U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
Bureau of Justice Statistics

MAY 2016	

Special Report

NCJ 248766

Aging of the State Prison
Population, 1993–2013
E. Ann Carson, Ph.D., BJS Statistician, and William J. Sabol, Ph.D., former BJS Director

T

he number of prisoners sentenced to more than
1 year under the jurisdiction of state correctional
authorities increased 55% over the past two decades,
from 857,700 in 1993 to 1,325,300 in 2013. During the
same period, the number of state prisoners age 55 or older
increased 400%, from 3% of the total state prison population
in 1993 to 10% in 2013 (figure 1). Between 1993 and 2003,
the majority of the growth occurred among prisoners
ages 40 to 54, while the number of those age 55 or older
increased faster from 2003 to 2013. In 1993, the median age
of prisoners was 30; by 2013, the median age was 36. The
changing age structure in the U.S. state prison population
has implications for the future management and care
of inmates.
Two factors contributed to the aging of state prisoners
between 1993 and 2013: (1) a greater proportion of
prisoners were sentenced to, and serving longer periods
in state prison, predominantly for violent offenses, and
(2) admissions of older persons increased. The number of
persons age 55 or older admitted to state prison increased
308% between 1993 and 2013, from 1% of state prison

Figure 1
Sentenced state prisoners, by age, December 31, 1993, 2003,
and 2013
Sentenced state prisoners
1,000,000
800,000

39 or younger

600,000
40–54

400,000
200,000
0

55 or older
1993

2003
Year

2013

Note: Based on prisoners sentenced to more than 1 year under the jurisdiction
of state correctional authorities. See appendix table 1 for standard errors of the
1993 estimates.
Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program, 1993,
2003, and 2013; Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities, 1991; and
National Corrections Reporting Program, 2003 and 2013.

HIGHLIGHTS

„„

The number of prisoners age 55 or older sentenced to
more than 1 year in state prison increased 400% between
1993 and 2013, from 26,300 (3% of the total state prison
population) in 1993 to 131,500 (10% of the total population)
in 2013.

„„

Between 1993 and 2003, prisoners ages 45 to 49 grew
the fastest, while those age 55 or older grew the fastest
between 2003 to 2013.

„„

In 2013, the median age of state prisoners was 36 years
compared to 30 years in 1993 and 34 years in 2003.

„„

The imprisonment rate for prisoners age 55 or older
sentenced to more than 1 year in state prison increased
from 49 per 100,000 U.S. residents of the same age in 1993
to 154 per 100,000 in 2013.

„„

Between 1993 and 2013, more than 65% of prisoners
age 55 or older were serving time in state prison for violent
offenses, compared to a maximum of 58% for other age
groups sentenced for violent offenses.

„„

More than four times as many prisoners age 55 or older
were admitted to state prisons in 2013 (25,700) than in
1993 (6,300).

„„

The median age at admission increased from 29 years in
1993 to 32 years in 2003 and 2013.

„„

Forty percent of state prisoners age 55 or older on
December 31, 2013, had been imprisoned for at least
10 years, compared to 9% in 1993.

„„

Forty percent of prisoners age 55 or older on
December 31, 2013, had been admitted to prison after they
were at least age 55, and 60% turned 55 while in prison.

admissions in 1993 to 4% in 2013. Admissions of persons
age 24 or younger decreased 11% over the same period. At
yearend 2013, almost 40% of state prisoners age 55 or older
had served at least 10 years on a new court commitment.
Sixty percent of these prisoners were admitted before age
55, many as part of the growth in 45 to 54 year olds between
1993 and 2003, and aged into the oldest age group while in
prison. In comparison, less than 20% of state prisoners ages
30 to 49 at yearend 2013 had served 10 years or more.
This report uses data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics’
(BJS) National Corrections Reporting Program (NCRP),
National Prisoner Statistics (NPS) program, and the 1991
and 2004 Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities
(SISCF). The NCRP and NPS are annual collections of
administrative data on prisoners from state departments of
corrections, while the SISCF is a periodic collection based on
interviews a sample of state prisoners.

Figure 2
Sentenced state prisoners, by age, December 31, 1993, 2003,
and 2013
Sentenced state prisoners
50,000

40,000

2003

30,000
2013
20,000

10,000
1993

Growth of the state prison population

0

The number of state prisoners age 55 or older doubled
each decade between 1993 and 2013
As BJS has previously reported, growth of the state prison
population slowed in the 2000s, compared to the 1990s.1 For
example, between 1993 and 2003, the number of sentenced
prisoners (those sentenced to more than 1 year under the
jurisdiction of state correctional authorities) increased
46%, from 857,700 to 1.3 million (figure 2). From 2003
1 See

18

24

30

36

42

48
Age

54

60

66

72

Note: Counts based on prisoners sentenced to more than 1 year under the
jurisdiction of state correctional authorities.
Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program, 1993,
2003, and 2013; Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities, 1991; and
National Corrections Reporting Program, 2003 and 2013.

the Prisoners series of reports for 1994, 1998, 2000, 2009, and 2013.

Table 1
Sentenced state prisoners, by age, December 31, 1993, 2003, and 2013
1993

2003

Age
Total*
18–19
20–24
25–29
30–34
35–39
40–44
45–49
50–54
55–59
60–64
65 or older

Number
857,675
27,500
164,700
208,400
180,400
117,900
72,800
34,800
18,700
12,600
7,700
6,000

Percent
100%
3.2
19.2
24.3
21.0
13.7
8.5
4.1
2.2
1.5
0.9
0.7

Number
1,256,442
22,800
197,100
216,800
203,200
195,900
179,300
117,700
62,700
31,300
15,000
12,000

40–54
55 or older

126,300
26,300

14.7%
3.1

359,700
58,300

Mean age
Median age

31.7 years
30

2013
Percent
100%
1.8
15.7
17.2
16.2
15.6
14.3
9.4
5.0
2.5
1.2
1.0
28.6%
4.6

35.2 years
34

Number
1,325,305
14,300
163,000
213,300
218,000
179,900
155,200
136,600
112,200
68,000
34,400
29,100
404,100
131,500

Percent
100%
1.1
12.3
16.1
16.5
13.6
11.7
10.3
8.5
5.1
2.6
2.2
30.5%
9.9

37.8 years
36

Note: Counts based on prisoners sentenced to more than 1 year under the jurisdiction of state correctional authorities. Detail may not sum to total due to rounding. See
appendix table 2 for standard errors of the 1993 estimates.
*Includes prisoners age 17 or younger.
Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program, 1993, 2003, and 2013; Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities, 1991; and National
Corrections Reporting Program, 2003 and 2013.

AGING OF THE STATE PRISON POPULATION, 1993–2013 | MAY 2016

2

to 2013, growth slowed to 5%, and prison populations
in several states decreased.2 In comparison, the number
of prisoners age 55 or older more than doubled every
10 years, an increase of about 120% in each decade (26,300
in 1993, 58,300 in 2003, and 131,500 in 2013) (table 1). By
2013, prisoners age 55 or older accounted for 9.9% of the
sentenced population in state prisons, up from 3.1% in 1993.
Between 1993 and 2003, the fastest growing portion of the
state prison population was inmates ages 45 to 49, which
more than tripled in size (figure 3). At the same time,
prisoners in younger age groups declined. The number of
prisoners ages 35 to 44 increased 97% between 1993 and
2003, then declined by 11% (40,100 prisoners) between 2003
and 2013. Since 2003, prisoners age 55 or older have been the
fastest growing age group.
2 See

Prisoners in 2012: Trends in Admissions and Releases, 1991–2012 (NCJ
243920, BJS web, November 2013) and Prisoners in 2013 (NCJ 247282, BJS
web, September 2014).

Figure 3
Percent change in sentenced state prisoners, by age at
yearend, 1993–2003 and 2003–2013
Percent change
250
200

1993–2003
2003–2013

150

Prisoners age 55 or older accounted for most of the growth
in the prison population from 2003 to 2013 (106% of
68,900 prisoners) (figure 4). While prisoners ages 40 to 54
accounted for an additional 64% of the increase, the total
increase was offset by a decline of 69% in the number of
prisoners age 39 or younger. In comparison, between 1993
and 2003, the increase included prisoners age 55 or older
(8% of 398,800 prisoners), age 39 or younger (34%), and ages
40 to 54 (59%). (See appendix table 6 for a more detailed
distribution of the proportion of total change.)
By 2013, the median age of the state sentenced prison
population was age 36, up from age 30 in 1993. The average
age of state prisoners increased by 3.5 years in the decade
between 1993 and 2003 and 2.6 years between 2003 and
2013 (age 32 in 1993, age 35 in 2003, and age 38 in 2013).
Figure 4
Percent contribution to total change in sentenced state
prisoners, by age at yearend, 1993–2003 and 2003–2013
Percent contribution to total change
120
39 or younger
40–54
55 or older
80
40
0

100

-40

50

-80
0
-50

18–19 20–24 25–29 30–34 35–39 40–44 45–49 50–54 55–59 60–64 65 or
older
Age on December 31

Note: Percent changes based on prisoners sentenced to more than 1 year under
the jurisdiction of state correctional authorities.
Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program, 1993,
2003, and 2013; Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities, 1991; and
National Corrections Reporting Program, 2003 and 2013.

AGING OF THE STATE PRISON POPULATION, 1993–2013 | MAY 2016

1993–2003

Period

2003–2013

Note: Percents based on prisoners sentenced to more than 1 year under the
jurisdiction of state correctional authorities.
Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program, 1993,
2003, and 2013; Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities, 1991; and
National Corrections Reporting Program, 2003 and 2013.

3

Persons age 55 or older made up a larger percentage
of the U.S. resident population than the state prison
population
The U.S. resident population also aged between 1993 and
2013 (figure 5). Persons age 55 or older accounted for
28% to 35% of the resident population in each decade. As
the proportion of U.S. residents age 49 or younger decreased
from 2003 to 2013, persons age 50 or older increased,
contributing to a leveling of the distribution of persons in
younger age groups in the U.S. resident population.
The age distribution of state prisoners also leveled between
1993 and 2013. Prisoners age 39 or younger were still the
majority in 2013 (60%), while residents of the same age
accounted for 39% of the general population. Residents age
55 or older made up 35% of the general population in 2013,
compared to 10% of state prisoners.
If the increase in older prisoners over time was due solely
to the growth in the number of older U.S. residents, the
expected result would be to see no change in the age-specific
imprisonment rates between 1993 and 2013. Instead, the rate
of imprisonment for those age 55 or older more than tripled,
from 49 per 100,000 U.S. residents of the same age in 1993
to 154 per 100,000 in 2013 (table 2). In comparison, the rate
Table 2
Imprisonment rate of sentenced state prisoners per 100,000
U.S. adult residents, by age, December 31, 1993, 2003,
and 2013
Age
Total
18–19
20–24
25–29
30–34
35–39
40–44
45–49
50–54
55–59
60–64
65 or older

Imprisonment rate per
100,000 U.S. adult residentsa
1993
2003
2013
448
575
543
394
276
167
886
945
712
1,080
1,130
979
813
995
1,017
541
931
910
374
782
748
213
538
650
144
326
497
117
194
318
75
122
188
18
33
64

40–54
55 or older
Number of prisonersb

259
49
857,675

562
90
1,256,442

628
154
1,325,305

Note: Based on prisoners sentenced to more than 1 year under the jurisdiction
of state correctional authorities. Imprisonment rates calculated per 100,000 U.S.
residents age 18 or older.
aBased on U.S. residents age 18 or older as of January 1 of the subsequent year.
bIncludes prisoners age 17 or younger.
Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program, 1993,
2003, and 2013; Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities, 1991; National
Corrections Reporting Program, 2003 and 2013; and U.S. Census Bureau, National
monthly postcensal resident estimates, 1990–2000 (1993), National intercensal
estimates, 2000–2010 (2003), and Postcensal population estimate, 2013.

AGING OF THE STATE PRISON POPULATION, 1993–2013 | MAY 2016

of imprisonment for those ages 18 to 24 decreased 25% over
the same period, from 752 per 100,000 in 1993 to 563 per
100,000 in 2013. State prisoners ages 25 to 34 had the highest
imprisonment rates across both decades, with nearly 1% of
U.S. residents in this age group serving time in state prison
at yearend 2013.
Figure 5
Percent distribution of U.S. residents and sentenced state
prison populations, by age, December 31, 1993, 2003, and
2013
December 31, 1993
18–19
20–24
25–29
30–34
35–39
40–44
45–49
50–54
55–59
60–64
65 or older
17.2

U.S. residents Prisoners
3.6 3.2
9.7
19.2
24.3
10.1
11.6
21.0
11.4
13.7
10.1
8.5
8.5
4.1
6.8
2.2
5.7
1.5
0.9
5.3
0.7

December 31, 2003
18–19
20–24
25–29
30–34
35–39
40–44
45–49
50–54
55–59
60–64
65 or older
16.5

U.S. residents Prisoners
1.8
3.8
9.5
15.7
8.8
17.3
9.3
16.2
9.6
15.6
10.5
14.3
9.4
10.0
5.0
8.8
7.4
2.5
5.7
1.2
1.0

December 31, 2013
18–19
20–24
25–29
30–34
35–39
40–44
45–49
50–54
55–59
60–64
65 or older

18.7

U.S. residents Prisoners
3.5
1.1
9.4
12.3
8.9
16.1
8.8
16.5
8.1
13.6
8.5
11.7
8.6
10.3
9.3
8.5
8.8
5.1
7.5
2.6
2.2

Note: Percents based on prisoners sentenced to more than 1 year under the
jurisdiction of state correctional authorities and U.S. residents age 18 or older.
See appendix table 2 for standard errors of the 1993 estimates.
Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program, 1993,
2003, and 2013; Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities, 1991; National
Corrections Reporting Program, 2003 and 2013; and U.S. Census Bureau,
Intercensal population estimates, 1993 and 2003, and Postcensal population
estimate, 2013.

4

Almost a third of the oldest offenders in 2013 were serving sentences of life or death
In 2013, 35% of the 29,100 prisoners age 65 or older were
under the jurisdiction of the three largest state prison
systems (13% in California, 12% in Texas, and 9% in Florida).
However, in each of these states, prisoners age 65 or older
made up less than 3% of the total prison population (not
shown). In 2013, males accounted for 97% of prisoners age
65 or older. Sixty-one percent of males in this age group
were non-Hispanic white, 23% were non-Hispanic black,
and 15% were Hispanic (table 3). Almost three-quarters of
the female state prisoners age 65 or older were white (73%),
18% were black, and 8% were Hispanic.

In 2013, 31% of state prisoners age 65 or older were serving
life or death sentences. An estimated 6,300 state prisoners
age 65 or older were sentenced to life imprisonment
(including those with and without the possibility of parole and
those sentenced to life plus additional years) for violent crimes
(30% of violent offenders in this age group). Older offenders
can have longer criminal histories than younger offenders,
making it possible for some of these life sentences to be the
result of enhanced prison terms from multiple strikes laws.
A third of state prisoners age 65 or older (33%) had served 5
years or less of their current term at yearend 2013, while 50%
(about 14,700 prisoners) had been in prison for more than
10 years.

