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1 Christopher A. Innes, Profile of State Prison Inmates, 1986 1 (1986)

handle is hein.death/prospi0001 and id is 1 raw text is: U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics Profile of State Prison Inmates, 1986 by Christopher A. Innes, Ph.D. BJS Statistician Results from the 1986 Survey of In- mates of State Correctional Facilities indicate that, despite a period of rapid growth in the size of the inmate population, its composition has re- mained stable. Comparisons of results from the 1986 survey to a nearly iden- tical one in 1979 show that the demo- graphic characteristics and offense distribution of the State inmate popu- lation have changed little. There was a small but significant increase in the percentage of those identified as Hispanic, and the inmate population was somewhat older, less educated, and less likely to have been in military service in 1986 than in 1979. Specific findings from the 1986 survey include the following: * Over four-fifths of State prison inmates were recidivists--they had pre- viously been sentenced to probation or incarceration as a juvenile or adult. More than 60% had been either incar- cerated or on probation at least twice; 45%, three or more times; and nearly 20%, six or more times. * Two-thirds of inmates in 1986 were serving a sentence for a violent crime or had previously been convicted of a violent crime. Most of these--55% of all inmates--had a current violent offense. e The 11% of inmates whose current of- fense was nonviolent but who had previ- ously been convicted of a violent crime January 1988 This Special Report presents the findings from BJS' most recent survey of inmates in State pris- ons. The survey, conducted every 5-7 years, is part of our ongoing effort to provide useful and timely data on the correctional system in the United States. The interviews with inmates were conducted in 1986, and they provide a wealth of new data on State prisoners. This report examines the crimi- nal histories of inmates, their use of drugs and alcohol, their per- sonal backgrounds, and, for violent offenders, their victims. It should be of interest to policymakers, practitioners, and researchers interested in the question of who goes to prison and why. We gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of State prison of- ficials who make this survey possible. Steven R. Schlesinger Director had the longest prior records of all recidivists--72% had three or more prior convictions. * More than half (53%) of all inmates were recidivists with a record of at least one violent conviction. e Of the one-third of inmates with no record of violence, 84% (29% of the total State inmate population) were recidivists. Only 5% of State prison inmates in 1986 were nonviolent of- fenders with no previous convictions. Over half of these were convicted of drug trafficking or burglary. * About 13% of the inmate population 1 were first-time offenders in for a violent crime. Oq half of these had been convicted of mwlder (including nonnegligent manslaughter) or robbery. e Just over a third (35%) of all inmates said they were under the influence of a drug at the time of their offense, and 43% said they were using drugs daily in the month before the offense. I . More than half of inmates (54%) reported that they were under the in- fluence of drugs and/or alcohol at the time of the offense. * Most of the victims of State prison inmates incarcerated for a violent crime were male, about two-thirds were white, and over one-fourth were well known to the offender. One-third of murderers and nearly half of those coJv~cta of negligent anslaughter said their victims were well known to them. Similarly, a third -rapits anlmost two-thirds of those sentenced for other types of sexual assault reported that their victims were well known to them. State prison inmate surveys In 1974, 1979, and 1986, the Bureau of Justice Statistics sponsored surveys of nationally representative samples of inmates of State correctional facili- ties. The Bureau of the Census carried

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