U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin Probation and Parole in the United States, 2001 August 2002, NCJ 195669 --------------------------------------------------------------- This file is text only without graphics and many of the tables. A Zip archive of the tables in this report in spreadsheet format (.wk1) and the full report including tables and graphics in .pdf format are available from: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/ppus01.htm 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#Probation --------------------------------------------------------------- By Lauren E. Glaze BJS Statistician ------------------------------------------- Highlights Probation -- * The adult probation population grew 2.8% in 2001, an increase of 106,542 probationers, less than the average annual growth of 3.4% since 1995. * 53% of all probationers had been convicted of a felony, 45% of a misdemeanor, and 1% of other infractions. Twenty-five percent were on probation for a drug law violation, and 18% for driving while intoxicated. * Four States had an increase of 10% or more in their probation population in 2001, led by Maine (up 15%) and Colorado, Kentucky, and Virginia (all up 12%). The adult probation population decreased in 17 States, led by Nevada with the only double-digit decrease (down 14%). * Idaho had the highest rate of probationers per 100,000 residents, 3,747; New Hampshire had the lowest, 385. Parole -- * Overall, the Nation's parole population grew by about 7,250 in 2001, or 1.0%. * Mandatory releases from prison as a result of a sentencing statute or good-time provision comprised 55% of those entering parole in 2001; in 1995 they were 45%. * A total of 11 States had double-digit increases in their parole population in 2001. Two States had a parole population increase of 20% or more: Oklahoma, up 87%, and Idaho, up 20%. * Seventeen States had a decrease in their parole population. Two States -- West Virginia (down 16%) and North Carolina (down 12%) -- had a decrease of more than 10%. ----------------------------------------------- The total Federal, State, and local adult correctional population -- incarcerated or in the community -- grew by 147,700 during 2001 to reach a new high of nearly 6.6 million. About 3.1% of the U.S. adult population, or 1 in every 32 adults, were incarcerated or on probation or parole at yearend 2001. A total of 3,932,751 adult men and women were on probation at yearend 2001, representing a growth of 2.8% during the year. The adult parole population grew 1.0%, rising to a total of 731,147 by December 31, 2001. Since 1995 the parole population has been the slowest growing correctional population, up 1.2% per year, com- pared to jails (up 3.7% annually) prisons (up 3.6% annually), and probation (up 3.4% annually). Over 4.6 million adult men and women were on probation or parole At yearend 2001 the number of adult men and women in the United States who were being supervised in the community reached a record high 4,663,898, up from 3,757,282 on December 31, 1995. These data were collected in the 2001 Annual Probation Survey and the 2001 Annual Parole Survey conducted by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). In 2001 the number of adults under supervision in the community increased 2.5%, which was less than the average annual increase of 3.7% since 1995. The total adult correctional population, including those incarcerated and those being supervised in the community, reached a new high of 6,592,800 at the end of 2001. At yearend 2001, 3.1%, or about 1 in every 32 adults in the United States, were in State or Federal prisons, local jails, or under the supervision of probation or parole authorities, up from 2.7% in 1995. Texas and California led the Nation in number of adults supervised in the community More than 1 million persons being supervised in the community in 2001, or about 1 in 5 probationers and parolees, were in Texas and California. Texas led the Nation with 551,372 persons on probation or parole, followed by California with 468,672. Washington and Texas led the Nation with the largest percentage of its adult population under community supervision (each with 3.6% at yearend 2001), followed by Delaware (3.4%). California's community supervision rate of 1.9% was about half that of Texas. Twelve States reported that fewer than 1% of their adult populations were on probation or parole. New Hampshire had the lowest rate of supervision in the community (486 offenders per 100,000 adults). 4 States reported an increase of 10% or more in their probation population Maine reported an increase of 15% in the number of adults on probation during 2001. Colorado, Virginia, and Kentucky (each up 12%) also reported an increase of at least 10% in their adult probation populations. Seventeen States had fewer adults on probation at the end of 2001 than at the beginning of the year, led by Nevada, down 14%, the only double-digit decrease during 2001. 