By CURT ANDERSON, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - A record 6.9 million adults were incarcerated or on probation or parole last year, nearly 131,000 more than in 2002, according to a Justice Department (news - web sites) study.
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Put another way, about 3.2 percent of the adult U.S. population, or 1 in 32 adults, were incarcerated or on probation or parole at the end of last year.
A record 4.8 million adults were on probation or parole in 2003, about 73,000 more than the year before. About 70 percent of adults involved in federal, state or local corrections systems fall into this category. The states of California and Texas together accounted for about 1 million.
The number of adults on parole after serving a prison sentence rose by 3.1 percent from 2002 to 2003, to more than 774,500 people. That compares with an average annual rise of about 1.7 percent since 1995 for those on parole, a figure that has been increasing at a much slower rate than those in jails (4 percent a year), in prison (3.4 percent) and on probation (2.9 percent).
Since 1995, states around the country have increased the use of mandatory parole after prison release and cut down on use of discretionary releases overseen by parole boards, the report says.
The report, released Sunday, focused most on the characteristics of those on probation or parole. Its findings include:
_Almost half of all probationers were convicted of a felony, with 25 percent convicted of a drug violation.
_Washington state had the highest number of people on probation per 100,000 population, at 3,767. New Hampshire had the lowest rate at 426.
_Of the 2.2 million people discharged from probation in 2003, three out of five met the conditions of their supervision. Another 16 percent were jailed because of a rule violation or a new crime, with 4 percent becoming fugitives.
_About 95 percent of those on parole had been convicted of a felony.
_Of the 470,500 parolees discharged from supervision last year, 38 percent went back to jail for a new crime or a rule violation, with 9 percent becoming fugitives.
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Probationers include adult offenders whom courts place on community supervision instead of incarceration. [/size]
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]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.[/size][/font]
WASHINGTON - A record 6.9 million adults were incarcerated or on probation or parole last year, nearly 131,000 more than in 2002, according to a Justice Department (news - web sites) study.
[size=-1]
Put another way, about 3.2 percent of the adult U.S. population, or 1 in 32 adults, were incarcerated or on probation or parole at the end of last year.
A record 4.8 million adults were on probation or parole in 2003, about 73,000 more than the year before. About 70 percent of adults involved in federal, state or local corrections systems fall into this category. The states of California and Texas together accounted for about 1 million.
The number of adults on parole after serving a prison sentence rose by 3.1 percent from 2002 to 2003, to more than 774,500 people. That compares with an average annual rise of about 1.7 percent since 1995 for those on parole, a figure that has been increasing at a much slower rate than those in jails (4 percent a year), in prison (3.4 percent) and on probation (2.9 percent).
Since 1995, states around the country have increased the use of mandatory parole after prison release and cut down on use of discretionary releases overseen by parole boards, the report says.
The report, released Sunday, focused most on the characteristics of those on probation or parole. Its findings include:
_Almost half of all probationers were convicted of a felony, with 25 percent convicted of a drug violation.
_Washington state had the highest number of people on probation per 100,000 population, at 3,767. New Hampshire had the lowest rate at 426.
_Of the 2.2 million people discharged from probation in 2003, three out of five met the conditions of their supervision. Another 16 percent were jailed because of a rule violation or a new crime, with 4 percent becoming fugitives.
_About 95 percent of those on parole had been convicted of a felony.
_Of the 470,500 parolees discharged from supervision last year, 38 percent went back to jail for a new crime or a rule violation, with 9 percent becoming fugitives.
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Probationers include adult offenders whom courts place on community supervision instead of incarceration. [/size]
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]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.[/size][/font]
- [font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]At yearend 2003, over 4.8 million adult men and women were under Federal, State, or local probation or parole jurisdiction; approximately 4,074,000 on probation and 774,600 on parole.[/size][/font]
- [font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]The 1.5% growth in the probation and parole population during 2003 -- an increase of 73,574 during the year -- was about half the average annual growth of 2.9% since 1995.[/size][/font]
- [font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]At the end of 2003 --
-- Among offenders on probation, half (49 percent) had been convicted for committing a felony, 49% for a misdemeanor, and 2% for other infractions. Seventy-one percent of probationers were being actively supervised at the end of 2003; 9% were inactive cases and 11% had absconded.
-- Nearly all of the offenders on parole (95%) had been sentenced to incarceration of more than 1 year.
-- Women made up about 23% of the nation's probationers and 13% of the parolees.
-- Approximately 56% of the adults on probation were white, and 30% were black, and 12% were Hispanic. Forty percent of parolees were white, 41% black, and 18% were Hispanic.[/size][/font] - [font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]State inmates released from prison as a result of a parole board decision dropped from 50% of all adults entering parole in 1995 to 39% in 2002, while mandatory releases based on a statutory requirement increased from 45% to 52%. [/size][/font]
- [font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]45% of State parole discharges in 2002 successfully completed their term of supervision, relatively unchanged since 1995. 41% were returned to jail or prison, and 9% absconded. [/size][/font]
- [font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]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.[/size][/font]