Table 3
Characteristics of sentenced state prisoners age 65 or older, December 31, 2013
Characteristic
Estimated number of prisoners
Age
Mean
Median
Sex
Male
Female
Sex by race
Male
Whitea
Blacka
Hispanic
Other racesa,b
Female
Whitea
Blacka
Hispanic
Other racesa,b
Sentence length
Less than life or death
Lifec
Death
Most serious offense by sentence length
Violent offenses
Less than life or death
Lifec
Death
Estimated number of prisoners

Percent
29,100
69.8 years
68
96.6%
3.4
60.7%
23.2
14.5
1.5
73.4%
17.9
7.6
1.1
100%
68.8
30.6
0.6
100%
69.1
30.4
0.6
20,600

AGING OF THE STATE PRISON POPULATION, 1993–2013 | MAY 2016

Characteristic
Property offenses
Less than life or death
Lifec
Death
Estimated number of prisoners
Drug offenses
Less than life or death
Lifec
Death
Estimated number of prisoners
Time served to date
12 months or less
13–24 months
25–36 months
37–60 months
61–120 months
121 months or more

Percent
100%
92.6
7.4
0.0
1,700
100%
96.0
4.0
0.0
1,400
100%
9.9
7.6
6.4
9.3
16.5
50.4

Note: Counts based on prisoners age 65 or older on December 31, 2013,
who were sentenced to more than 1 year under the jurisdiction of state
correctional authorities. Detail may not sum to total due to missing data and
rounding. See Methodology.
aExcludes persons of Hispanic or Latino origin.
bIncludes American Indians and Alaska Natives; Asians, Native Hawaiians, and
Other Pacific Islanders; and persons of two or more races.
cIncludes sentences of life, life without parole, and life plus additional years.
Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program,
2013; and National Corrections Reporting Program, 2013.

5

Characteristics of the aging state prison population
Between 1993 and 2003, both males and females ages
40 to 54 increased by more than 100%
Changes in the age distribution of male and female
sentenced prisoners generally followed a pattern that was
similar to the overall prison population. The number of

males and females ages 40 to 54 increased at a greater
pace between 1993 and 2003 than between 2003 and
2013, while the number of both males and females age 55
or older more than quadrupled between 1993 and 2013
(table 4, figure 6). The number of males age 39 or younger
in state prison on December 31, 2013, decreased 6% (50,200
prisoners) from December 31, 2003, similar to a 5% increase
(2,800 prisoners) for females.

Figure 6
Percent change in sentenced state prisoners, by age and sex, 1993–2003 and 2003–2013
Percent change, male
320

18–19 20–24 25–29 30–34 35–39

Percent change, female
320

1993–2003
2003–2013

240

240

160

160

80

80

0

0

1993–2003
2003–2013

-80 18–19 20–24 25–29 30–34 35–39 40–44 45–49 50–54 55–59 60–64 65 or
Age at yearend
older

-80 18–19 20–24 25–29 30–34 35–39 40–44 45–49 50–54 55–59 60–64 65 or
older
Age at yearend

Note: Based on prisoners sentenced to more than 1 year under the jurisdiction of state correctional authorities.
Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program, 1993, 2003, and 2013; Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities, 1991; and National
Corrections Reporting Program, 2003 and 2013.

Table 4
Sentenced state prisoners, by age and sex, December 31, 1993, 2003, and 2013
1993

2003

2013

Age at yearend
Total*
18–19
20–24
25–29
30–34
35–39
40–44
45–49
50–54
55–59
60–64
65 or older

Male
809,190
27,000
157,500
195,600
168,800
109,800
68,600
32,800
17,700
12,100
7,400
5,900

Female
48,485
600
7,300
12,700
11,600
8,100
4,200
2,000
1,000
500
200
200

Male
1,173,641
22,000
187,400
204,000
188,500
179,400
165,100
109,700
59,200
29,900
14,400
11,600

Female
82,801
900
9,700
12,800
14,700
16,500
14,200
8,000
3,500
1,400
600
400

Male
1,233,724
13,800
153,300
196,700
200,700
166,600
143,600
126,800
105,400
64,700
32,900
28,100

Female
91,581
500
9,700
16,600
17,300
13,300
11,600
9,900
6,900
3,300
1,500
1,000

40–54
55 or older

119,100
25,400

7,200
900

334,000
55,900

25,700
2,400

375,800
125,700

28,300
5,800

Note: Based on prisoners sentenced to more than 1 year under the jurisdiction of state correctional authorities. Detail may not sum to total due to rounding.
See appendix table 3 for standard errors of the 1993 estimates.
*Includes prisoners age 17 or younger.
Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program, 1993, 2003, and 2013; Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities, 1991; and National
Corrections Reporting Program, 2003 and 2013.

AGING OF THE STATE PRISON POPULATION, 1993–2013 | MAY 2016

6

From 1993 to 2013, the number of female state prisoners
in all age categories increased at a faster rate than males.
Sentenced female prisoners age 20 or older increased at least
30% in each age category, as did males age 35 or older. The
total number of females in state prisons increased 89% over
the 20-year period, compared to 53% for males. Between
1993 and 2003, growth in the number of prisoners ages 40
to 54 accounted for 59% of the total change in the male state
prison population (up 214,900) and 54% of the change for
females (up 18,500) (figure 7). An increase in the number
of prisoners age 55 or older accounted for 8% of the change
for males and 4% of the change for females during the
same decade.
A total of 69,800 sentenced male state prisoners age 55 or
older were added between 2003 and 2013, more than twice
as many as were added between 1993 and 2003 (up 30,500).

This increase offset the decrease of 50,200 males age 39 or
younger over the same period. The number of female state
prisoners age 55 or older accounted for 39% of the overall
growth in females between 2003 and 2013, compared to
increases in females age 39 or younger (33% of the total
increase) and ages 40 to 54 (30%).
Black state prisoners age 55 or older increased more than
150% between 2003 and 2013
The age distributions for non-Hispanic black, non-Hispanic
white, and Hispanic state prisoners showed different patterns
of change during the two decades. Between 1993 and
2003, the number of white, black, and Hispanic prisoners
ages 40 to 54 and those 55 or older more than doubled
(figure 8, table 5). In particular, the number of blacks and
Hispanics ages 40 to 54 tripled from 1993 to 2003 (blacks

Figure 7
Percent contribution to total change in sentenced state prisoners, by age and sex, 1993–2003 and 2003–2013
Males
Percent
120

Females
Percent
120

80

80

40

40

0

39 or younger
40–54
55 or older

-40
-80
-120

1993–2003

2003–2013

0

39 or younger
40–54
55 or older

-40
-80
-120

1993–2003

2003–2013

Note: Percents based on prisoners sentenced to more than 1 year under the jurisdiction of state correctional authorities.
Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program, 1993, 2003, and 2013; Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities, 1991; and National
Corrections Reporting Program, 2003 and 2013.

Figure 8
Percent change in sentenced state prisoners, by race, 1993–2003 and 2003–2013
1993–2003
White*
Percent change
Black*
400
Hispanic
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
-50
-100
18–19 20–24 25–29 30–34 35–39 40–44 45–49 50–54 55 or
older
Age at yearend

2003–2013
White*
Percent change
Black*
400
Hispanic
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
-50
-100
18–19 20–24 25–29 30–34 35–39 40–44 45–49 50–54 55 or
older
Age at yearend

Note: Percent changes based on prisoners sentenced to more than 1 year under the jurisdiction of state correctional authorities. Detail may not sum to total due to
rounding.
*Excludes persons of Hispanic or Latino origin.
Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program, 1993, 2003, and 2013; Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities, 1991 and 2004; and
National Corrections Reporting Program, 2003 and 2013.

AGING OF THE STATE PRISON POPULATION, 1993–2013 | MAY 2016

7

up 98,300 prisoners, Hispanics up 37,100 prisoners). The
growth in prisoners age 40 to 54 slowed for all three racial
groups between 2003 and 2013, but the number of white,
black, and Hispanic prisoners age 55 or older doubled. The
number of black prisoners age 55 or older increased from
16,100 in 2003 to 42,500 in 2013 (up 164%), while Hispanics

grew by 125%. In contrast, the total number of blacks
sentenced to more than 1 year in state prison at yearend
2013 (497,000) was a 1% decrease from 2003 (503,000).
Declines in the number of black prisoners age 44 or younger
accounted for all of the decrease among blacks between 2003
and 2013.

Table 5
Sentenced state prisoners, by age, race, and Hispanic origin, December 31, 1993, 2003, and 2013
Age at yearend
Totalb
18–19
20–24
25–29
30–34
35–39
40–44
45–49
50–54
55–59
60–64
65 or older
40–54
55 or older

Whitea
302,600
6,500
51,600
67,100
63,600
41,200
29,800
17,500
10,300
6,800
4,300
3,000

1993
Blacka
380,900
15,700
77,500
96,400
82,000
52,400
29,900
9,700
5,000
3,000
2,300
2,700

Hispanic
150,500
4,700
31,600
40,600
29,100
20,600
10,600
6,200
2,800
2,400
800
200

Whitea
423,200
6,000
55,400
59,700
65,000
68,700
68,600
45,500
25,000
14,500
7,800
6,500

2003
Blacka
503,000
10,700
81,500
90,100
81,400
79,000
71,900
47,300
23,700
9,600
3,700
2,800

Hispanic
254,300
5,200
47,500
53,400
44,900
37,700
29,400
17,900
9,400
4,500
2,200
1,700

Whitea
468,600
2,700
41,900
67,900
73,900
61,400
58,800
54,400
47,300
28,700
15,500
16,000

2013
Blacka
497,000
7,100
70,700
81,600
79,500
66,400
55,600
51,100
41,800
25,000
11,100
6,500

Hispanic
274,200
3,500
37,700
49,900
50,900
41,000
31,300
23,600
17,000
9,800
5,000
4,200

57,700
14,100

44,600
8,000

19,600
3,400

139,100
28,800

142,900
16,100

56,700
8,400

160,400
60,200

148,500
42,500

71,800
18,900

Note: Based on prisoners sentenced to more than 1 year under the jurisdiction of state correctional authorities. Detail may not sum to total due to rounding.
See appendix table 3 for standard errors of the 1993 estimates.
aExcludes persons of Hispanic or Latino origin.
bIncludes prisoners age 17 or younger.
Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program, 1993, 2003, and 2013; Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities, 1991 and 2004; and
National Corrections Reporting Program, 2003 and 2013.

AGING OF THE STATE PRISON POPULATION, 1993–2013 | MAY 2016

8

State prison inmates age 55 or older had a higher
percentage of violent offenders than all other age groups
Between 1993 and 2013, the percentage of sentenced state
prisoners with a violent crime as their most serious offense
increased from 46% to 53%. Over the same period, more
than 65% of state prisoners age 55 or older were sentenced
for a violent offense (65% in 1993, 68% in 2003, and 66% in
2013) (figure 9a). This was the highest percentage of all age
groups that were in prison for violent offenses in 1993, 2003,
and 2013.
The proportion of prisoners age 55 or older convicted of
property crimes (11% to 12%) remained stable from 1993 to
2013 (figure 9b), but the growth in the number of prisoners
age 55 or older meant that five times as many prisoners
age 55 or older were imprisoned for property crimes in
2013 (16,200) than in 1993 (2,900). (See appendix table 9
for the full offense distribution.) Sentenced drug offenders
accounted for a decreasing proportion and number of state
prisoners in all age groups from 2003 to 2013, except for
those age 55 or older (figure 9c). As with property crimes,
the overall growth in the number of persons in this age
group contributed to an increase in drug offenders age 55 or
older between 1993 (4,100) and 2013 (13,600), despite the
decline in sentencing for these crimes (16% of all prisoners
age 55 or older in 1993, compared to 10% in 2013). In 2013,

FIGURE 9a
Sentenced state prisoners held for violent offenses, by age,
December 31, 1993, 2003, and 2013
Percent
80

1993
2003
2013

60
40
20
0

24 or younger

25–34

35–44
Age at yearend

45–54

55 or older

FIGURE 9b
Sentenced state prisoners held for property offenses, by age,
December 31, 1993, 2003, and 2013
Percent
80

1993
2003
2013

60
40
20
0

24 or younger

25–34

35–44
Age at yearend

45–54

55 or older

FIGURE 9c
Sentenced state prisoners held for drug offenses, by age,
December 31, 1993, 2003, and 2013
Percent
80

1993
2003
2013

60
40
20
0

24 or younger

25–34

35–44
Age at yearend

45–54

55 or older

Note: Based on prisoners sentenced to more than 1 year under the jurisdiction of
state correctional authorities by the most serious convicted offense. Detail may
not sum to total due to rounding. See appendix table 4 for standard errors of the
1993 estimates.
Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program, 1993,
2003, and 2013; Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities, 1991; and
National Corrections Reporting Program, 2003 and 2013.

AGING OF THE STATE PRISON POPULATION, 1993–2013 | MAY 2016

9

Imprisonment rates by age and sex
At yearend 1993, male (2,026 per 100,000 U.S. male residents)
and female (132 per 100,000 U.S. female residents) prisoners
ages 25 to 29 had the highest imprisonment rates (table 6). In
2003, this age group also had the highest imprisonment rate
for males (2,091 per 100,000). However, females ages 35 to 39
accounted for the greatest number of prisoners per capita

(158 per 100,000). In 2013, males and females ages 30 to 34
experienced the highest rate of imprisonment (1,866 per
100,000 males and 163 per 100,000 females). Despite increases
in both male and female state prisoners age 65 or older, this
age group had the lowest imprisonment rate in each of the
3 years examined.

Table 6
Imprisonment rate of sentenced state prisoners per 100,000 U.S. adult residents, by age and sex , December 31, 1993,
2003, and 2013
1993
Age
Totala,b
18–19
20–24
25–29
30–34
35–39
40–44
45–49
50–54
55–59
60–64
65 or older
40–54
55 or older
Number of prisonersb

Male
881
753
1,667
2,026
1,527
1,013
715
409
280
234
156
44
498
109
809,190

2003
Female
49
18
80
132
104
74
43
24
15
9
4
1
29
3
48,485

Male
1,108
514
1,751
2,091
1,830
1,700
1,450
1,016
630
383
245
77
1,058
194
1,173,641

2013
Female
74
22
96
135
146
158
123
72
35
17
9
2
79
7
82,801

Male
1,039
312
1,307
1,779
1,866
1,689
1,395
1,217
951
623
375
141
1,182
321
1,233,724

Female
73
13
87
155
163
134
111
93
60
30
16
4
87
13
91,581

Note: Based on prisoners sentenced to more than 1 year under the jurisdiction of state correctional authorities. Imprisonment rates calculated per 100,000
U.S. residents age 18 or older of the same sex and age.
aBased on U.S. residents age 18 or older as of January 1 of the subsequent year.
bIncludes prisoners age 17 or younger.
Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program, 1993, 2003, and 2013; Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities, 1991; National
Corrections Reporting Program, 2003 and 2013; and U.S. Census Bureau, National monthly postcensal resident estimates, 1990–2000 (1993), National intercensal
estimates, 2000–2010 (2003), and Postcensal population estimate, 2013.