106,542 probationers added in 2001 During 2001 the probation population grew 106,500, an increase of 2.8%. This was more than double the annual increase recorded in 2000 (46,287) and slightly lower than the average increase since 1995 (up 113,148 per year). At yearend 2001 the probation supervision rate totaled 1,849 probationers per 100,000 adult U.S. residents -- the equivalent of 1 in every 54 adults. Idaho with 3,747 probationers per 100,000 adult State residents had the highest rate of probation supervision; New Hampshire (with 385 per 100,000) had the lowest. More than 2.1 million adults entered probation supervision during 2001, an increase of over 78,500 probation entries from 2000. Since 1995 the annual number of entries to probation has risen by 34%, an increase of more than 532,000. ------------------------------------------------ At yearend 2001, 1 in 5 probationers were women; 1 in 3 were black Nationwide, women represented a slightly larger percentage of the probation population in 2001 than in 1990. Women were 22% of adults on probation in 2001(870,000), up from 18% in 1990. At yearend 2001 about half of all probationers were white (2,175,600); a third were black (1,228,700); and an eighth were of Hispanic origin (469,800). Persons of other races comprised about 2% of probationers (58,600). Half of all probationers convicted of a felony; a quarter convicted of a drug law violation Probationers are criminal offenders who have been sentenced to a period of conditional supervision in the community. At yearend 2001, 53% had been convicted of a felony offense. More than half of those on probation (54%) had a direct sentence to probation; 25% had received a sentence to incarceration that had been suspended; and 9% had received a split sentence that included incarceration followed by probation. An additional 10% had entered probation before completion of all court proceedings (including those who entered probation before final verdict). Approximately 3 of every 4 probationers were under active supervision and were required to regularly report to a probation authority in person, by mail, or by telephone. The percent of probationers required to report regularly has dropped steadily, from 83% in 1990 to 79% in 1995 and to 74% in 2001. At yearend 2001 at least 1 in 10 probationers had absconded -- though still on probation, they had failed to report and could not be located. Among all persons on probation, absconders have increased from 6% in 1990 to 10% in 2001. In 2001, 25% of probationers had a drug law violation; 18% were sentenced for driving while intoxicated or under the influence of alcohol; 7% for minor traffic offenses; and 7% for domestic violence. More than 3 out of 5 of the nearly 2 million adults discharged from probation in 2001 had successfully met the conditions of their supervision. Approximately 13% of those discharged from probation supervision were incarcerated because of a rule violation or new offense. An additional 3% of those discharged had absconded, and 11% had their probation sentence revoked without incarceration. ----------------------------------------------- Parole population up by fewer than 7,500 during 2001 Also serving time in the community at the end of 2001 were 731,147 adults on parole. Parole is a period of conditional supervised release following a prison term. Prisoners may be released to parole either by a parole board decision or by mandatory conditional release. The 1.0% growth in parole during 2001-- a net increase of 7,249 parolees -- was slightly smaller than the average annual increase of 1.2% in parole since 1995. Nearly all parolees had been convicted of a felony (95%). 11 States had double-digit increases in their parole populations; 2 had similar decreases For the year ending December 31, 2001, 11 States reported an increase of 10% or more in their parole population. Oklahoma led with 87%, followed by two other States with increases of 19% or higher: Idaho (20%) and Arkansas (19%). A total of 17 States reported a decrease in their adult parole population during 2001. Two States reported double-digit decreases, led by West Virginia (down 16%) and North Carolina (down 12%). Women accounted for more than 1 of every 8 adults on parole in 2001 About 1 of every 8 adults on parole in 2001 (90,700) were women. Women represented a larger percentage of the parole population (12%) in 2001 than in 1990 when they were 8%. More than 2 out of 5 adults on parole on December 31, 2001, (299,400) were black; more than 1 in 3 were white (285,500). Nineteen percent of parolees were Hispanic (136,500). About 2% were of other races (9,800). Since 1990 discretionary releases to parole have dropped, while mandatory releases have risen Discretionary releases of prisoners to parole supervision by a parole board have decreased from 59% of adults entering parole in 1990 to 36%, or 161,100, in 2001. Mandatory releases to parole supervision increased from 41% in 1990 to 55% (248,000) in 2001. At yearend 2001 more than 4 of every 5 parolees were under active supervision and were required to maintain regular contact with the paroling agency. About 7% of parolees were absconders and could not be located. 