons per 100,000 U.S. residents. Prisoners in the custody of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the Federal Government accounted for two-thirds of the incarcerated population (1,112,448 inmates). The other third were held in local jails (518,492). On June 30, 1996, 1,164,356 prisoners were under Federal or State jurisdiction (includes prisoners in custody and persons under the legal authority of a prison system but who are held outside its facilities). The total increased 5.3% from midyear 1995. The States and the District of Columbia added 54,549 prisoners; the Federal system, 4,256. Local jail authorities held or supervised an estimated 591,469 offenders. Twelve percent of these offenders (72,977) were supervised outside jail facilities in programs such as com- munity service, work release, weekend reporting, electronic monitoring, and other alternative programs. ****************************************** Over 1.6 million inmates were held in the Nation's prisons and local jails ****************************************** At midyear 1996 an estimated 1,112,448 inmates were in the custody of State and Federal prison authorities, and 518,492 inmates were in the custody of local jail authorities. These data were collected in the 1996 National Prisoner Statistics (NPS) program and the 1996 Annual Survey of Jails. The total incarcerated population increased 4.4% from 12 months prior. Since midyear 1995 the number of inmates in State and Federal prisons increased 5.5%, and the number held in local jails increased 2.3%. Between yearend 1985 and midyear 1996, the incarcerated population has grown on average 7.8% annually. During this period the Federal and State prison populations and the local jail population have grown at an average annual rate of 9.5%, 8.1%, and 6.9%, respectively. In the previous 12 months the number of inmates in the Nation's prisons and jails rose an estimated 69,104 inmates or 1,329 inmates per week. Since 1990 the total custody population has risen more than 482,200 inmates, the equivalent of 1,686 inmates per week. Relative to the number of U.S. residents, the rate of incarceration in 1996 was 615 inmates per 100,000 U.S. residents--up from 461 per 100,000 in 1990. At midyear 1996, 1 in every 163 U.S. residents were incarcerated. In every year since 1990 the State and Federal prison population has grown faster than the local jail population. At midyear 1996 the Nation's jails held 32% of all inmates in custody, down from 35% in 1990. ******************************************** The number of inmates under State or Federal jurisdiction rose 5.3% ******************************************* Between July 1, 1995, and June 30, 1996, the number of inmates under State jurisdiction grew by 5.4% and the number under Federal jurisdiction by 4.3%). Compared to the previous 12-month period ending June 30, 1995, the growth rates declined, down from 9.2% among State inmates and 6.1% for Federal inmates. In absolute numbers, the total increase of 58,805 prison inmates between July 1, 1995, and June 30, 1996, was appreciably smaller than the increase of 90,881 recorded in the previous 12-month period and below the annual average growth (66,745) during the previous 5 years. --------------------------------------------------------- Annual increase in the number of prisoners under State or Federal jurisdiction July 1 - June 30 -------------------------------------------- 1995-96 58,805 1994-95 90,881 1993-94 72,854 1992-93 69,525 1991-92 51,020 1990-91 49,446 Average growth, 1990-95 66,745 ---------------------------------------------------------- Thirty-nine percent of the growth in the prison populations during the 12 months ending June 30, 1996, was accounted for by California (10,954), the Federal system (4,256), Pennsylvania (4,095), and North Carolina (3,853). During this 12-month period, the total prison population increased at least 10% in 13 States. Nebraska reported the largest increase (16.0%), followed by Montana (15.2%), North Carolina (14.4%), Oregon (14.1%), Wisconsin (13.9%), and Pennsylvania (13.7%). Two States and the District of Columbia experienced a decline in their prison population. The District of Columbia had the largest decline, -6.9%; followed by New Hampshire, -0.7%, and Connecticut, -0.2%. ***************************************** Rates of prison incarceration rise ***************************************** The incarceration rate of State and Federal prisoners sentenced to more than a year reached 420 per 100,000 U.S. residents on June 30, 1996. Texas had the highest rate of incarceration (659 sentenced prisoners per 100,000 State residents), followed by Louisiana (611 per 100,000), Oklahoma (580), and South Carolina (540). Three States--North Dakota (90), Minnesota (108), and Maine (112--had rates that were less than a third of the national rate. The District of Columbia, a wholly urban jurisdiction, held 1,444 sentenced prisoners per 100,000 residents at midyear 1996. Since 1990 the number of sentenced inmates per 