AGING OF THE STATE PRISON POPULATION, 1993–2013 | MAY 2016

10

Imprisonment rates by age and race
Among Hispanic prisoners, those ages 25 to 29 had the
highest imprisonment rates in 1993 and 2003, while those
ages 30 to 34 had the highest rates in 2013 (table 7).
Offenders ages 30 to 34 had the highest imprisonment rates
across all races at yearend 2013 with 602 prisoners per 100,000
non-Hispanic white U.S. residents of the same age, compared

to 2,893 per 100,000 non-Hispanic blacks and 1,155 per
100,000 Hispanics. Persons age 65 or older of all races had the
lowest imprisonment rates in 1993, 2003, and 2013. Between
2003 and 2013, rates for whites increased for all groups except
for those ages 18 to 24, and rates decreased for blacks age 44
or younger and for Hispanics age 49 or younger.

Table 7
Imprisonment rate of sentenced state prisoners per 100,000 U.S. adult residents, by age, race, and Hispanic origin,
December 31, 1993, 2003, and 2013
Age
Totalb,c
18–19
20–24
25–29
30–34
35–39
40–44
45–49
50–54
55–59
60–64
65 or older
40–54
55 or older
Number of prisonersc

Whitea
206
136
404
498
394
253
201
136
99
79
52
10
151
31
302,600

1993
Blacka
1,810
1,534
3,025
3,838
3,054
2,027
1,378
595
393
282
247
103
880
174
380,900

Hispanic
910
509
1,340
1,668
1,211
1,016
667
520
313
329
133
13
534
123
150,500

Whitea
274
116
434
520
511
496
428
286
174
116
80
22
300
55
423,200

2003
Blacka
2,018
903
2,809
3,592
3,142
2,989
2,588
1,857
1,129
619
320
93
1,925
284
503,000

Hispanic
962
384
1,270
1,432
1,263
1,191
1,058
811
561
365
241
80
851
198
254,300

Whitea
294
56
330
546
602
543
470
404
306
188
115
45
387
93
468,600

2013
Blacka
1,704
568
2,057
2,802
2,893
2,647
2,136
1,944
1,537
1,010
567
164
1,868
509
497,000

Hispanic
741
191
798
1,129
1,155
1,000
820
705
589
432
295
120
715
256
274,200

Note: Based on prisoners sentenced to more than 1 year under the jurisdiction of state correctional authorities. Imprisonment rates are calculated per 100,000 adult
U.S. residents of the same race or Hispanic origin and age.
aExcludes persons of Hispanic or Latino origin.
bBased on U.S. residents age 18 or older.
cIncludes prisoners age 17 or younger.
Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program, 1993, 2003, and 2013; Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities, 1991 and 2004;
National Corrections Reporting Program, 2003 and 2013; and U.S. Census Bureau, National monthly postcensal resident estimates, 1990–2000 (1993), National
intercensal estimates, 2000–2010 (2003), and Postcensal population estimate, 2013.

AGING OF THE STATE PRISON POPULATION, 1993–2013 | MAY 2016

11

48% of prisoners age 55 or older were serving sentences for
murder or nonnegligent manslaughter and rape or sexual
assault, compared to 31% of those ages 45 to 54 and 27%
of those ages 35 to 44 (figure 10, figure 11). At least 27%
of state prisoners age 55 or older were imprisoned for rape
or sexual assault in 1993, 2003, and 2013, which was more
than double the percentage of prisoners in age groups of
44 or younger.
Within offenses, there was an increase in the proportion of
older prisoners over time. Prisoners age 55 or older made
up 9% of all sexual offenders in state prisons in 1993 and
21% in 2013. Similarly, the proportion of prisoners age 55
or older who were sentenced for murder or nonnegligent
manslaughter increased, from 7% in 1993 to 16% in 2013.
Prisoners in this age group accounted for 12% of all violent
offenders in state prison on December 31, 2013, up from 4%
in 1993 and 7% in 2003.

Sources of growth in the older prison population
Growth in the number of older state prisoners can occur
through increased admissions of older persons, longer time
spent serving sentences that permit prisoners to age into the
older age categories, or a combination of the two. Admission
to prison is predicated on an arrest and conviction for an
offense, while the amount of time served is broadly governed
by the sentence length, states’ sentencing policies (including
enhanced sentences for repeat imprisonment, or multiple
strikes), and type of admission (new court commitments
typically have longer sentences than do admissions for
violating the terms of parole).
If older persons are arrested and convicted at a higher rate
than younger offenders, this could explain the growth in the
number of older prisoners through increased admissions.
Similarly, if older offenders are sentenced to longer prison
terms and serve a greater portion of their sentences than
do younger offenders, the increase in the older population
could be attributed to the aging of prisoners while they serve
their time.

AGING OF THE STATE PRISON POPULATION, 1993–2013 | MAY 2016

FIGURE 10
Percent of sentenced state prisoners held for murder or
nonnegligent manslaughter, by age, December 31, 1993,
2003, and 2013
Percent
40

1993
2003
2013

30
20
10
0

24 or younger

25–34

35–44
Age at yearend

45–54

55 or older

Note: Based on prisoners sentenced to more than 1 year under the jurisdiction
of state correctional authorities with murder or nonnegligent manslaughter as
the most serious convicted crime. See appendix table 4 for standard errors of the
1993 estimates.
Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program, 1993,
2003, and 2013; Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities, 1991; and
National Corrections Reporting Program, 2003 and 2013.

FIGURE 11
Percent of sentenced state prisoners held for rape or sexual
assault, by age, December 31, 1993, 2003, and 2013
Percent
40

1993
2003
2013

30
20
10
0

24 or younger

25–34

35–44
Age at yearend

45–54

55 or older

Note: Based on prisoners sentenced to more than 1 year under the jurisdiction
of state correctional authorities with sexual assault, including rape, as the most
serious convicted crime. See appendix table 4 for standard errors of the 1993
estimates.
Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program, 1993,
2003, and 2013; Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities, 1991; and
National Corrections Reporting Program, 2003 and 2013.

12

Admissions of state prisoners increased most among
45 to 49 years old between 1993 and 2003, and among
ages 55 or older after 2003

FIGURE 12
Admissions of sentenced state prisoners, by age at
admission, 1993, 2003, and 2013

The number of state prison admissions increased 31% from
1993 to 2003 and then declined 10% from 2003 to 2013. The
growth between 1993 and 2003 was driven by admissions of
persons ages 40 to 54 (up 162%) and those age 55 or older
(up 124%) (figure 12). Persons age 55 or older represented
1% of state prison admissions in 1993, 2% in 2003, and 4%
in 2013. From 2003 to 2013, admissions declined 12% for
those age 39 or younger and 11% for those ages 40 to 54,
while admissions for persons age 55 or older increased.
In 2013, 25,700 persons age 55 or older were admitted to
prison, an increase of 82% from 2003 (14,100). The mean
age at admission increased, from 30 years in 1993 to almost
34 years in 2013 (table 8). The majority of the change
occurred between 1993 and 2003.

Number
500,000
18–39

400,000
300,000
200,000

40–54

100,000
0

1993

55 or older
2013

2003
Year of admission

Note: Based on prisoners sentenced to more than 1 year and admitted to
the jurisdiction of state correctional authorities. Includes all types of prison
admissions, including new court commitments, conditional release violators
returned to prison, returns from appeal or bond, transfers, escapes, and other
admissions. See Methodology.
Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program, 1993,
2003, and 2013; and National Corrections Reporting Program, 1993, 2003,
and 2013.

Table 8
Admissions of sentenced state prisoners, by age at admission, 1993, 2003, and 2013
1993
Age at admission
Total*
18–19
20–24
25–29
30–34
35–39
40–44
45–49
50–54
55–59
60–64
65 or older
40–54
55 or older
Mean age
Median age

Number
493,160
30,900
111,900
109,700
99,900
67,900
36,000
16,100
7,300
3,300
1,700
1,300
59,400
6,300

2003

2013

Percent
100%
6.3
22.7
22.3
20.3
13.8
7.3
3.3
1.5
0.7
0.3
0.3

Number
644,434
27,900
131,800
109,300
102,000
99,000
84,600
49,200
21,900
8,600
3,400
2,100

Percent
100%
4.3
20.5
17.0
15.8
15.4
13.1
7.6
3.4
1.3
0.5
0.3

Number
579,773
19,300
107,300
112,700
102,300
71,300
58,000
47,400
33,400
16,100
6,100
3,500

Percent
100%
3.3
18.5
19.5
17.6
12.3
10.0
8.2
5.8
2.8
1.1
0.6

12.1%
1.3

155,700
14,100

24.2%
2.2

138,900
25,700

23.9%
4.4

30.1 years
29

32.9 years
32

33.8 years
32

Note: Based on prisoners sentenced to more than 1 year and admitted to the jurisdiction of state correctional authorities. Detail may not sum to total due to rounding.
Includes all types of prison admissions, including new court commitments, conditional release violators returned to prison, returns from appeal or bond, transfers,
escapes, and other admissions.
*Includes prisoners age 17 or younger.
Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program, 1993, 2003, and 2013; and National Corrections Reporting Program, 1993, 2003, and 2013.

AGING OF THE STATE PRISON POPULATION, 1993–2013 | MAY 2016

13

With minor exceptions, the shape of the curve denoting the
growth rate in admissions by age group mirrors the shape of
the curve denoting the growth rate in the sentenced prison
population by age group (figure 13; compare to figure 3).
A notable difference between the two curves appears at the
right tail of the curve in the change in admissions. Among
prisoners admitted at ages 60 to 64 and 65 or older, the
percentage change between 2003 and 2013 was smaller than
the change between 1993 and 2003. In the stock population,
the percentage change between 2003 and 2013 for these
age groups was larger than the change during the previous
decade. For prisoners age 59 or younger, the similarity in the
shape of the stock and admission change curves indicates
that the growth in admissions was the major factor behind
the change in the number of sentenced prisoners over time.
However, for prisoners age 60 and older, an increase in
admissions does not completely explain the increase in the
stock population from 1993 to 2013.
Type of admission
In 2013, 70% of all admissions to state prisons of offenders
sentenced to more than 1 year were for new convictions,
compared to 62% in 2003 and 64% in 1993.3 This change
reflects the increased use of parole violation admissions
through 2000, when 57% of prison admissions were
new court commitments. The ratio of parole violations
to new court commitment admissions of state prisoners
decreased after 2000. The number of persons age 55 or
older admitted to state prisons for new convictions in 2013
3 See

Prisoners in 2012: Trends in Admissions and Releases, 1991–2012
(NCJ 243920, BJS web, November 2013) and Prisoners in 2013 (NCJ 247282,
BJS web, September 2014).

(17,800 prisoners) was more than double the number in 2003
(8,500). However, among persons ages 18 to 24, the number
of new court commitments decreased by 19,700 (down
17%) between 2003 (116,200) and 2013 (96,500), despite
an increase in the percentage of new court commitment
admissions for prisoners in this age group during the same
time period (table 9). Offenders admitted on new court
commitments tend to serve longer prison sentences than
those who enter on parole violations, so a larger number of
older inmates and fewer younger inmates could expect to
spend more time behind bars in 2013 than in 2003.
FIGURE 13
Percent change in admissions to state prisons, by age at
admission, 1993, 2003, and 2013
Percent change
250

1993–2003
2003–2013

200
150
100
50
0
-50

18–19 20–24 25–29 30–34 35–39 40–44 45–49 50–54 55–59 60–64 65 or
older
Age at admission

Note: Based on prisoners sentenced to more than 1 year and admitted to
the jurisdiction of state correctional authorities. Detail may not sum to total
due to rounding. Includes all types of prison admissions, including new court
commitments, conditional release violators returned to prison, returns from
appeal or bond, transfers, escapes, and other admissions.
Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program, 1993,
2003, and 2013; and National Corrections Reporting Program, 1993, 2003,
and 2013.

Table 9
Admissions of sentenced state prisoners, by age at admission and type of admission, 1993, 2003, and 2013
Age at admission
Totalb
18–19
20–24
25–29
30–34
35–39
40–44
45–49
50–54
55–59
60–64
65 or older

1993
493,160
30,900
111,900
109,700
99,900
67,900
36,000
16,100
7,300
3,300
1,700
1,300

Total
2003
644,434
27,900
131,800
109,300
102,000
99,000
84,600
49,200
21,900
8,600
3,400
2,100

2013
579,773
19,300
107,300
112,700
102,300
71,300
58,000
47,400
33,400
16,100
6,100
3,500

New court commitments
1993
2003
2013
318,069
399,843
406,001
86.9%
84.4%
84.7%
70.7
70.3
74.7
60.4
62.2
68.8
58.7
59.3
68.2
58.7
56.6
68.2
59.2
55.8
67.4
62.2
55.4
67.3
66.4
56.1
67.7
70.8
57.8
68.6
72.7
63.0
69.2
79.6
65.0
72.4

Other admission typesa
1993
2003
2013
175,091
244,591
173,772
13.1%
15.6%
15.3%
29.3
29.7
25.3
39.6
37.8
31.2
41.3
40.7
31.8
41.3
43.4
31.8
40.8
44.2
32.6
37.8
44.6
32.7
33.6
43.9
32.3
29.2
42.2
31.4
27.3
37.0
30.8
20.4
35.0
27.6

Note: Based on prisoners sentenced to more than 1 year and admitted to the jurisdiction of state correctional authorities. Detail may not sum to total due to rounding.
aIncludes all conditional release violators returned to prison, returns from appeal or bond, transfers, escapes, and other admissions.
bIncludes prisoners age 17 or younger.
Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program, 1993, 2003, and 2013; and National Corrections Reporting Program, 1993, 2003, and 2013.

AGING OF THE STATE PRISON POPULATION, 1993–2013 | MAY 2016

14

New court admissions made up a higher proportion of all
admissions among persons ages 18 to 24 (74% in 1993,
73% in 2003, and 76% in 2013) than for other age groups,
but prisoners age 55 or older had a higher proportion of
admissions by new court commitments than did those
ages 25 to 54. In 1993, 73% of prisoners age 55 or older
were admitted to state prison on new court commitments,
compared to 60% of those ages 25 to 54. By 2013, the
difference had narrowed, with 69% of admissions of persons
age 55 or older and 68% of those ages 25 to 54 admitted for
new crimes. Because sentence lengths for parole violations
are typically shorter than those for new crimes, those
admitted on new court commitments will generally serve
more time in prison.
Rate of admission
As with the total prison population, if the increase in
admissions was due solely to the aging of the U.S. resident
population, the expected result would be no change in the
rate of admissions by age. Except for an increase in 2003, the
overall rate of new court commitment admissions to state
prison was unchanged in 1993 and 2013 (166 per 100,000
adult U.S. residents) (table 10). The only age group to
maintain a relatively stable rate of admissions across the two
decades was for persons ages 25 to 29 (343 per 100,000 in
1993, 354 per 100,000 in 2003, and 356 per 100,000 in 2013).

Table 10
Rate of new court commitments to state prison per 100,000
U.S. adult residents, by age at admission, 1993, 2003,
and 2013
Age at admission
Total*
18–19
20–24
25–29
30–34
35–39
40–44
45–49
50–54
55–59
60–64
65 or older

1993
166
384
426
343
264
183
110
62
37
22
12
3

2003
183
284
444
354
296
266
206
125
64
31
17
4

2013
166
190
350
356
325
246
189
152
100
52
23
6

Note: Based on prisoners sentenced to more than 1 year and admitted on new
charges to the jurisdiction of state correctional authorities. Admission rates are
calculated per 100,000 adult U.S. residents of the same age.
*Includes prisoners age 17 or younger. Rates are based on U.S. residents age 18
or older.
Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program, 1993,
2003, and 2013; National Corrections Reporting Program, 1993, 2003, and 2013;
and U.S. Census Bureau, National monthly postcensal resident estimates, 1990–
2000 (1993), National intercensal estimates, 2000–2010 (2003), and Postcensal
population estimate, 2013.

