Section II: Incarceration & Its Consequences

America's Prisoners

Who is in prison?

• Percent of state prisoners in 1997 that are male315: 93.7%
• Percent of state prisoners in 1997 that are at least 55 years old316: 3.1%
• Percent of state prisoners in 1997 that have no more than an 8th grade education317: 14.2%
• Percent of state prisoners in 1997 that do not have a high school diploma or GED318: 43.1%
• Percent of state prisoners in 1997 who are serving their first sentence319: 19.3%

What crimes did they commit?

• Percent of state prisoners in 1997 incarcerated for a violent offense320: 46.6%
• Percent of state prisoners in 1997 incarcerated for murder321: 11.7%
• Percent of state prisoners in 1997 incarcerated for a property offense322: 22.0%
• Percent of state prisoners in 1991 incarcerated for a drug offense323: 21.3%
• Percent of state prisoners in 1997 incarcerated for a drug offense324: 57.9%

• Percent of federal prisoners in 1997 incarcerated for a violent offense325: 14.8%
• Percent of federal prisoners in 1997 incarcerated for murder326: 1.5%
• Percent of federal prisoners in 1997 incarcerated for a property offense327: 22.0%
• Percent of federal prisoners in 1991 incarcerated for a drug offense328: 20.7%
• Percent of federal prisoners in 1997 incarcerated for a drug offense329: 62.6%

Who gets sent to prison?

• Number of White male prisoners per 100,000 U.S. males, 2000330: 990
• Number of White female prisoners per 100,000 U.S. females, 2000331: 76
• Number of African-American male prisoners per 100,000 U.S. males, 2000332: 6,838
• Number of African-American female prisoners per 100,000 U.S. females, 2000333: 491

• Number of women prisoners in state prisons, 1990334: 39,054
• Number of women prisoners in state prisons, 2000335: 81,367
• Number of women prisoners in federal prisons, 1990336: 5,011
• Number of women prisoners in federal prisons, 2000337: 10,245

Race

• Percentage of U.S. population that is African-American, 2000338: 12.3%
• Percentage of adults in state prison who are African-American, 1997339: 45.6%
• Percentage of U.S. population that is White 2000340: 75.1%
• Percentage of adults in state prison who are White, 1997341: 33.3%
• Percentage of U.S. population that is Hispanic or Latino, 2000342: 11.8%
• Percentage of adults in state prison who are Hispanic, 1997343: 17.0%

• Number of times an African-American was more likely to be sent to prison than a White person in 1930344: 2.9
• Number of times an African-American was more likely to be sent to prison than a White person in 1986345: 5.4

• Percent of Montana that is Native American346: 7%
• Percent of Montana State Prison at Deer Lodge that is Native American347: 17%
• Percent of women incarcerated at the Montana State Prison in Billings that are Native American348: 40%

This page is an excerpt from The Prison Index: Taking the Pulse of the Crime Control Industry (2003) by Peter Wagner, published by the Western Prison Project and the Prison Policy Initiative. Footnotes for all facts are available in the print version.