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Incarceration Rate Grows in First Half of 1991

Incarceration Rate Grows In First Half Of 1991

The nation's state and federal prison population grew by 30,149 inmates, just under four percent, during the first half of1991 to reach a record 804,524 men and women as of June 30, the U.S. Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics announced on October 13. This increase was the equivalent of about 1,160 more inmates every week

During the first half of last year, the federal prison population grew by 3.1 percent, compared to an increase of 4 percent among the 50 states. Prisoners in the Western states increased by 5.1 percent during the first half of the year, compared to a 4.2 percent increase in the Northeast. Southern and Midwestern prisoner counts grew by 3.5 percent. Four states recorded double-digit half-year increases - Rhode Island by 14.3 percent; New Hampshire, 11.6 percent; Nevada, 10.6 percent; and Colorado, 10 percent. Washington State had a prison population growth rate of 9.5 percent during the first six months of 1991.

During the first half of the last year the number of female inmates in state and federal prisons grew 4.5 percent, compared to a 3.9 percent increase for men. As of June 30th, 1991, women prisoners accounted for 5.7 percent of all prisoners nationwide.

The number of prisoners per capita on June 30, 1991, also reached a record 303 sentenced offenders (people sentenced to a year or more in prison) per 100,000 residents. California's 101,995 prisoners as of June 30 marks the first time that any jurisdiction of the U.S. has held more than 100,000 prisoners.

From: Corrections Digest

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