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..