100,000 residents has risen by more than 40%, increasing from 292 to 420. During this period prison incarceration rates rose the most in the South (from 316 to 487) and West (from 277 to 375). The rate in the Northeast rose from 232 to 306, and the rate in the Midwest from 239 to 318. The number of sentenced Federal prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents increased from 20 to 33 over the same period. ************************************** Female prisoner population grew at faster pace **************************************** During the 12 months ending June 30, 1996, the number of women under the jurisdiction of State and Federal prison authorities grew from 69,161 to 73,607, an increase of 6.4%. The number of men rose 5.2%, from 1,036,390 to 1,090,749. At midyear 1996 women accounted for 6.3% of all prisoners nationwide, up from 4.1% in 1980 and 5.7% in 1990. Relative to the number of men and women in the U.S. resident population, the incarceration rate was more than 16 times higher for men than for women. On June 30, 1996, the rate for inmates serving a sentence of more than a year was 809 sentenced males per 100,000 U.S. male residents, compared to 50 females per 100,000 female residents. *************************************** At midyear the Nation's jails supervised 591,469 offenders **************************************** On June 28, 1996, an estimated 591,469 offenders were held in or supervised by the Nation's local jails. Jail authorities supervised 12% of these offenders (72,977) in alternative programs outside the jail facilities. An estimated 518,492 offenders were housed in local jails. As defined in this report, jails are locally-operated correctional facilities that confine persons before or after adjudication. Inmates sentenced to jail usually have a sentence of a year or less, but jails also incarcerate persons in a wide variety of other categories. For the first time in 1995 the Annual Survey of Jails obtained counts of the number of offenders under community supervision. Respondents were asked if their jail jurisdiction operated any community-based programs and how many persons participated in them. Offenders under the supervision of a probation, parole, or other correctional agency were excluded from these counts. Because jail authorities reported offenders in treatment programs administered by the jail jurisdiction in 1996, it is difficult to compare totals with those in 1995. (See Methodology.) Among persons under community supervision by jail staff in 1996, slightly less than half were required to perform community service (17,410) or to participate in an alternative work program (14,469). More than a fifth were in a weekend reporting program (16,336). An estimated 10,425 offenders under jail supervision were in a drug, alcohol, mental health, or other medical treatment program. Another 7,480 offenders were under home detention with electronic monitoring. ****************** Jails-- ******************* * receive individuals pending arraignment and hold them awaiting trial, conviction, or sentencing * readmit probation, parole, and bail-bond violators and absconders *temporarily detain juveniles pending transfer to juvenile authorities * hold mentally ill persons pending their movement to appropriate health facilities *hold individuals for the military, for protective custody, for contempt, and for the courts as witnesses * release convicted inmates to the community upon completion of sentence * transfer inmates to Federal, State, or other authorities * house inmates for Federal, State, or other authorities because of crowding of their facilities * relinquish custody of temporary detainees to juvenile and medical authorities * sometimes operate community-based programs as alternatives to incarceration. * hold inmates sentenced to short terms (generally under one year) ********************************* Jail population grew 2.3% during 12-month period ********************************* Between July 1, 1995, and June 28, 1996, the number of persons held in local jail facilities grew 2.3% -- from 507,044 to 518,492. The 12-month increase was much lower than the 4.2% increase in the previous 12-month period ending June 30, 1995, and about a third the annual average since 1985. _________________________________________ 12-month Percent Period increase* 1995-96 2.3% 1994-95 4.2 1993-94 6.7 1992-93 3.4 1991-92 4.2 1990-91 5.2 1989-90 2.5% 1988-89 15.1 1987-88 16.1 1986-87 7.8 1985-86 6.9 Annual average, 1990-9 4.2% 1985-96 6.6 ------------------------------------------ *Percent increases before 1995 are based on inmate counts that include a small but unknown number of offenders under community supervision. Since 1985 the Nation's jail population has nearly doubled on a per capita basis. During this period the number of jail inmates per 100,000 residents rose from 108 to 196. Including offenders under community supervision by jail authorities, the rate totaled 223 offenders per 100,000 U.S. residents at midyear 1996. Year Jail