The admission rate for new offenders ages 18 to 19 decreased
by half between 1993 and 2013, while the rate for persons
ages 45 to 54 more than doubled. For offenders age 55 or
older, the admission rate was 9 per 100,000 U.S. residents of
the same age in 1993, and 21 per 100,000 in 2013. The rate
for new admissions among persons ages 40 to 54 increased
from 74 per 100,000 in 1993 to 145 per 100,000 in 2013.
These findings show that the aging of the U.S. general
population is not the sole contributing factor to increasing
imprisonment rates of older offenders, since the admission
rates changed over time.

AGING OF THE STATE PRISON POPULATION, 1993–2013 | MAY 2016

15

Admitting offense
In 1993, 41% of persons age 55 or older were admitted
to state prisons on sentences of more than 1 year for
new violent offenses. This age category had the highest
percentage of admissions for murder, nonnegligent
manslaughter, and sexual assault in 1993 (table 11).
(See appendix table 11 for the full age distribution.) Violent
offenders accounted for 29% of persons ages 18 to 29 who
were newly admitted in 1993, 26% of those ages 40 to 54,
and 23% of those ages 30 to 39. By 2013, the percentage of
prisoners age 55 or older admitted for new violent offenses
had decreased to 30%, but only persons ages 18 to 29 were
admitted for violent crimes at a higher rate (33% of all
offenses in this age category). Despite the decline, the greater
number of total sentenced admissions for persons age 55
or older in 2013 (17,800) resulted in 3,500 more new court
commitments for violent offenses than in 1993. Of these
additional admissions, new court commitments for rape or
sexual assault accounted for 34% of new prisoners (1,200).

The number of admissions for simple or aggravated assault
increased by 1,300 between 1993 and 2013 for newly
sentenced offenders age 55 or older, accounting for 37% of
the total increase in the number of violent admissions.
In 2013, 22% of all new admissions of persons age 55 or
older were for property offenses (up from 16% in 1993),
and admissions for new public order offenses for persons
in this age group grew from 17% in 1993 to 24% in 2013.
Despite a 3% decrease in the proportion of offenders age 55
or older admitted for drug offenses between 2003 and 2013,
the number of admissions for new drug crimes in this age
group increased by 1,700 in 2013 because of growth in all
admissions. All other age groups experienced decreases in
both the number and percentage of persons admitted for
drug offenses between 2003 and 2013. These findings suggest
that a greater number of older offenders were admitted
to serve a range of sentence lengths, including the longer
sentences typically associated with violent crimes, as well as
potentially shorter sentences for drug and property crimes.

Table 11
New court commitment admissions to state prisons, by age at admission and most serious offense, 1993, 2003, 2013
Most serious offense
Total
Violent offenses
Murdera
Manslaughter
Rape/sexual assault
Robbery
Assault
Other violent
Property offenses
Burglary
Larceny
Motor vehicle theft
Fraud
Other property
Drug offensesb
Public order offensesc
Other/unspecified offensesd
Total new court commitment
admissions

1993
100%
29.0%
3.1
1.2
4.0
11.4
7.9
1.5
31.5%
14.0
7.2
2.8
3.4
4.1
28.6%
8.0%
1.1%

18–29
2003
100%
27.2%
2.3
0.7
4.5
9.2
8.5
2.1
28.5%
11.8
5.6
3.1
4.2
3.8
29.6%
10.5%
0.9%

2013
100%
33.0%
2.6
0.7
4.4
11.3
11.2
2.7
31.7%
16.9
6.1
1.3
3.0
4.3
20.3%
13.6%
1.0%

172,200 184,100 174,200

1993
100%
22.9%
1.8
1.0
6.3
6.3
6.2
1.4
30.7%
11.3
9.4
1.6
4.9
3.4
31.4%
11.8%
1.1%

30–39
2003
100%
21.3%
1.5
0.6
5.4
4.4
7.5
2.0
27.9%
8.3
7.7
2.2
6.5
3.2
31.3%
15.3%
0.7%

98,500

116,500 118,300

2013
100%
24.7%
1.8
0.6
4.7
4.8
10.1
2.7
27.6%
10.0
7.7
1.3
4.7
4.0
28.6%
17.6%
0.9%

1993
100%
25.9%
2.8
1.5
10.0
3.7
6.5
1.4
26.2%
7.5
9.6
1.1
5.1
2.9
29.8%
14.4%
1.2%

40–54
2003
100%
20.3%
1.5
0.6
6.1
3.3
7.1
1.8
25.9%
7.4
8.4
1.4
5.9
2.7
31.6%
17.7%
0.7%

2013
100%
24.2%
1.7
0.6
6.2
3.7
9.7
2.3
28.6%
9.2
9.7
1.1
4.9
3.6
24.9%
21.1%
0.8%

1993
100%
41.5%
4.8
2.7
24.4
1.4
6.8
1.4
16.3%
2.8
6.5
0.5
4.1
2.6
20.8%
17.4%
1.0%

55 or older
2003
100%
33.3%
3.6
1.1
18.3
1.8
6.7
1.8
16.8%
3.0
6.7
0.7
4.8
1.7
24.9%
20.9%
0.7%

2013
100%
30.5%
2.8
0.9
12.8
2.6
9.1
2.2
22.0%
6.2
9.0
0.4
3.7
2.7
21.6%
24.3%
0.8%

36,200

86,700

93,700

4,600

8,500

17,800

Note: Based on sentenced prisoners admitted on new court commitments to the jurisdiction of state correctional authorities. Detail may not sum to total due to rounding.
aIncludes nonnegligent manslaughter.
bIncludes possession, trafficking, and other drug offenses.
cIncludes weapons offenses; driving under the influence; court offenses; commercialized vice, morals, and decency offenses; liquor law violations; and other public order
offenses.
dIncludes juvenile offenses and other unspecified offense categories.
Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program, 1993, 2003, and 2013; and National Corrections Reporting Program, 1993, 2003, and 2013.

AGING OF THE STATE PRISON POPULATION, 1993–2013 | MAY 2016

16

Arrests of persons age 55 or older have increased over time
There were almost 2 million fewer arrests in the United
States in 2012 (the most recent year for which national arrest
estimates by age are available) than in 1993 (down 1,851,900
or 13%), with all of the decrease attributed to fewer arrests
for persons age 39 or younger (table 12). Over the same
period, arrests of persons ages 40 to 54 increased 44% (up
739,000) and arrests of persons age 55 or older increased 77%
(up 260,800).
As with prison admissions, growth in arrests between 1993
and 2003 was greater for persons ages 40 to 54 (up 47%)
than for those age 55 or older (up 9%). Between 2003 and

2012, however, arrests of persons ages 40 to 54 decreased
2% compared to those age 55 or older (up 63%).
The total number of arrests for violent offenses declined
11% (down 214,100) between 1993 and 2012. Over the
same period, arrests of persons ages 40 to 54 increased 58%
(131,200) and arrests of persons age 55 or older increased
88% (40,500) for violent crimes. The number of arrests of
persons age 55 or older for drug offenses increased 375%,
from 9,600 in 1993 to 45,600 in 2012, compared to a 26%
increase for persons ages 18 to 39 (from 892,100 in 1993 to
1,120,200 in 2013).

Table 12
Arrests, by age at arrest and most serious offense, 1993, 2003, and 2012
Age at arrest
Totalf
1993
2003
2012g
18–39
1993
2003
2012g
40–54
1993
2003
2012g
55 or older
1993
2003
2012g

Murderc

Violent offenses
Rape or sexual
assaultd

Robbery

Aggravated
assault

2,003,100
1,935,300
1,789,000

23,400
13,200
11,100

142,500
117,900
86,500

173,600
107,600
103,700

518,700
449,900
388,400

3,095,900
2,433,100
2,208,900

1,126,300
1,678,200
1,552,400

9,625,200
8,616,700
7,872,600

1,383,100
1,179,900
1,098,000

16,900
9,900
8,300

88,100
65,800
45,000

116,100
71,200
70,200

363,200
287,700
249,100

1,848,900
1,429,900
1,380,400

892,100
1,184,800
1,120,200

1,666,000
2,452,000
2,405,000

227,000
350,300
358,200

2,100
1,700
1,500

21,200
22,700
18,800

7,700
10,400
10,600

62,500
87,500
82,000

276,000
353,500
372,000

111,900
273,500
246,700

340,100
369,100
600,900

45,800
54,700
86,300

600
400
500

7,300
6,900
7,600

600
700
1,400

13,200
13,700
20,900

56,800
47,800
81,700

9,600
22,300
45,600

All violent
offensesb

14,050,400
13,646,600
12,198,500

Totala

Property offensese Drug offenses

Note: Based on national estimates of arrests reported to the FBI. Detail may not sum to total due to offenses excluded from this table, missing data, and rounding.
See Methodology.
aIncludes arrests for public order and other offenses not shown in this table.
bIncludes murder, nonnegligent manslaughter, aggravated and other assaults, rape, and sex offenses other than commercialized vice and prostitution.
cIncludes nonnegligent manslaughter.
dIncludes forcible rape and other sex offenses, excluding prostitution and commercialized vice. Includes incest, indecent exposure, and statutory rape as well as
offenses against chastity, common decency, and morals.
eIncludes burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, arson, forgery and counterfeiting, fraud, embezzlement, stolen property, and vandalism.
fIncludes arrests of persons age 17 or younger.
gNational-level estimates of arrests by age group have not yet been published for 2013. Arrest data from 2012 were used instead.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Arrest data analysis tool using FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program, 1993, 2003, and 2012.

Continued on next page

AGING OF THE STATE PRISON POPULATION, 1993–2013 | MAY 2016

17

Arrests of persons age 55 or older have increased over time (continued)
violent offenses increased 19% between 2003 and 2012,
compared to a 2% increase for persons ages 40 to 54 and
a 12% decrease for persons ages 18 to 39. Arrest rates of
persons age 55 or older for drug offenses increased 54%
between 2003 and 2012, compared to a decrease of 10% for
persons age 54 or younger.

As a rate per 100,000 U.S. residents of the same age, persons
age 55 or older had lower rates of arrest than younger
offenders across all offense categories from 1993 to 2012
(table 13). However, the 2012 rate for overall arrests in this
age group (705 per 100,000 U.S. residents age 55 or older)
increased from 1993 (630 per 100,000) and 2003 (572 per
100,000). The rate of arrest of persons age 55 or older for

Table 13
Arrest rates per 100,000 U.S. residents, by age at arrest and most serious offense, 1993, 2003, and 2013
Age at arrest
Totalf
1993
2003
2013g
18–39
1993
2003
2013g
40–54
1993
2003
2013g
55 or older
1993
2003
2013g

Totala

All violent
offensesb

Murderc

Violent offenses
Rape or sexual
assaultd

Robbery

Aggravated
assault

Property
offensese

Drug
offenses

7,331
6,248
4,997

1,045
886
733

12
6
5

74
54
35

91
49
42

584
206
159

1,615
1,114
905

588
768
636

10,830
9,597
8,331

1,556
1,314
1,162

19
11
9

99
73
48

131
79
74

409
320
264

2,080
1,593
1,461

1,004
1,320
1,185

3,415
3,828
3,736

465
547
556

4
3
2

43
35
29

16
16
16

128
137
127

566
552
578

229
427
383

630
572
705

85
85
101

1
1
1

14
11
9

1
1
2

24
21
25

105
74
96

18
35
53

Note: Based on arrests per 100,000 U.S. adult residents of the same age.
aIncludes arrests for public order and other offenses not shown in this table.
bIncludes murder, nonnegligent manslaughter, aggravated and other assaults, rape, and sex offenses other than commercialized vice and prostitution.
cIncludes nonnegligent manslaughter.
dIncludes forcible rape and other sex offenses, excluding prostitution and commercialized vice. Includes incest, indecent exposure, and statutory rape as well as
offenses against chastity, common decency, and morals.
eIncludes burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, arson, forgery and counterfeiting, fraud, embezzlement, stolen property, and vandalism.
fIncludes arrests of persons age 17 or younger.
gNational-level estimates of arrests by age group have not yet been published for 2013. Arrest data from 2012 were used instead.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Arrest data analysis tool using FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program, 1993, 2003, and 2012; and U.S. Census Bureau,
National monthly postcensal resident estimates, 1990–2000 (1993), National intercensal estimates, 2000–2010 (2003), and Postcensal population estimate, 2013.

AGING OF THE STATE PRISON POPULATION, 1993–2013 | MAY 2016

18

Likelihood of admission to prison after an arrest
Changes in the offense-specific ratio of new court
commitments to arrests over time indicate a change in the
severity of the justice system response to particular crimes.
For arrestees of all ages, the ratio of new court commitments
to arrests increased steadily from 1993 to 2013, especially for
violent crimes (table 14). The number of admissions
to state prison on new commitments can increase for a
variety of reasons, including increased rates of crime or
more successful offender apprehension, trial, or conviction.

Total arrests fell 3% between 1993 and 2003, while the
number of new court commitment admissions for all
offenses to state prison increased 26%, from 318,100 in 1993
to 399,800 in 2003. Between 2003 and 2013, the increase in
new court commitment admissions was modest (up 2%), but
the number of arrests continued to decline across all offense
categories (down 11%). This suggests that the increase in
new admissions can be attributed to an increase in the
successful prosecution of persons identified and arrested by
law enforcement.

Table 14
Rate of new court commitments to state prison per 1,000 arrests, by age at admission and offense, 1993, 2003, and 2013
Age at arrest or admission
18–39
1993
2003
2013h
40–54
1993
2003
2013h
55 or older
1993
2003
2013h

All violent
offensesa,b

Murderc,d

Violent offenses
Rape or sexual
assaulte

Robbery

Aggravated
assaultf

Property
offensesg

Drug
offenses

49
56
64

449
646
848

154
229
308

240
334
387

51
71
91

48
61
67

93
79
64

36
41
49

480
826
1,058

175
238
319

178
278
340

34
54
78

35
65
75

98
103
98

38
46
54

365
764
1,070

158
228
310

108
230
354

23
34
60

14
30
50

102
96
88

Note: Rates based on sentenced prisoners admitted on new court commitments to the jurisdiction of state correctional authorities. Admission rates are calculated per
1,000 arrestees of the same age and offense type. Detail may not sum to total due to excluded offenses, missing data, and rounding. Includes prisoners age 14 or older
and age 100 or younger at admission. See Methodology.
aUCR data do not include arrests for negligent manslaughter. For this analysis, negligent manslaughter was removed from the new court commitment prison admission
data.
bIncludes murder, nonnegligent manslaughter, aggravated and other assaults, rape, and sex offenses other than commercialized vice and prostitution.
cIncludes nonnegligent manslaughter.
dThe number of prison admissions may exceed the number of arrests made for murder and nonnegligent manslaughter in a given year due to the time involved in the
prosecution of these offenders.
eIncludes forcible rape and other sex offenses, excluding prostitution and commercialized vice. Includes incest and statutory rape. Arrests but not prison admissions
include indecent exposure, offenses against chastity, common decency, and morals. These are considered public order offenses in the prison admission data.
fIncludes aggravated assault only.
gIncludes burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, arson, forgery and counterfeiting, fraud, embezzlement, stolen property, and vandalism.
hNational-level estimates of arrests by age group have not yet been published for 2013. Arrest data from 2012 were used instead.
Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program, 1993, 2003, and 2013; National Corrections Reporting Program, 1993, 2003, and 2013; and
Arrest data analysis tool using FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program, 1993, 2003, and 2012.

