NCJ Number
168158
Date Published
1996
Length
4 pages
Annotation
The author sent a survey to all State and Federal correctional facilities in the United States during 1988 and 1989 to determine the number of Native Americans incarcerated, their percentage of the prison population, and the tribes represented.
Abstract
All six Federal facilities responded to the survey, and all but three States responded. In 21 States the Indian inmates composed 1 percent or more of the State prison population. Approximately half the States in this grouping are located in the plains. In South Dakota, Indians composed 7 percent of the State population, but represented approximately 26 percent of all inmates in the State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls. Other States with relatively large Indian populations also had disproportionately large Indian prison populations, notably Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, and Alaska. Alaska has the highest population of incarcerated Indians and Alaska Natives, but this is not surprising, since they represent proportionately such a large percentage of the general population. In Nebraska, the Indian prison population has ranged in the last several years between 3.1 percent and 4.4 percent, approximately triple the percentage of Indians residing in the State. The author notes that since States were inconsistent in the manner in which they responded to the survey, the numbers of Indian prisoners may be significantly underrepresented. The identification of tribal affiliations in prisons was also problematic, since intake officers may record this information based solely on appearance. The tribes presented in the table are only those known by the prison administration. 1 table