incarceration rate* ---------------------------------------------------------------- 1996 196 1995 193 1994 188 1993 178 1992 174 1991 169 1990 163 1989 160 1988 141 1987 122 1986 114 1985 108 -------------------------------------------------------------- *Number of jail inmates per 100,000 U.S. residents on July 1 of each year. --------------------------------------------------------------- An estimated 8,100 persons under age 18 were housed in adult jails on June 28, 1996. Over two-thirds of these young inmates had been convicted or were being held for trial as adults in criminal court. (See Methodology) for changes in the definition of juvenile.) The average daily population for the year ending June 30, 1996, was 515,432, an increase of 1.1% from 1995. *************************************** Characteristics of jail inmates changed little *************************************** Male inmates made up 89% of the local jail inmate population at midyear 1996, nearly 3 percentage points lower than at midyear 1985. On average, the female jail population has grown 10.2% annually since 1985, while the male inmate population hasgrown annually by 6.1%. On June 28, 1996, local jails held nearly 1 in every 207 adult men and 1 in 1,828 women. At midyear 1996 a majority of local jail inmates were black or Hispanic. White non-Hispanics made up 41.6% of the jail population; black non-Hispanics, 41.1%; Hispanics, 15.6%; and other races (Asians, Pacific Islanders, American Indians, and Alaska Natives), 1.7%. Relative to their number of U.S. residents, black non-Hispanics were 6 times more likely than white non-Hispanics, over twice as likely as Hispanics, and over 8 times more likely than persons of other races to have been held in a local jail on June 30, 1996. Number of jail inmates ------------------------ Per 100,00 Estimated resident count in each group ------------------- --------------------------- Total 518,492 196 White, non-Hispanic 215,700 111 Black, non-Hispanic 213,100 666 Hispanic 80,900 290 Other 8,800 80 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note: Inmate counts were estimated and rounded to the nearest 100. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ********************************************* About half of all adults under jail supervision were convicted -------------------------------------------- On June 28, 1996, an estimated 48.8% of all adults under supervision by jail authorities had been convicted on their current charge. An estimated 284,200 of the 582,300 adults under jail supervision were serving a sentence in jail, awaiting sentencing, or serving a sentence in an alternative program outside a jail facility. -------------------------------------------- Number of persons under jail supervision at midyear, 1996 ------------------------------------------------ Total 582,300 Convicted 284,200 Male 252,800 Female 31,400 Unconvicted 298,100 Male 266,000 Female 32,100 -------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------- At midyear 1996, 92% of jail capacity was occupied ------------------------------------------- At midyear 1996 the rated capacity of the Nation's local jails totaled an estimated 562,020, an increase of 16,257 in 12 months. Rated capacity is the maximum number of beds or inmates allocated by State or local rating officials to each jail facility. The growth in jail capacity during the 12-month period ending on June 30, 1996, was smaller than in any previous 12-month period since 1987. As of June 30, 1996, 92% of the local jail capacity was occupied. As a ratio of all inmates housed in jail facilities to total capacity, the percentage occupied increased considerably after 1983, reaching a record 108% in 1989 and then falling to 92% in 1996. Since 1990 rated capacity has risen nearly 173,000 beds, while the number of nmates held in jail facilities has increased approximately 113,200. Jail jurisdictions with the largest average daily populations reported the highest occupancy rates. At midyear 1996 occupancy was 96% of rated capacity in jail jurisdictions with an average daily population of 1,000 or more inmates, compared to 71% in those with fewer than 50 inmates. Percent Size of of capacity jurisdiction* occupied --------------- ------------- Total 92% Fewer than 50 inmates 71 50-99 92 100-249 90 250-499 91 500-999 95 1,000 or more 96 ----------------------------------------- *Based on the average daily population in the year ending June 30, 1996. ------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------ The 25 largest jail jurisdictions housed more than a quarter of all jail inmates -------------------------------------------- In 1996 the Nation's 25 largest jail jurisdictions accounted for 27% of all jail inmates. The jurisdictions were in 12 States: 7 in California; 5 in Florida; 4 in Texas; and 1 each in New York, Illinois, Louisiana, Arizona, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Michigan, and Wisconsin. The 2 jurisdictions with the most inmates, New York City and Los Angeles