AGING OF THE STATE PRISON POPULATION, 1993–2013 | MAY 2016

19

Overall, the likelihood of being admitted to prison after
an arrest increased for all age groups between 1993 and
2013. The rate of admission after an arrest for murder or
nonnegligent manslaughter increased from 449 per 1,000
arrests of persons ages 18 to 39 in 1993 to 848 per 1,000
in 2013 (figures 14a, 14b, and 14c). During this period,
arrests of persons ages 18 to 39 for murder declined 51%
while new court commitment admissions decreased 7%.
In comparison, the rate of admission after an arrest for
convicted murderers increased from 480 per 1,000 arrests
of persons ages 40 to 54 in 1993 to 1,058 per 1,000 in 2013.
New court commitments for this age group increased 60%
despite a 29% decline in the number of arrests.
For newly admitted state prisoners age 55 or older convicted
of murder, the rate of admission after an arrest increased by
more than 700 per 1,000 between 1993 and 2013, despite a
17% decrease in the number of arrests. The number of new
court commitment admissions for murder or nonnegligent
manslaughter among persons age 55 or older increased
135%, from more than 200 in 1993 to more than 500 in
2013. The only major offense category for which persons age
55 or older who were admitted to state prison on new court
commitments in 2013 had higher admission rates after an
arrest than did younger persons was murder or nonnegligent
manslaughter. It also represented the only offense for which
there were fewer arrests in 2013 than in 1993 for persons age
55 or older.
The rate of new court commitment admissions to state
prison after an arrest for robbery increased from 108 per
1,000 arrests of persons age 55 or older in 1993 to 354
per 1,000 in 2013. Arrests for robbery in this age group
increased 133% over the same period, and admissions
increased 400%. In comparison, the number of arrests
for robbery fell 40% for persons ages 18 to 39, and new
court commitment admissions decreased 2%. The rate of
admission after an arrest for persons ages 18 to 39 who were
convicted of robbery increased from 240 per 1,000 arrests
in 1993 to 387 per 1,000 in 2013, a smaller change over time
than for other age groups.

FIGURE 14a
New court commitment rates for state prisoners ages 18 to
39 per 1,000 arrests, by offense, 1993, 2003, and 2013
Admission rate per 1,000 arrests
1,200
1,000

Murder

800
600
400

Robbery
Rape or sexual assault
Aggravated assault
Drug offenses

200
0

1993

2003
Year of admission

2013

FIGURE 14b
New court commitment rates for state prisoners ages 40 to
54 per 1,000 arrests, by offense, 1993, 2003, and 2013
Admission rate per 1,000 arrests
1,200

Murder

1,000
800
600
400

Robbery
Rape or sexual assault
Drug offenses
Aggravated assault

200
0

1993

2003
Year of admission

2013

FIGURE 14c
New court commitment rates for state prisoners age 55 or
older per 1,000 arrests, by offense, 1993, 2003, and 2013
Admission rate per 1,000 arrests
1,200
1,000

Murder

800
600
Robbery
Rape or sexual assault

400
200
0

Drug offenses
Aggravated assault

1993

2003
Year of admission

2013

Note: Based on sentenced state prisoners admitted on new court commitments.
Admission rates are calculated per 1,000 arrestees of the same age and offense
type. National-level estimates of arrests by age group have not yet been
published for 2013. Arrest data from 2012 were used instead. UCR data do not
include arrests for negligent manslaughter or simple assault. For this analysis,
negligent manslaughter and simple assault were removed from the new court
commitment prison admission data.
Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program, 1993,
2003, and 2013; National Corrections Reporting Program, 1993, 2003, and 2013;
and Arrest data analysis tool using FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program,
1993, 2003, and 2012.

AGING OF THE STATE PRISON POPULATION, 1993–2013 | MAY 2016

20

Unlike other offenses, there was parity in the rate of
admission given arrest for rape or sexual assault across ages
over time. In 2013, the rate of admission to prison after an
arrest for sexual assault for new offenders age 55 or older
(310 per 1,000) was equal to the rate for persons ages 18 to
39 (308 per 1,000) and less than the rate for persons ages 40
to 54 (319 per 1,000). The number of arrests for sex offenses
decreased 49% for persons ages 18 to 39 between 1993 and
2013, compared to a decrease of 11% for persons ages 40 to
54 and an increase of 4% for those age 55 or older. New state
prison admissions for sex offenses among persons age 55 or
older increased 106% from 1993 to 2013, almost twice the
percentage change as for persons ages 40 to 54 (62%) and far
more than the 3% increase for persons ages 18 to 39.

how much of the sentence must be served, and the offender’s
behavior while in prison. Sentence length depends on the
seriousness of the current offense and the offender’s past
criminal history. The NCRP captures the maximum sentence
length of the most serious offense and the total sentence
imposed for all offenses. However, some states only have
the ability to report one of these sentences. Sentence length
reported here represents the total sentence for all offenses
except for those states that can only report the maximum
sentence for the most serious offense. In states with
indeterminate sentencing, the total or most serious offense
sentences represent the upper end of the possible penalty
since most prisoners will be paroled prior to serving the
maximum sentence.

Inmates age 55 or older admitted to state prison were
sentenced to—and were expected to serve—more time on
average than younger inmates

Prisoners age 55 or older had consistently higher mean
sentence lengths when all offenses are considered, increasing
from 76 months in 1993 to 82 months in 2003 and 2013
(table 15). In contrast, prisoners ages 18 to 39 were
sentenced to a mean of 64 months in 1993 and 2003 and 69
months in 2013, and mean sentence length for new inmates
ages 40 to 54 increased from 65 months in 1993 and 2003 to
71 months in 2013.

Sentence length
The prison population can grow because inmates are serving
longer sentences. The length of imprisonment depends on
the sentence imposed by state courts, state statutes guiding

TABLE 15
Distributions of sentence length for new court commitments to state prison, by age at admission and most serious offense,
1993, 2003, and 2013
Most serious offense
All offenses
10th percentilea
25th percentilea
Median (50th percentile)a
75th percentilea
90th percentilea
Meanb
Percent of admitted prisoners with
sentences of life or deatha
Number of new court commitments
Violent offenses
10th percentilea
25th percentilea
Median (50th percentile)a
75th percentilea
90th percentilea
Meanb
Percent of admitted prisoners with
sentences of life or deatha
Number of new court commitments

1993

18–39
2003

16 mos.
24
48
84
180
64

16 mos.
24
43
72
144
64

1.5%
270,700

0.9%
300,600

2013

Age at admission
40–54
1993
2003
2013

1993

16 mos.
24
48
82
144
69

16 mos.
24
48
84
180
65

14 mos.
24
36
72
144
65

15 mos.
24
47
84
167
71

16 mos.
24
60
120
240
76

16 mos.
24
48
97
240
82

16 mos.
24
48
96
204
82

2.1%
36,200

1.0%
86,700

1.4%
93,700

3.2%
4,600

2.4%
8,500

3.4%
17,800

1.0%
292,500

55 or older
2003

2013

24 mos.
36
72
168
324
100

24 mos.
36
60
120
252
97

24 mos.
36
60
120
264
100

24 mos.
42
84
180
382
107

24 mos.
36
65
156
336
112

23 mos.
36
60
154
360
111

24 mos.
48
85
180
360
111

24 mos.
43
84
180
480
129

24 mos.
36
84
192
504
128

4.6%
72,600

2.9%
75,000

3.0%
86,600

6.3%
9,400

4.0%
17,600

4.8%
22,600

6.8%
1,900

7.1%
2,800

9.5%
5,400

Note: Based on prisoners sentenced to more than 1 year and admitted to the jurisdiction of state correctional authorities on new court commitments. Total maximum
sentence length for all offenses is used unless state could only report the maximum sentence for the most serious offense.
aIncludes persons sentenced to life, life without parole, life plus additional years, or death.
bExcludes persons sentenced to life, life without parole, life plus additional years, or death.
Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program, 1993, 2003, and 2013; and National Corrections Reporting Program, 1993, 2003, and 2013.

AGING OF THE STATE PRISON POPULATION, 1993–2013 | MAY 2016

21

Longer sentences were also imposed on older offenders
convicted for violent crimes compared to younger inmates,
and the mean sentence length increased over time for
prisoners age 55 or older. Persons age 55 or older admitted
on new violent offenses in 2003 and 2013 were sentenced to
a mean of 128 months, up from 111 months in 1993. Among
new violent offenders ages 18 to 39 admitted to prison, the
average sentence length was about 100 months across the
two decades, while those ages 40 to 54 had mean imposed
sentences of about 111 months.
The percentage of new admissions with sentences of life,
life without parole, life plus additional years, or death was
greater at all three time points for offenders age 55 or older
than for new prisoners age 54 or younger. During 2013,
9% of all new admissions for violent offenses had sentences
of life or death imposed on prisoners age 55 or older,
compared to 5% of new violent offenders ages 40 to 54 and
3% of those ages 18 to 39.
Time served in prison
Across all ages, the mean time expected to be served on a
new court commitment upon entry to state prison increased
from 29 months in 1993 to 37 months in 2003 regardless
of offense type, when adjusted for the growth in the overall
state prison population (table 16). A much smaller increase
was observed between 2003 and 2013 (39 months). By 2003,
new violent offenders of all ages could anticipate an average
prison stay of 72 months, up from 50 months in 1993. The
mean time expected to be served reported includes the time
served in prison on a new crime until first release, and also
encompasses estimates for subsequent time to be served
for violations to parole following the first release. While
standard calculations of mean time expected to be served
assume a stable prison population, the estimates in table 16
are adjusted to account for known change in each age group
over time (see Methodology for further details on adjusting
the mean time expected to be served calculations).

On average, older offenders could expect to serve more time
than their younger counterparts between 1993 and 2013
across all offense categories. In 1993, new offenders age 55
or older had an estimated average expected time to be served
of 62 months when all offenses were combined, compared to
38 months for those ages 40 to 54 and 27 months for inmates
ages 18 to 39. By 2013, this had increased to 82 months for
those age 55 or older, 52 months for 40 to 54 year olds, and
32 months for 18 to 39 year olds.
This pattern was the same when crime type was
disaggregated. New violent offenders age 55 or older could
anticipate serving a mean time of 95 months in 1993, about
twice as long as inmates admitted between the ages of 18
to 39 (43 months). By 2013, this disparity had widened
so that, on average, new violent offenders age 55 or older
were expected to serve more than three times longer
(182 months) than those ages 18 to 39 (55 months). On
average, new violent offenders ages 40 to 54 could expect to
serve more than twice the younger offenders (116 months
in 2013). As previously shown, a larger percentage of state
prisoners age 55 or older were sentenced for the serious
violent offenses of murder and rape or sexual assault than
those age 54 or younger. The relative severity of the violent
offenses contributed to the longer time served by those age
55 or older.
TABLE 16
Mean time expected to be served at time of new court
commitment to state prison for persons admitted in 1993,
2003, and 2013, by age at admission and most serious
offense
Age and year
at admission
Total
1993
2003
2013
18–39
1993
2003
2013
40–54
1993
2003
2013
55 or older
1993
2003
2013

All

Violent

Property

Drug

29.3 mos.
37.1
38.9

49.8 mos.
72.2
72.6

22.1 mos.
27.1
25.5

21.3 mos.
24.6
25.7

27.4 mos.
33.1
32.2

42.9 mos.
60.2
54.9

23.5 mos.
24.7
22.0

20.8 mos.
22.9
23.3

38.1 mos.
47.5
51.6

77.4 mos.
112.0
115.9

23.4 mos.
35.6
33.5

25.9 mos.
29.2
30.8

62.5 mos.
77.1
81.6

94.7 mos.
154.2
182.3

41.7 mos.
44.9
43.2

44.8 mos.
37.6
37.2

Note: Based on prisoners sentenced to more than 1 year and admitted to the
jurisdiction of state correctional authorities on new court commitments. See
Methodology for calculation of mean time expected to be served.
Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Corrections Reporting Program,
1993, 2003, and 2013.

AGING OF THE STATE PRISON POPULATION, 1993–2013 | MAY 2016

22

The percentage of older prisoners released after serving at
least 10 years more than doubled between 1993 and 2013
Prisoners serving long terms have a greater opportunity to
age into higher age cohorts. Using 10 years as a measure
of a long time spent in prison, the number of persons who
have aged into higher age cohorts during the two decades
considered in this report can be tracked. As expected,
the oldest age categories have the highest percentages
of persons who served 10 years or more on new court
commitments before release. In 1993, no more than 8% of
offenders of any age who were admitted to prison on a new
court commitment served 10 years or more before release
(figure 15). By 2003, this increased to 17% for prisoners age
65 or older. In 2013, 12% of prisoners who were released
when they were ages 55 to 59, 16% of those ages 60 to 64,
and 28% of those age 65 or older had served at least 10 years
on a new court commitment.
The number of prisoners of all ages released after serving
10 years or longer on new court commitments increased
between 1993 and 2003, from 1% of all releases (4,100) from
new commitments in 1993 to 3% in 2003 (10,400). Between
2003 and 2013, these released prisoners grew to 4% of all
releases from new commitments in 2013 (14,900) (table 17).

AGING OF THE STATE PRISON POPULATION, 1993–2013 | MAY 2016

FIGURE 15
Percent of released sentenced state prisoners who
served 10 years or more since admission on a new court
commitment in 1993, 2003, and 2013, by age of release
Percent
30

2013

25
20

2003

15
10

1993

5
0

30–34 35–39 40–44 45–49 50–54 55–59 60–64
Age at release

65 or
older

Note: Based on prisoners sentenced to more than 1 year, admitted to the
jurisdiction of state correctional authorities on a new court commitment, and
released after serving 10 years or more. Includes all types of prison releases,
including conditional, unconditional, releases to appeal or bond, transfers,
escapes, deaths, and other releases. Younger age groups have been excluded
because very few inmates age 29 or younger have served 10 years in state
prison.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Corrections Reporting Program,
1993, 2003, and 2013.

23

While the percentage of state prisoners released after serving
10 or more years on a new court commitment increased
between 1993 and 2013, the percentage of those serving
less than a year, and, in particular, those serving less than
6 months decreased for all age groups except those ages
18 to 24. When limited to prisoners releases for the first time

after being admitted on new court commitments, 35% of
prisoners ages 18 to 24 at release in 1993 had served less
than 6 months, compared to 48% in 2013. Two-thirds of
all state prisoners released in 2013 between the ages of 18
and 24 served less than a year after being sentenced for a
new crime.

