NCJ Number
235115
Date Published
2009
Length
95 pages
Annotation
The Maine Crime and Justice Data Book for 2008 charts changes in crime, arrests, and incarceration, along with a new section on adult and juvenile recidivism in the State.
Abstract
The report indicates that for the first time, Maine's rate of reported rape per 100,000 people matched the national average of 30 per 100,000 people. The rate of reported domestic violence assaults increased 3.9 percent between 2006 and 2007 and increased 49.7 percent between 1998 and 2007. The State experienced a 3.4-percent decrease in index crimes between 2006 and 2007. Over the past 10 years, arrests for drug-abuse violations increased 23.2 percent. Juvenile arrests continue to decline, especially for index crimes. In the area of courts and corrections, Maine had the fewest judicial employees per capita in the country at a rate of 3.8 per 10,000 people. Child protection cases increased 20.6 percent between 2007 and 2008. Maine continues to have the lowest State prison incarceration rate per capita in the Nation. The number of inmates under the jurisdiction of State correctional authorities has grown nearly one-third (31.4 percent) in 10 years. The number of offenders on probation in Maine declined 38.8 percent between 2004 and 2008. In 2007, Maine spent $144 million on corrections, which placed Maine as the fifth lowest State spent on corrections. Regarding recidivism findings, the 1-year recidivism rate of Maine probationers has not increased significantly over the past 3 years. The 1-year recidivism rate increased slightly each year, from 21.3 percent of the 2004 cohort to 24.8 percent of the 2006 cohort; however, the number of probationers who recidivated declined from 864 to 754. A significant majority of new criminal conduct occurred during the first year of supervision. Overall, 58 percent of prisoners released in 2004 have been re-incarcerated. Juvenile recidivism offenses are predominantly property crimes. Extensive tables and figures