County, together held more than 38,500 inmates, or 7% of the national total. Overall, the 25 largest jurisdictions at midyear 1996 held 142,114 inmates--a total virtually unchanged from a year earlier (142,077). A total of 12 jurisdictions reported increases in their populations; 13 reported decreases. Philadelphia City and Dallas County, Texas, (both up 12%) and New York City (up 10%) reported the largest increases among the 25 largest jail jurisdictions. Three jurisdictions reported declines of more than 10% -- Tarrant County, Texas, (down 25%), Harris County, Texas, (-13%), and Baltimore City (-12%). As a ratio of all inmates housed in jail facilities to total capacity, jails in Orange County, California, had the highest percentage occupied (139%), followed by jails in San Diego County, California, (119%), and Milwaukee (117%). Jail facilities in Tarrant County (69%) and Duval County, Florida, (72%) had the lowest percentage occupied at midyear 1996. ********************** Methodology ********************** National Prisoner Statistics (NPS) ---------------------------------------- The Bureau of Justice Statistics, with the U.S. Bureau of the Census as its collection agent, obtains yearend and midyear counts of prisoners from departments of correction in each of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. In an effort to collect comparable data from all jurisdictions, NPS distin- guishes between prisoners in custody from those under jurisdiction. To have custody of a prisoner, a State must hold that person in one of its facilities. To have jurisdiction, a State has legal authority over the prisoner. Prisoners under a State's jurisdiction may be in the custody of a local jail, another State's prison, or other correctional facility. Some States are unable to provide both custody and jurisdiction counts. (See National Prisoner Statistics jurisdiction notes.) Excluded from NPS counts are persons confined in locally administered confinement facilities who are under the jurisdiction of local authorities. NPS counts include all inmates in State-operated facilities in Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont, which have combined jail-prison systems. Annual Survey of Jails (ASJ) -------------------------------- In each of the 4 years between the full censuses, a survey of jails is conducted to estimate baseline characteristics of the Nation's jails and the inmates housed in these jails. The 1996 ASJ is the 12th such survey in a series begun in 1982. The reference date for the 1996 survey was June 28. Based on information from the 1993 Census of Jails, a sample of jail jurisdictions was selected for the 1994-96 surveys. A jurisdiction is a county (parish in Louisiana) or municipal government that administers one or more local jails. The sample included all jails in 795 selected jail jurisdictions and 25 multi-jurisdiction jails. A multi-jurisdiction jail is one in which two or more jurisdictions have a formal agreement to operate the facility. In drawing the sample, jail jurisdictions were first stratified into two groups: single-jurisdiction jails and multi-jurisdiction jails. All of the multi-jurisdiction jails were included in the survey. The remaining jurisdictions were then further stratified into two groups: jurisdictions with jails authorized to hold juveniles and jurisdictions with jails holding adults only. Jurisdictions were then selected based on the average daily population in the 1993 census. All jails in 204 jurisdictions were automatically included if in 1993 the jurisdiction held juveniles and had an average daily population of 250 or more inmates or if it held only adults and had an average population of 500 or more. The other jurisdictions (591) were then selected based on stratified probability sampling. Data were obtained by mailed questionnaires. After followup phone calls to nonrespondents, the response rate for the survey was 100%. Sampling error ------------------- Survey estimates have an associated sampling error because not all jurisdictions were contacted for the survey. Estimates based on the sample survey may differ somewhat from the results of conducting a complete census. Different samples could yield somewhat different results. Standard error is a measure of the variation among the estimates from all possible samples, stating the precision with which an estimate from a particular sample approximates the average of all possible samples. The estimated rela-tive sampling error for the total number of persons under the jurisdiction of jail authorities of 591,469 on June 28, 1996, was 0.80%; for persons held in the custody of jail authorities of 518,492, was 0.59%. (See appendix table.) Measuring confinement status ------------------------------ For the first time in 1995 the ASJ obtained separate counts of the total number of offenders underjail supervision, those held in jail facilities and thosesupervised outside jail facilities. Previous surveys and censuses included a small but unknown number of offenders under