TABLE 17
Time served by released state prisoners, by age and type of admission, 1993, 2003, and 2013
Age at release and time served
Total
Less than 6 months
6 mos–less than 1 year
1–1.9
2–2.9
3–4.9
5–9.9
10 or more
18–24
Less than 6 months
6 mos–less than 1 year
1–1.9
2–2.9
3–4.9
5–9.9
10 or more
25–34
Less than 6 months
6 mos–less than 1 year
1–1.9
2–2.9
3–4.9
5–9.9
10 or more
35–44
Less than 6 months
6 mos–less than 1 year
1–1.9
2–2.9
3–4.9
5–9.9
10 or more
45–54
Less than 6 months
6 mos–less than 1 year
1–1.9
2–2.9
3–4.9
5–9.9
10 or more
55 or older
Less than 6 months
6 mos–less than 1 year
1–1.9
2–2.9
3–4.9
5–9.9
10 or more

1993
100%
32.5
24.0
21.2
9.5
7.4
4.2
1.3
100%
37.0
26.4
22.2
8.9
4.9
0.7
0.0
100%
31.4
24.1
21.5
9.7
8.0
4.6
0.8
100%
31.6
22.6
19.9
9.3
8.2
5.8
2.6
100%
28.4
20.4
19.8
9.8
9.7
7.8
4.1
100%
21.7
19.2
19.5
11.5
11.9
10.4
5.9

All releases
2003
100%
30.6
24.6
20.4
9.0
7.8
5.5
2.0
100%
32.1
29.8
22.3
8.7
5.9
1.3
0.0
100%
29.1
24.8
20.8
9.3
8.4
6.5
1.1
100%
31.7
23.2
19.7
8.9
8.0
5.9
2.6
100%
31.1
21.6
18.9
9.0
8.5
6.9
4.1
100%
23.9
17.3
17.6
10.0
10.6
11.3
9.2

2013
100%
29.4
20.1
21.9
10.2
9.1
5.9
3.4
100%
53.1
17.8
16.3
7.0
4.9
0.8
0.0
100%
24.6
22.3
24.1
11.2
10.1
6.5
1.2
100%
22.4
20.6
23.7
11.3
10.2
7.4
4.4
100%
20.4
19.4
23.3
11.0
10.5
8.3
7.1
100%
15.8
15.5
20.5
10.8
11.1
10.9
15.4

1993
100%
28.6%
24.1
22.6
10.6
8.2
4.5
1.4
100%
35.1
26.6
23.0
9.4
5.1
0.7
0.0
100%
27.0
23.9
22.9
11.1
9.1
5.1
0.9
100%
25.8
22.7
21.8
10.8
9.5
6.4
3.0
100%
22.9
20.3
21.4
11.3
11.1
8.8
4.3
100%
17.6
19.1
20.3
12.7
13.1
11.3
6.0

First releases
2003
100%
21.8
25.4
23.5
10.5
9.5
6.8
2.5
100%
27.3
30.5
24.2
9.7
6.8
1.5
0.0
100%
20.4
24.8
23.6
10.9
10.4
8.4
1.5
100%
20.7
24.1
23.6
10.6
9.9
7.5
3.6
100%
19.5
22.7
22.7
10.7
10.4
8.7
5.4
100%
14.4
16.4
20.0
11.5
12.6
13.6
11.5

2013
100%
25.0
20.7
23.3
11.0
9.9
6.5
3.5
100%
47.6
19.1
18.3
8.1
6.0
0.9
0.0
100%
19.9
22.7
25.2
12.1
11.2
7.5
1.5
100%
17.9
20.9
25.2
12.0
11.0
8.1
4.9
100%
16.3
20.2
25.1
11.6
11.2
8.8
7.0
100%
12.8
15.7
21.5
11.5
11.6
11.5
15.5

Note: Based on sentenced prisoners released from the jurisdiction of state correctional authorities. Detail may not sum to total due to rounding. Includes all types of
prison releases, including conditional, unconditional, releases to appeal or bond, transfers, escapes, deaths, and other releases.
Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Corrections Reporting Program, 1993, 2003, and 2013.

AGING OF THE STATE PRISON POPULATION, 1993–2013 | MAY 2016

24

In contrast, only 43% of prisoners released in 2013 when
they were 25 to 34 years of age, 39% of those ages 35 to
44, 36% of those ages 45 to 54, and 28% of those age 55 or
older at time of release served for less than a year after being
admitted on a new court commitment. These percentages
were between 7% and 10% lower than in 1993. While each
of these age groups observed an increase over the 20 years in
the percentage of prisoners released after serving 10 or more
years, the percentage of persons between the ages of 25 and
44 released in 2013 after staying 2 to 9.9 years on a new court
commitment also grew. The percentage of persons spending
between 2 and 9.9 years before release at ages 45 to 54 was
largely unchanged between 1993 and 2013, and decreased
for persons released age 55 or older.
Across all admission types, 37% of prisoners ages 18 to 24
released in 1993 had spent fewer than 6 months in state
prison after admission, and a total of 63% were imprisoned
for less than a year. These percentages decreased for released
inmates from this age group in 2003, but increased so that
by 2013, 53% of persons released between the ages of 18 and
24 years had served less than 6 months, and 71% served less
than one year.
Over time, a larger percentage of offenders age 25 or older
spent one year or more in state prison on all types of
admissions, while the majority of the youngest prisoners
were released before serving a full year. These longer stays
contributed to the increase of offenders in all age groups
beyond the 18 to 24 year olds in the state prison population
between 1993 and 2013.
By 2013, 40% of persons age 55 or older in prison at
yearend had served 10 years or more, compared to 9%
in 1993
On December 31, 2013, a higher percentage of state
prisoners imprisoned on new court commitments had
served for at least 10 years than in previous years (figure 16).
This held true across all age groups. In 1993, 9% of offenders
age 55 or older who entered state prison on a new court
commitment had served 10 years or more (26,300 inmates).
By 2013, this had increased to 40% of offenders age 55 or
older (131,700). Almost half (48%) of those age 65 or older
in 2013 had served for 10 years or more (13,900 inmates),
compared to 38% in 2003 (4,500) and 11% in 1993 (700).

Over time, admissions contributed a smaller proportion of
state prison inmates age 55 or older relative to prisoners
who turned 55 while in prison
The prison population of any particular age group on
December 31 is composed of—
„„

prisoners who were admitted into that age group during
the current calendar year

„„

prisoners who were admitted to the age group during
previous years and who, on December 31 of the current
year, are still in that same age group

„„

prisoners (regardless of the amount of time served) who
have spent enough time in prison to age into the next
group by December 31 of the current year, after being
admitted in a lower age category.

FIGURE 16
Percent of state prisoners who served 10 years or more
since admission on a new court commitment, by age,
December 31, 1993, 2003, and 2013
Percent
50

2013

40

2003

30
20
1993

10
0

30–34

35–39

40–44

45–49 50–54
Age at yearend

55–59

60–64

65 or
older

Note: Based on prisoners sentenced to more than 1 year, admitted to the
jurisdiction of state correctional authorities on a new court commitment, and
in state prison at yearend after serving 10 years or more. Time served calculated
using December 31 of 1993, 2003, or 2013 minus the date of prison admission.
See Methodology. See table 20 for standard errors of the 1993 estimates. Younger
age groups have been excluded because very few inmates age 29 or younger
have served 10 years in state prison.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Corrections Reporting Program,
1993, 2003, and 2013.

As with persons released after having served 10 or more
years on a new court commitment, growth of prisoners
in the yearend stock population serving 10 or more years
slowed between 2003 and 2013. Despite this slowdown,
almost 29% of prisoners age 40 or older who were serving
prison terms for new court commitments on December 31,
2013, (about 152,700 prisoners) had spent at least 10 years
in state prison, compared to 10% (about 15,200) in 1993 and
23% (about 94,700) in 2003.

AGING OF THE STATE PRISON POPULATION, 1993–2013 | MAY 2016

25

In all three years considered, at least 25% of the yearend
prison populations for those age 25 or older was due to the
movement of prisoners who had been admitted into an age
group younger than the one they were currently a member
of, and had spent enough time in state prison to age into a
higher group (table 18). At the same time, new admissions
during 1993, 2003, and 2013 did not contribute more than
a third of the persons age 25 or older. In 2003 and 2013,
those who aged into the 45 to 54 and 55 or older groups
represented the majority of prisoners of that age (figure 17).
In 2013, 60% of prisoners age 55 or older were admitted
when they were 54 or younger and aged into the oldest group
(78,400 of the 131,500 prisoners in this group), up from 31%
(8,000) in 1993 and 54% (31,500) in 2003. In comparison,
there were 53,100 admissions of persons age 55 or older
in 2013, 18,400 of which occurred in 2013, and 34,700 of
which had occurred prior to 2013 of individuals age 55 or
older. At yearend 2013, a total of 489,500 state prisoners
had aged into a higher age group than the ones to which
they were admitted, representing 37% of the state prison
population on December 31. In contrast, 23% (194,300
prisoners) of the yearend prison population in 1993 and 32%
(406,700 prisoners) of the total population in 2003 aged into
higher groups.

FIGURE 17
Percent contribution of sentenced state prisoners aging
into the prison population, by age, yearend 1993, 2003,
and 2013
Percent
60

55 or older

50

45–54
35–44

40
25–34

30
20
10
0

1993

2003
Year

2013

Note: Based on prisoners sentenced to more than 1 year under the jurisdiction
of state correctional authorities on a new court commitment. Persons within a
different age category at date of admission than at yearend were classified as
having aged into the next age group. See appendix table 5 for standard errors of
the 1993 estimates.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Corrections Reporting Program,
1993, 2003, and 2013.

TABLE 18
Percent contribution of admissions and sentenced state prisoners aging into the prison population, by age at yearend,
December 31, 1993, 2003, and 2013

Age at yearend
18–24
1993
2003
2013
25–34
1993
2003
2013
35–44
1993
2003
2013
45–54
1993
2003
2013
55 or older
1993
2003
2013

Admitted ina—
Previous years to this
Current year to
age group, still in same
this age group
age group

Aged into groupb­—

Total number of
prisoners on
December 31a

Total

192,200
220,000
177,300

100%
100%
100%

37.5%
49.8
47.4

62.4%
50.2
52.6

0.0%
0.0
0.0

0.0%
0.0
0.0

388,800
420,000
431,300

100%
100%
100%

23.6%
33.2
32.9

51.2%
33.0
36.1

22.6%
28.2
25.5

2.5%
5.5
5.4

190,800
375,300
335,100

100%
100%
100%

21.5%
31.2
25.6

43.5%
31.1
29.6

25.8%
22.9
24.3

9.2%
14.8
20.5

53,400
180,400
248,900

100%
100%
100%

17.2%
25.1
21.9

41.7%
23.8
26.8

30.8%
28.3
23.4

10.3%
22.8
27.9

26,300
58,300
131,500

100%
100%
100%

13.2%
16.9
14.0

56.4%
29.1
26.4

21.6%
23.8
20.4

8.9%
30.2
39.2

Who have served
9 years or lessc

Who have served
10 years or morec

Note: Based on prisoners sentenced to more than 1 year under the jurisdiction of state correctional authorities. Persons in a different age category at date of admission
than at yearend were classified as having aged into the next age group. See Methodology. See appendix table 5 for standard errors of the 1993 estimates.
aIncludes prisoners of all admission types.
bPersons who were admitted by any means in an age group younger than the one they belonged to at yearend.
cTime served refers to current prison commitment.
Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program, 1993, 2003, and 2013; Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities, 1991; and National
Corrections Reporting Program, 2003 and 2013.

AGING OF THE STATE PRISON POPULATION, 1993–2013 | MAY 2016

26

Persons who aged in to a higher group had not necessarily
spent a long time in state prison. A person could be admitted
at age 54 and serve only 1 year before aging into the age 55
or older group. However, between 1993 and 2013, an
increasing number and proportion of the prison population
age 35 or older aged into higher age categories than the
ones they were admitted to because they had spent 10 years
or more in prison on their current confinement. A total of
51,500 of the 78,400 prisoners who had aged in to the age 55
or older group (66%) at yearend 2013 had served 10 years
or more in prison, compared to 29% of prisoners age 55 or
older at yearend 1993. In 1993, 25,400 prisoners age 35 or
older (3% of the total yearend state prison population) had
served 10 years or more and aged into a higher group. By
2003, this group included 114,300 prisoners (9% of the total
population). On December 31, 2013, 14% of the state prison
population (189,700 prisoners) were age 35 or older and had
been imprisoned for 10 years or more.
As expected, very few prisoners aged into the 18 to 24 group
in 1993, 2003, or 2013. New admissions in 1993 accounted
for 38% of the persons in that age group. Sixty-two percent
of these admissions occurred in a previous year when they
were at least age 18 but younger than age 24, so in 1993
they were still 24 or younger at yearend. In 2003 and 2013,
the distribution of new and older admissions evened out so
that both contributed roughly half of the prisoners in the
age group.

Conclusion
Longer sentences, more time served, and increased
admissions among older offenders led to aging in the state
prison population
Between 1993 and 2003, increases in the number of persons
in state prison at yearend and in the number of admissions
disproportionately affected persons ages 45 to 49; however,
from 2003 to 2013, growth occurred predominantly among
those age 55 or older. A number of factors contributed to
the increase in the mean age of the state prison population
between 1993 and 2013, including higher rates of admissions
of older offenders and growth in both the sentences imposed
and time served for this age group. Integral to all of these
factors is the type of crime committed and the fact that older
offenders have a longer criminal history that can make them
eligible for enhanced sentences under the multiple strikes
laws adopted by states.
While the U.S. resident population has also aged over the
past 20 years, this change in underlying age structure does
not solely explain the increase in the number of older
offenders in state prison admissions or yearend prison
populations. Arrests did increase for persons age 40 or older
between 1993 and 2013, but it was the higher imprisonment
rate among those arrested for this age group that led to the
growth in state prison admissions. Likewise, the increase in
admissions of persons age 55 or older cannot fully account
for the overall age increase in the prison population over
time. The greater proportion of prisoners in this age group
convicted of violent offenses contributed to longer sentence
lengths imposed and actual time served than was observed
for younger offenders.
The increase in the number of older prisoners caused by
longer stays in prison, along with increasing numbers of
admissions of violent offenders age 55 or older, caused the
dramatic growth of older prisoners. In 2013, they accounted
for 10% of the yearend state prison population and 4%
of annual admissions (up from 3% and 1% in 1993). The
changing age structure in the U.S. state prison population
has implications for the future management and care of
inmates. Efforts to reduce the number of older persons in
prison must address both the rate at which these offenders
are imprisoned and the amount of time they spend serving
their sentences.