40% of parolees discharged from supervision were incarcerated Of the more than 464,500 parolees discharged from supervision in 2001, 46% had successfully met the conditions of their supervision, while 40% had been returned to incarceration either because of a rule violation or new offense. An additional 9% had absconded and 2% had failed to successfully meet the conditions of supervision but were discharged without incarceration. The success rate among those discharged from parole dropped from 50% in 1990 to 46%; however, the percent incarcerated also dropped (from 46% to 40%). These declines were offset by increases in absconders (from 1% to 9%). Correctional supervision rate highest in Texas and lowest in New Hampshire Texas led the Nation at yearend 2001 with 4,818 adults under correctional supervision per 100,000 adult State residents, followed by Idaho (4,786) and Delaware (4,545). New Hampshire (924 per 100,000), West Virginia (940), and North Dakota (1,008) had the fewest adults on probation or parole or in prison or jail relative to their State populations. Offenders on probation or parole represented nearly 71% of all persons under correctional supervision at yearend. The 10 States with the highest rates of correctional supervision were also the 10 States with the highest rates of probation supervision. Except for Texas, with 27% of its correctional population in prison or jail, States with the highest correctional supervision rate had an appreciably lower percentage of their correctional populations incarcerated. Minnesota with the 3,474 persons under supervision per 100,000 adult residents had the lowest percent incarcerated (8.9% of all persons under supervision). Other States with a low percentage incarcerated included Vermont and Rhode Island (with 12%)and Washington State (with 15%). Mississippi with 60% of its correctional population incarcerated had the highest percentage among States, followed by Virginia (55%) and Nevada (51%). Methodology The Annual Probation and Parole Surveys provide a count of the total number of persons supervised in the community on January 1 and December 31, 2001, and a count of the number entering and leaving supervision during the year. These surveys cover all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the Federal system. Data for the Federal system are from the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts as provided to the BJS Federal Justice Statistics Program. Because many States update their population counts, the January 1, 2001, numbers may differ from those previously published for December 31, 2000. Probation The 2001 Annual Probation Survey was sent to 477 respondents -- 36 central State reporters and 441 separate State, county, or court agencies. States with multiple reporters were Alabama (3), Arizona (2), Colorado (9), Florida (44), Georgia (5), Idaho (2), Kentucky (3), Michigan (132), Missouri (2), New Mexico (2), Ohio (190), Oklahoma (3), Tennessee (3), Washington (35), and West Virginia (2). Since 1997 the survey coverage has been expanded to include 186 additional agencies previously excluded from the survey. At yearend 2001, 176,005 probationers were under the supervision of these agencies. For year-to-year comparisons, use total counts based on the same reporting agencies -- 3,266,837 in 1997 to compare with the final 1996 counts; 3,417,613 in 1998 to compare with final 1997; and 3,773,624 in 1999 to compare with final 1998. Parole The 2001 Annual Parole Survey was sent to 54 respondents, including 52 central reporters, the California Youth Authority, and 1 municipal agency. States with multiple reporters were Alabama (2) and California (2). Federal parole as defined here includes supervised release, parole, military parole, special parole, and mandatory release. --------------------------------------------- The Bureau of Justice Statistics is the statistical agency of the U.S. Department of Justice. Lawrence A. Greenfeld is the director. BJS Bulletins present the first release of findings from permanent data collection programs such as the Annual Probation and Parole Surveys. Lauren E. Glaze wrote this report while under the supervision of Allen J. Beck. Jennifer C. Karberg provided statistical verification. Data collection and processing were conducted by Lauren Glaze with assistance from Lara E. Reynolds. Tom Hester edited the report. Jayne Robinson administered final production. August 2002, NCJ 195669 --------------------------------------------- End of file 08/12/02 ih