community supervision. To estimate the percentage change from1994 to 1995 in the jail population, the 1995 survey included acount of inmates held at midyear 1994. In the 1996 survey the number of persons supervised outside a jail facility included for the first time persons under drug, alcohol, mental health, or other medical treatment. Comparison with 1995 estimates should exclude these persons. Juveniles ---------- State statutes and judicial practices allow juveniles to be incarcerated in adult jails under a variety of circumstances. Because of the differing statutes and practices, however, accurate and comparable data on juveniles are difficult to collect. Beginning in 1994 the ASJ provided estimates of the total number of jail inmates under age 18, the number held as adults, and the number held as juveniles. New sampling procedures were also introduced in 1994 to minimize the standard errors of these estimates. By stratifying jurisdictions based on the authority to house juveniles, the precision of the juvenile counts was improved. ************************************** National Prisoner Statistics jurisdiction notes ************************************* Alaska--Prisons and jails form one integrated system. All NPS data include both jail and prison populations. Arizona--Population counts are based on custody data. California--Population counts include civil narcotic addict commitments, county diagnostic cases, Federal and other States' inmates, Youth Authority commitments, and safekeepers. Population counts exclude 1,384 persons held in Youth Authority facilities who are under the jurisdiction of the Department of Corrections. Colorado--Population counts for "Inmates with over 1 year maximum sentence" include an undetermined number of "Inmates with a maximum sentence of 1 year or less." Connecticut--Prisons and jails form one integrated system. All NPS data include both jail and prison populations. Delaware--Prisons and jails form one integrated system. All NPS data include both jail and prison populations. District of Columbia--Prisons and jails form one integrated system. All NPS data include both jail and prison populations. Inmates given partially suspended sentences (part served in prison, part under probation) are included with the "Inmates with over 1 year maximum sentence" only if the prison portion of the sentence exceeds 1 year. As a result, the "Inmates with over 1 year maximum sentence" populations are understated and the "Inmates with a year or less maximum sentence" are overstated. Florida--Population counts are based on custody data. Georgia--Population counts are based on custody data. Population counts exclude an undetermined number of inmates housed in local jails, awaiting pick-up. Hawaii--Prisons and jails form one integrated system. All NPS data include both jail and prison populations. Illinois--Population counts are based on custody data. Population counts for "Inmates with over 1 year maximum sentence" include an undetermined number of inmates with a sentence of 1 year. Iowa--Population counts are based on custody data. Maine--Sentence length classifications are based on the controlling offense. Inmates with multiple sentences are included in the category in which their most serious offense belongs. Maryland--While population totals are actual manual counts, the breakdowns for sentence length are estimates extracted from the actual sentence length breakdowns of the automated data system applied to the manual data. Massachusetts--Population totals are actual counts; however, the male/female sentence length breakdowns are estimates believed to be within 0.1% of the actual breakdowns. By law, offenders may be sentenced to terms of up to 2« years in locally-operated jails and correctional institutions. Such populations are excluded from the State count but are included in published population counts and rates for local jails and correctional institutions. Population counts may include a small, but undetermined number of inmates who were remanded to court, transferred to the custody of another State, Federal, or locally-operated system, and subsequently released. Counts include an estimated 63 inmates housed in Massachusetts Department of Correction facilities on behalf of other States (59) or Federal authorities (4). The unsentenced inmate custody count includes inmates awaiting trial and civil commitments housed in State facilities. The unsentenced inmate jurisdiction count includes inmates housed in State facilitiesawaiting trial and civil commitments and 171 males awaiting trial for the State housed in county facilities. The unsentenced inmate jurisdiction count includes inmates housed in local jails because of overcrowding. These types of inmates were excluded in 1995. Michigan--Population counts are based on custody data. Montana--The jurisdiction count includes 200 males and 3 females being held in county jails because of overcrowding. New Jersey--New Jersey reported no inmates with sentences of less than 1 year because its Department