AGING OF THE STATE PRISON POPULATION, 1993–2013 | MAY 2016

27

Methodology
Data sources
National Corrections Reporting Program
The National Corrections Reporting Program (NCRP)
is an annual voluntary data collection of administrative
records on individual prison inmates submitted by state
departments of corrections, the California Youth Authority,
and until 1996, the District of Columbia. From its inception
in 1983 to 1998, the NCRP collected records from 30 to 39
jurisdictions for each prison admission and prison release.
In 1999, the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) requested
that states submit an additional file that includes the
administrative records of all inmates under the custody of
state prisons on December 31 of each year. The U.S. Census
Bureau served as the data collection agent for the NCRP
from 1983 to 2009, at which point BJS opened a competitive
solicitation and awarded data collection responsibilities to
Abt Associates, Inc. In 2013, 50 jurisdictions submitted at
least one type of record (prison admission, prison release,
prison yearend population, or release from post-custody
community supervision).
The current analysis includes data from the newly created
2000–2013 NCRP term records, which link prison
admission, yearend census, and prison release records for
states with reliable prison inmate identifiers. In the process
of creating term records, adjustments were made to the
original submitted data to resolve incongruous prison terms.
Ninety-five percent of original NCRP records required no
adjustments. Of the remaining 5% that required resolution,

2% had overlapping prison terms for the same individual
that could be collapsed into a single term. The remainder
required removal of duplicate records or, in the case of states
that do not submit all NCRP record types, the imputation of
missing prison admission or yearend census records based
on information obtained from release records.
In 2003, the number of states with term records constructed
was 26, compared to 40 in 2013. NCRP data from states that
do not submit the identifiers necessary to construct term
records are also included in the analysis on aging in prison.
National Prisoner Statistics program
While some states do not participate in the NCRP, it
is a critical part of BJS’s statistical program because it
complements the aggregate prison statistics collected under
the National Prisoner Statistics (NPS) program. The NPS
does not include information on state prisoners’ offenses,
age, time served, education, or detailed sentence data. The
individual-level data obtained through the NCRP allow
these variables to be examined in conjunction with other
variables, such as prison admission and release type, sex, and
race or Hispanic origin.
BJS uses both the NPS and NCRP to compile the annual
Prisoners reports. Tables on age and offense distribution in
state prisons are the result of a ratio adjustment to the NCRP
data to obtain the total prison population that all 50 states
report in the NPS. In 1993, 2003, and 2013, NCRP records
were available for 80% to 87% of sentenced NPS prison
admissions and for 81% to 86% of sentenced prison releases.
In 2003 and 2013, records were available for 83% to 88% of
the yearend prison population (table 19).

TABLE 19
Number of NCRP records compared to NPS sentenced jurisdiction counts, by record type, 1993, 2003, and 2013

Record type
NPSa
Admissions
Releases
Yearend population
NCRP
Admissions
Releases
Yearend population

1993

2003

2013

Percent of
Number Number of states NPS covered
of records submitting data by NCRP

Percent of
Number Number of states NPS covered
of records submitting data by NCRP

Percent of
Number Number of states NPS covered
b
of records submitting data by NCRP

493,160
437,099
857,675

50
50
50

~
~
~

644,434
618,658
1,256,442

50
50
50

~
~
~

579,773
574,881
1,325,305

49
49
49

~
~
~

416,289
361,268
…

37
36
…

84.4%
82.7
:

560,994
533,884
1,042,605

37
37
33

87.1%
86.3
83.0

463,268
467,072
1,172,540

43
43
44

79.9%
81.2
88.5

Note: Based on prisoners admitted to prison, released from prison, or under the jurisdiction of state correctional authorities at yearend. Includes only persons sentenced
to more than 1 year of imprisonment. See Methodology.
…Not available. Data for 1993 yearend prison population were obtained from 1991 Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities.
: Not calculated.
~Not applicable.
aNPS data are aggregated counts of persons sentenced to more than 1 year under state jurisdiction.
bNevada did not provide NPS data in 2013. Data were imputed using statistics presented by the Nevada Department of Corrections on its website. See Prisoners in 2013
(NCJ 247282, BJS web, September 2014).
Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics (NPS) program, 1993, 2003, and 2013; and National Corrections Reporting Program (NCRP), 1993, 2003,
and 2013.

AGING OF THE STATE PRISON POPULATION, 1993–2013 | MAY 2016

28

While more states submitted NCRP data in 2013 than
in 2003, a smaller percentage of NPS admissions and
releases was represented in 2013 due in part to definitional
differences in the two collections. NCRP requests that
states submit all admissions to the physical custody of
public and private facilities, while NPS asks for admissions
to the states’ legal authority, or jurisdiction, which could
include admissions to local jails or out-of-state facilities. In
2013, both Texas and Washington admitted offenders with
sentences of one year or less, or admissions on violations of
parole, to local jails. These admissions were reported to NPS,
but not included in the states’ NCRP admissions records.
The current report makes the assumption that the
demographic, offense, and sentencing characteristics do
not differ for prisoners for whom NCRP records were not
collected during reporting years 1993, 2003, and 2013.
Unless otherwise noted, BJS used all types of admission to
or release from state prison in this analysis; these counts will
differ from the admission and release totals published in the
annual Prisoners report, which exclude transfers, escapes,
and persons absent without leave (AWOL).

Because the estimates for the December 31, 1993 state
prison population are based on a sample compared to a
complete roster of inmates, sampling error is associated with
the counts and percentages shown in this report. Based on
the size of the estimate, sampling error describes chance
variation of the sample estimate from the population value.
Estimates of the standard error for the 1991 SISCF for all
inmates and sex- and race-specific breakdowns of the prison
population can be used to calculate 95% confidence intervals
around reported counts and percentages for the 1993
estimates (appendix tables 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 10). For example,
the 95% confidence interval for the estimate of males ages
25 to 29 years in 1993 (see table 4) would be—
195,600 - (4,300*1.96) and 195,600 + (4,300*1.96)
Or, 187,200 to 204,000.
Similarly, the percentage of state prison inmates ages 25
to 29 in 1993 (see table 1) would have a 95% confidence
interval of, using the base estimate of 208,400:
24.3% - (0.5*1.96)	and 24.3% + (0.5*1.96)

Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities

Or, 23.3% to 25.3%.

To obtain the characteristics of the 1993 yearend prison
population, BJS used age, sex, race or Hispanic origin,
offense, and admission type distributions from the 1991
Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities (SISCF)
and applied them to NPS control totals from the 1993
prison population. In-person interviews were conducted
with 13,986 state prison inmates. The interviews included
questions on current and prior offenses committed, drug and
alcohol use, demographic characteristics, family situation,
and custody and community corrections sentencing. Based
on the sample strata, BJS developed weights to adjust for
nonresponse and to project the results of the survey onto
the 1991 yearend prison population derived from the NPS.
For a more detailed review of the SISCF methodology, see
Survey of State Prison Inmates, 1991 (NCJ 136949, BJS web,
March 1993).

The distributions of race and Hispanic origin from the
1991 and 2004 SISCF were applied to the NCRP and
NPS administrative data to adjust for the differences
between administrative and self-report race data. See the
section on Adjustment of administrative data on race and
Hispanic origin.

AGING OF THE STATE PRISON POPULATION, 1993–2013 | MAY 2016

Mixed use of administrative and self-report data
NCRP did not begin to collect yearend state prison
population data until 1999. As previously stated, data
from the 1991 SISCF, weighted to 1993 population totals,
were used to represent a cross-section of the 1993 prison
population for this report. Since the two data collections
employ different modes (official records from state
departments of corrections for NCRP, and inmate selfreport through an interview for SISCF), some variation
is expected in the distributions for variables they have in
common. Previous analyses used the 1991 SISCF offense
distribution as a base on which to add subsequent years’
admissions and subtract releases from NCRP data to project

29

forward and backward for years between inmate surveys. A
comparison of the percent distribution of offenses in 1993
estimated through this stock-flow method to that produced
in this report (calculated by weighting the 1991 SISCF
offense distribution to the 1993 total state prison population
count) shows that there are few differences between the two
methods (table 20). A further comparison of data from the
2004 SISCF and 2003 NCRP, the first time both collections
were fielded in the same year, shows that the distributions
between self-reported and administrative data are close
(table 21).
Uniform Crime Reports
National estimates of arrests by offense were obtained
from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports, which are available
through BJS’s arrest data online analysis tool (http://www.
bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=datool&surl=/arrests/index.cfm).
TABLE 20
Offense distribution of yearend 1993 state prison
population, by method of estimation

Most serious offense
Totala
Violent offenses
Murderb
Manslaughter
Rape/sexual assault
Robbery
Assault
Other violent
Property offenses
Burglary
Larceny
Motor vehicle theft
Fraud
Other property
Drug offensesc
Public order offensesd
Other/unspecified offensese

Stock-flow forward
and backward
estimation
Count Percent
828,566 100%
395,700 47.8%
90,300 10.9
14,800 1.8
81,100 9.8
119,800 14.5
73,000 8.8
16,600 2.0
191,600 23.1%
93,600 11.3
36,900 4.5
19,100 2.3
21,300 2.6
20,700 2.5
183,200 22.1%
53,800 6.5%
4,400 0.5%

1991 SISCF distribution
applied 1993 to
population total
Count
Percent
857,675 100%
393,500 45.9%
86,200 10.1
16,500
1.9
82,300
9.6
124,000 14.5
70,200
8.2
14,300
1.7
213,400 24.9%
106,300 12.4
41,800
4.9
18,800
2.2
25,100
2.9
21,300
2.5
189,200 22.1%
58,200
6.8%
3,300
0.4%

Note: Based on sentenced prisoners under the jurisdiction of state correctional
authorities. Detail may not sum to total due to rounding. Total counts differ due
to updated data. Distribution for stock-flow forward and backward estimation
obtained from tables 1.13 and 1.14 in Correctional Populations in the United States,
1996 (NCJ 170013, BJS web, April 1999).
aIncludes inmates age 17 or younger.
bIncludes nonnegligent manslaughter.
cIncludes possession, trafficking, and other drug offenses.
dIncludes weapons, driving under the influence, court offenses, commercialized
vice, morals, and decency offenses, liquor law violations, and other public order
offenses.
eIncludes juvenile offenses and other unspecified offense categories.
Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program, 1993;
Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities (SISCF), 1991; and National
Corrections Reporting Program, 1993.

AGING OF THE STATE PRISON POPULATION, 1993–2013 | MAY 2016

U.S. Census resident population
Counts for the U.S. resident population on January 1 of 1994
and 2004, which were stratified by sex and single-year of
age, were downloaded from the historical estimates section
of the U.S. Census Bureau’s website. Intercensal resident
population estimates are available at http://www.census.gov/
popest/data/national/asrh/1990s/nat_monthly_resident.
html (January 1, 1994) and http://www.census.gov/popest/
data/intercensal/national/nat2010.html (January 1, 2004).
The U.S. Census Bureau provided BJS an estimate for the
U.S. resident population on January 1, 2014, based on the
2010 decennial census.
TABLE 21
Offense distribution of state prison population, by method
of data collection, 2003 and 2004
Most serious offense
Total
Violent offenses
Homicidea
Rape/sexual assault
Robbery
Assault
Other violent
Property offenses
Burglary
Larceny
Motor vehicle theft
Fraud
Other property
Drug offensesb
Public order offensesc
Other/unspecified
offensesd

2003 NCRP
100%
48.0%
12.3
11.2
12.6
9.4
2.6
20.9%
10.0
4.1
1.5
2.8
2.4
21.5%
8.7%

2004 SISCF
100%
47.9%
12.1
10.7
12.7
10.2
2.2
18.8%
8.2
3.9
1.7
2.9
2.1
21.3%
11.9%

0.9%

0.2%

Note: Based on sentenced prisoners under the jurisdiction of state correctional
authorities. Detail may not sum to total due to rounding.
aIncludes murder and manslaughter.
bIncludes possession, trafficking, and other drug offenses.
cIncludes weapons, driving under the influence, court offenses, commercialized
vice, morals, and decency offenses, liquor law violations and other public order
offenses.
dIncludes juvenile offenses and other unspecified offense categories.
Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Corrections Reporting Program
(NCRP), 2003; and Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities (SISCF), 2004.

30

Calculations
All analyses were conducted in SAS Enterprise Guide 9.2
and were limited to inmates sentenced to more than 1 year
in state prison. Data from Maryland were removed from
the NCRP analysis because the submitted records do not
identify admission and release types.
Mean time expected to be served at the time of admission
The estimated mean time expected to be served at the time
of admission was calculated using the following equation:
Mean time expected to be served = (Pt/At)*12
where:
	

t = year

	

P = number of sentenced prisoners at yearend

	

A = number of new court commitment admissions

Adjustment of administrative data on race and
Hispanic origin
National-level estimates of the number of persons by race
and Hispanic origin under the jurisdiction of state prisons
were calculated by adjusting the administrative NPS and
NCRP data to more accurately represent self-reported race
and Hispanic origin. For this report, data from the 1991
SISCF were used to calculate the ratio used for statistics on
racial distributions in 1993, while the 2004 SISCF was used
for the 2003 and 2013 distributions. The ratio obtained by
comparing the within-year relative distributions by race and
Hispanic origin was then multiplied by the NPS distribution
in a year to generate the estimate of persons by race and
Hispanic origin.

This estimate includes all time served on the original
sentence, including any additional time served by parole
or community release violations. Estimates of mean time
to be served based on admitted prisoners can be biased if
there are changes in the prison population size.4 Because
the state prison population increase between 1993 and 2013,
the following adjustment was applied to reduce the bias
introduced by changes in the population size:
Adjusted mean time expected to be served =
	(1/(At/(Pt*(1-r))))*12
where all terms are as assigned above, except—
	

r = mean growth rate, calculated as ln(Pt/Pt-1)

4Patterson,

E.J. and Preston, S.H. (2008). Estimating mean length of stay in
prisons: methods and applications. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 24,
33–29.

AGING OF THE STATE PRISON POPULATION, 1993–2013 | MAY 2016

31

APPENDIX TABLE 1
Standard errors for figure 1: Sentenced state prisoners, by
age, December 31, 1993

APPENDIX TABLE 2
Standard errors for table 1 and figure 5: Sentenced state
prisoners, by age, December 31, 1993

Age at yearend
18–39
40–54
55 or older

Age at yearend
18–19
20–24
25–29
30–34
35–39
40–44
45–49
50–54
55–59
60–64
65 or older

Number
1,300
3,600
1,800

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Survey of Inmates in State Correctional
Facilities, 1991.

40–54
55 or older
Mean

Number
1,800
4,000
4,300
4,100
3,500
2,900
2,000
1,500
1,200
1,000
900

Percent
1.5%
0.6
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.9
1.3
1.8
2.2
2.8
3.1

3,600
1,800

0.7%
1.5

~

0.6 years

~Not applicable.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Survey of Inmates in State Correctional
Facilities, 1991.

APPENDIX TABLE 3
Standard errors for table 4 and table 5: Sentenced state prisoners, by age, race, and Hispanic origin, December 31, 1993
Age at yearend
Total*
18–19
20–24
25–29
30–34
35–39
40–44
45–49
50–54
55–59
60–64
65 or older

Male
:
1,800
4,000
4,300
4,100
3,500
2,900
2,000
1,500
1,300
1,000
900

Female
:
100
300
400
400
400
300
200
100
100
100
100

White
4,700
900
2,500
2,800
2,700
2,200
1,900
1,500
1,100
900
700
600

Black
4,800
1,400
3,000
3,300
3,100
2,500
1,900
1,100
800
600
500
600

Hispanic
3,300
600
1,600
1,900
1,600
1,300
1,000
700
500
500
300
100

:Not calculated.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities, 1991.

