NCJ Number
128219
Date Published
1989
Length
24 pages
Annotation
The Bureau of Prisons conducted a micro-simulation to project the future Federal inmate population and determined that the Bureau will house 94,000 inmates by 1995, 65,000 of whom will be sentenced for drug crimes.
Abstract
Comparing offenders sentenced prior to implementation of the 1984 Comprehensive Crime Control Act and the 1986 Anti-Drug Abuse Act to those sentenced after implementation, the Bureau calculated that the average time served for robbery offenses has increased from 45.7 to 63.9 months and the average time served for drug offenses has increased from 18.3 to 56.8 months. The combined effect of more punitive sentencing legislation and increased arrest and prosecution resources has resulted in a dramatic growth in the number of Federal drug offenders entering the Bureau of Prisons, and this growth is projected to continue through 1995. All currently proposed amendments to sentencing guidelines for robbery, theft, and white collar crimes will amount to only an additional 1,200 inmates by 1995. Data from the Drug Enforcement Agency and the U.S. Attorney's Office indicate that, for at least the near future, there will be an increase in the growth of prison drug commitments. The Bureau of Prison's noncitizen population increased from 7.1 percent of the entire sentenced inmate population in 1980 to almost 17 percent by the end of 1988. Sentenced noncitizens comprise more than 40 percent of some Federal institution inmate populations. The growth in this group makes it more difficult to forecast future prison populations and introduces unique management concerns in institutions where this subpopulation is large. 7 tables and 3 figures