of Corrections has no jurisdiction over these types of inmates. Counts for inmates with over 1 year maximum sentence(s) include inmates with a sentence of exactly 1 year. North Carolina--Inmates given partially suspended sentences (part served in prison, part under probation) are included with the "Inmates with over 1 year maximum sentence" only if the prison portion of the sentence exceeds 1 year. As a result, the "Inmates with over 1 year maximum sentence" populations are understated and the "Inmates with a year or less maximum sentence" are overstated. While population totals are actual counts, the breakdowns for sentence length are estimates believed to be accurate within 1% of the actual numbers. Ohio--Population counts for "Inmates with over 1 year maximum sentence" include an undetermined number of "Inmates with a sentence of 1 year or less." Oklahoma--Population counts for "Inmates with over 1 year maximum sentence" may include a small undetermined number of inmates with a sentence of 1 year or less. Oregon--nmates with a sentence of 1 year or less includes a few inmates whose complete sentence information has not been received from the courts. Rhode Island--Prisons and jails form one integrated system. All NPS data include both jail and prison populations. Inmates given partially suspended sentences (part served in prison, part under probation) are included with the "Inmates with over 1 year maximum sentence" only if the prison portion of the sentence exceeds 1 year. As a result, the "Inmates with over 1 year maximum sentence" populations are understated and the "Inmates with a year or less maximum sentence" are overstated. Included in the counts for unsentenced Inmates are 14 males and 1 female who have civil commitments for nonpayment of child support. Tennessee-- Population counts exclude 3,281 felons sentenced to serve their time in local jails. The State pays to house these 3,281 felons, but the local court maintains jurisdiction. Texas--Counts for inmates with over 1 year maximum sentence and inmates with a sentence of 1 year or less do not match counts reported on the 1995 NPS-1 because of an inability to separate these populations for inflow and outflow distributions. Vermont--Prisons and jails form one integrated system. All NPS data include both jail and prison populations. Population counts are based on custody data. June 30, 1996, data are estimated using the proportions in the December 31, 1995, data. The Vermont Department of Corrections has recently undergone an extensive restructuring. They have initiated two types of supervisory units. The first is the "Correctional Reparative Services Unit" (CRSU) that monitors offenders sentenced to a community restitution in lieu of incarceration. This CRSU supervises mostly low risk populations with nonviolent crimes which may be felonies or misdemeanors. The other unit is the "Community Corrections Service Center." This unit supervises offenders who are under "Supervised Community Sentence" or "Pre-approved Furlough." The numbers presented in these tables represent only offenders who are incarcerated in the Vermont Department of Corrections. Virginia--Inmates with sentences of 1 year or less will increase because of the abolition of parole for crimes committed on January 1, 1995, or more recently and the concurrent imposition of sentencing guidelines. New sentencing guidelines are based on time served previously rather than actual sentence given previously, hence the new law sentences are most likely to be less than old law sentences. Wisconsin--Wisconsin could not determine the sentence length for inmates included in the unsentenced category. It is probable that these inmates have sentences of at least a year and a day. The jurisdiction totals do not include 1,304 men and 229 women under the supervision of the Division of Intensive Sanctions in the community. The Bureau of Justice Statistics is the statistical agency of the U.S. Department of Justice. Jan M. Chaiken, Ph.D., is director. BJS Bulletins present the first release of findings from permanent data collection programs such as the National Prisoner Statistics Program and the Annual Survey of Jails. State, local, and Federal corrections officials have cooperated in reporting the data presented. Allen J. Beck, Ph.D., and Darrell K. Gilliard wrote this report. Chris Mumola provided statistical review. Tom Hester edited the report. Marilyn Marbrook, assisted by Yvonne Boston, administered final production. Data collection and processing for the National Prisoner Statistics program were carried out by Laarni Verdolin under the supervision of Gertrude Odom and Kathleen Creighton, Demographic Surveys Division, U.S. Bureau of the Census. Data collection and processing for the Annual Survey of Jails were carried out by Lisa McNelis, with assistance from Pamela Butler, Martha Haselbush, Henrietta Herrin, Martha Greene, and Charline Watz, under the supervision of Alan Stevens, Governments Division, U.S. Bureau of the Census. January 1997, NCJ-162843