APPENDIX TABLE 4
Standard errors for figure 9a, figure 9b, figure 9c, figure 10, and figure 11: Sentenced state prisoners, by most serious offense
and age at yearend, December 31, 1993
Most serious offense
Violent offenses
Murder
Rape/sexual assault
Property offenses
Drug offenses

18–24
0.9%
2.3
2.6
1.0%
1.2%

25–34
0.6%
1.3
1.4
0.8%
0.8%

35–44
0.8%
1.6
1.6
1.2%
1.2%

45–54
1.4%
2.5
2.4
2.9%
2.4%

55 or older
1.9%
3.2
2.9
4.5%
3.8%

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities, 1991.

AGING OF THE STATE PRISON POPULATION, 1993–2013 | MAY 2016

32

APPENDIX TABLE 5
Standard errors for table 18 and figure 19: Percent
contribution of sentenced state prisoners aging into the
prison population, December 31, 1993
Age at yearend
18–24
25–34
35–44
45–54
55 or older

Number
4,200
4,700
4,200
2,500
1,800

Percent
0.6%
0.4
0.6
1.1
1.5

Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Survey of Inmates in State Correctional
Facilities, 1991.

APPENDIX TABLE 6
Proportion of total change in yearend prison population,
by age, December 31, 1993, 2003, and 2013
Age at yearend
Total*
18–19
20–24
25–29
30–34
35–39
40–44
45–49
50–54
55–59
60–64
65 or older

1993–2003
100%
-1.2
8.1
2.1
5.7
19.6
26.7
20.8
11.0
4.7
1.8
1.5

2003–2013
100%
-12.3
-49.6
-5.1
21.5
-23.3
-35.1
27.5
72.0
53.3
28.2
24.8

40–54
55 or older
Total change
(all ages)*

58.5%
8.0

64.4%
106.3

398,767

68,863

1993–2013
100%
-2.8
-0.4
1.0
8.0
13.3
17.6
21.8
20.0
11.8
5.7
4.9
59.4%
22.5
467,630

Note: Based on sentenced prisoners under the jurisdiction of state correctional
authorities. Detail may not sum to total due to rounding.
*Includes prisoners age 17 or younger.
Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program, 1993,
2003, and 2013; and National Corrections Reporting Program, 1993, 2003,
and 2013.

AGING OF THE STATE PRISON POPULATION, 1993–2013 | MAY 2016

33

APPENDIX TABLE 7
Proportion of total change in yearend prison population, by age and sex, December 31, 1993, 2003, and 2013
1993–2003

2003–2013

1993–2013

Age at yearend
Total*
18–19
20–24
25–29
30–34
35–39
40–44
45–49
50–54
55–59
60–64
65 or older

Male
100%
-1.4
8.2
2.3
5.4
19.1
26.5
21.1
11.4
4.9
1.9
1.6

Female
100%
0.7
6.9
0.0
9.2
24.7
29.2
17.5
7.2
2.6
1.1
0.7

Male
100%
-13.6
-56.8
-12.2
20.4
-21.3
-35.8
28.4
76.9
57.9
30.8
27.5

Female
100%
-3.7
-0.4
43.7
29.6
-36.7
-30.0
21.0
38.7
21.9
10.0
6.6

Male
100%
-3.1
-1.0
0.3
7.5
13.4
17.7
22.1
20.7
12.4
6.0
5.2

Female
100%
-0.2
5.4
8.9
13.4
12.2
17.1
18.2
13.6
6.5
2.9
1.9

40–54
55 or older

59.0%
8.4

60.9%
4.4

69.5%
116.2

29.6%
38.5

60.5%
23.6

48.9%
11.3

Total change (all ages)*

364,451

34,316

60,083

8,780

424,534

43,096

Note: Based on sentenced prisoners under the jurisdiction of state correctional authorities. Detail may not sum to total due to rounding.
*Includes prisoners age 17 or younger.
Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program, 1993, 2003, and 2013; Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities, 1991; and National
Corrections Reporting Program, 2003 and 2013.

APPENDIX TABLE 8
Proportion of total change in yearend prison population, by age and race, December 31, 1993, 2003, and 2013
Age at yearend
Totalb
18–19
20–24
25–29
30–34
35–39
40–44
45–49
50–54
55–59
60–64
65 or older

Whitea
100%
-0.6%
1.8
-8.9
-0.9
23.8
34.3
24.9
13.0
6.7
3.0
3.2

40–54
55 or older

72.3%
12.9

Total change (all ages)b 109,820

1993–2003
Blacka
100%
-4.2%
3.1
-5.4
-0.6
21.9
34.6
31.1
15.4
5.5
1.1
0.1
81.1%
6.7
121,057

Hispanic
100%
0.7%
15.7
13.6
15.5
16.3
17.2
10.6
6.0
2.0
1.2
1.3

Whitea
100%
-7.4%
-29.8
18.1
19.6
-16.0
-21.6
19.6
49.1
31.3
17.1
20.8

2003–2013
Blacka
100%
58.8%
178.0
139.4
32.5
208.3
267.9
-62.3
-298.2
-252.7
-121.7
-60.9

33.8%
4.6

47.1%
69.3

-92.7%
-435.3

113,297

45,418

-6,068

Hispanic
100%
-8.3%
-48.9
-17.9
30.6
16.6
9.4
28.7
37.9
26.5
14.1
12.5

Whitea
100%
-2.6%
-7.4
-1.0
5.1
12.1
18.0
23.4
23.5
13.9
7.2
8.3

1993–2013
Blacka
100%
-7.5%
-6.1
-13.1
-2.4
12.0
22.3
36.0
32.0
19.1
7.6
3.3

Hispanic
100%
-0.6%
6.1
8.9
17.8
16.3
16.0
13.3
10.8
5.7
3.2
3.0

76.1%
53.1

64.9%
29.4

90.2%
30.0

40.2%
11.8

19,882

155,238

114,988

133,179

Note: Based on sentenced prisoners under the jurisdiction of state correctional authorities. Detail may not sum to total due to rounding.
aExcludes persons of Hispanic or Latino origin.
bIncludes prisoners age 17 or younger.
Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program, 1993, 2003, and 2013; Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities, 1991 and 2004; and
National Corrections Reporting Program, 2003 and 2013.

AGING OF THE STATE PRISON POPULATION, 1993–2013 | MAY 2016

34

APPENDIX TABLE 9
Number of sentenced state prisoners, by age at yearend and most serious offense, December 31, 1993, 2003, and 2013
Most serious offense
Totala
Violent offenses
Murderb
Manslaughter
Rape/sexual assault
Robbery
Assault
Other
Property offenses
Burglary
Larceny
Motor vehicle theft
Fraud
Other
Drug offensesc
Public order offensesd
Other/unspecified offensese

1993
857,675
393,500
86,200
16,500
82,300
124,000
70,200
14,300
213,400
106,300
41,800
18,800
25,100
21,300
189,200
58,200
3,300

Totala
2003
2013
1,256,442 1,325,305
603,000 705,000
140,100 165,500
14,200
18,000
140,300 166,300
158,000 181,300
117,500 132,600
32,900
41,300
263,000 255,600
125,600 139,600
51,700
50,000
19,400
10,800
35,600
27,300
30,600
28,000
270,000 207,800
109,000 146,300
11,400
10,600

1993
400,700
167,800
27,700
7,500
24,300
69,000
33,000
6,400
114,600
58,700
20,300
13,300
11,500
10,800
91,200
25,500
1,600

18–29
2003
436,800
208,800
40,700
5,200
29,600
73,700
48,400
11,200
94,000
48,100
15,200
9,000
9,900
11,700
94,700
34,800
4,600

2013
390,600
201,700
30,900
5,400
27,400
80,600
45,900
11,400
90,800
57,200
13,700
3,800
6,300
9,800
53,700
40,800
3,500

1993
298,300
136,700
32,000
5,200
29,200
41,800
23,400
5,100
73,400
37,700
13,900
4,400
9,400
7,900
67,200
20,000
1,000

30–39
2003
399,100
181,200
43,400
4,300
40,800
45,800
36,000
11,000
86,800
39,600
17,300
6,400
13,500
9,900
91,200
36,600
3,300

2013
397,900
199,400
52,300
5,700
38,000
48,900
41,400
13,000
72,200
36,200
14,600
3,500
9,300
8,600
78,500
44,400
3,300

1993
126,300
68,400
20,300
3,000
21,500
10,500
10,900
2,200
20,700
8,100
6,500
800
3,400
2,000
26,100
10,600
500

40–54
2003
359,700
172,400
43,500
3,900
54,300
33,100
28,300
9,200
75,100
34,900
17,400
3,500
11,100
8,100
76,200
33,300
2,800

2013
404,100
217,400
56,100
5,000
67,000
41,000
35,600
12,700
75,400
37,500
17,600
3,000
9,500
7,800
61,400
47,100
2,800

1993
26,300
17,100
5,700
800
7,300
900
2,100
400
2,900
700
800
200
900
500
4,100
2,000
200

55 or older
2003
2013
58,300
131,500
39,700
87,000
13,200
27,000
900
1,800
17,300
35,600
3,100
9,200
3,800
9,100
1,500
4,200
6,300
16,200
2,300
7,900
1,900
4,200
200
400
1,200
2,100
700
1,600
7,500
13,600
4,200
13,900
600
800

Note: Based on sentenced prisoners under the jurisdiction of state correctional authorities. Detail may not sum to total due to rounding. See appendix table 11 for standard errors of the 1993 estimates.
aIncludes prisoners age 17 or younger.
bIncludes nonnegligent manslaughter.
cIncludes possession, trafficking, and other drug offenses.
dIncludes weapon offenses; driving under the influence; court offenses; commercialized vice, morals, and decency offenses; liquor law violations; and other public order offenses.
eIncludes juvenile offenses and other unspecified offense categories.
Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program, 1993, 2003, and 2013; Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities, 1991; and National Corrections Reporting Program, 2003 and 2013.

AGING OF THE STATE PRISON POPULATION, 1993–2013 | MAY 2016

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APPENDIX TABLE 10
Standard errors for appendix table 9: Number of sentenced state prisoners, by age at yearend and most serious offense,
December 31, 1993
Most serious offense
Total
Violent offenses
Murder
Manslaughter
Rape/sexual assault
Robbery
Any assault
Other violent
Property offenses
Burglary
Larceny
Motor vehicle theft
Fraud
Other property
Drug offenses
Public order offenses
Other/unspecified offenses

Total
:
4,700
3,100
1,400
3,000
3,600
2,800
1,300
4,300
3,400
2,200
1,500
1,700
1,600
4,200
2,600
600

18–29
4,700
4,000
1,800
1,000
1,700
2,800
2,000
900
3,500
2,600
1,600
1,300
1,200
1,200
3,200
1,800
400

30–39
4,700
3,700
2,000
800
1,900
2,200
1,700
800
2,900
2,100
1,300
700
1,100
1,000
2,800
1,600
400

40–54
3,600
2,800
1,600
600
1,600
1,100
1,200
500
1,600
1,000
900
300
600
500
1,800
1,100
200

55 or older
1,800
1,400
800
300
900
300
500
200
600
300
300
200
300
200
700
500
200

:Not calculated.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities, 1991.

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APPENDIX TABLE 11
New court commitment admissions to state prisons, by age at admission and most serious offense, 1993, 2003, and 2013
Most serious offense
Total
Violent offenses
Murderb
Manslaughter
Rape/sexual assault
Robbery
Assault
Other violent
Property offenses
Burglary
Larceny
Motor vehicle theft
Fraud
Other property
Drug offensesc
Public order offensesd
Other/unspecified offensese

Totala
1993
2003
2013
318,100 399,800 406,000
87,100 97,500 115,600
8,700
7,800
8,800
3,800
2,500
2,700
18,000 21,400 21,300
28,700 26,100 30,000
23,200 31,700 42,300
4,600
7,900 10,500
96,600 109,600 119,000
39,200 38,500 51,200
25,800 27,200 30,500
7,000
9,800
5,200
12,800 20,900 16,000
11,900 13,300 16,000
92,800 120,600 96,300
31,700 55,300 69,300
3,600
3,100
3,600

18–29
1993
2003
2013
172,200 184,100 174,200
49,900 50,100 57,400
5,300
4,300
4,600
2,100
1,200
1,300
6,800
8,200
7,700
19,600 16,900 19,700
13,500 15,700 19,400
2,600
3,800
4,700
54,200 52,500 55,100
24,200 21,700 29,400
12,300 10,300 10,700
4,800
5,700
2,300
5,800
7,800
5,300
7,100
6,900
7,500
49,200 54,500 35,400
13,700 19,300 23,700
2,000
1,600
1,700

30–39
1993
2003
2013
98,500 116,500 118,300
22,600 24,800 29,200
1,700
1,800
2,100
900
600
700
6,200
6,300
5,500
6,200
5,200
5,700
6,100
8,700 12,000
1,400
2,300
3,100
30,200 32,500 32,700
11,200
9,700 11,900
9,300
8,900
9,000
1,600
2,600
1,600
4,900
7,600
5,500
3,300
3,700
4,700
30,900 36,500 33,800
11,600 17,800 20,900
1,100
900
1,100

1993
36,200
9,400
1,000
600
3,600
1,300
2,400
500
9,500
2,700
3,500
400
1,900
1,000
10,800
5,200
400

40–54
2003
86,700
17,600
1,300
500
5,300
2,800
6,100
1,600
22,400
6,400
7,300
1,200
5,100
2,400
27,400
15,400
600

2013
93,700
22,600
1,600
600
5,800
3,500
9,100
2,200
26,800
8,600
9,100
1,100
4,600
3,400
23,300
19,700
700

1993
4,600
1,900
200
100
1,100
100
300
100
800
100
300
0
200
100
1,000
800
0

55 or older
2003
8,500
2,800
300
100
1,600
200
600
100
1,400
300
600
100
400
100
2,100
1,800
100

2013
17,800
5,400
500
200
2,300
500
1,600
400
3,900
1,100
1,600
100
700
500
3,900
4,300
100

Note: Based on sentenced prisoners admitted on new court commitments to the jurisdiction of state correctional authorities. Detail may not sum to total due to rounding.
aIncludes prisoners age 17 or younger.
bIncludes nonnegligent manslaughter.
cIncludes possession, trafficking, and other drug offenses.
dIncludes weapon offenses; driving under the influence; court offenses; commercialized vice, morals, and decency offenses; liquor law violations; and other public order offenses.
eIncludes juvenile offenses and other unspecified offense categories.
Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program, 1993, 2003, and 2013; and National Corrections Reporting Program, 1993, 2003, and 2013.

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The Bureau of Justice Statistics of the U.S. Department of Justice is the principal
federal agency responsible for measuring crime, criminal victimization, criminal
offenders, victims of crime, correlates of crime, and the operation of criminal
and civil justice systems at the federal, state, tribal, and local levels. BJS collects,
analyzes, and disseminates reliable and valid statistics on crime and justice
systems in the United States, supports improvements to state and local criminal
justice information systems, and participates with national and international
organizations to develop and recommend national standards for justice statistics.
Jeri M. Mulrow is acting director.
This report was written by E. Ann Carson and William Sabol. Laura Maruschak,
Todd Minton, Lauren Glaze, Tom Bonczar, and Zhen Zeng verified the report.
Irene Cooperman and Jill Thomas edited the report, and Barbara Quinn and Tina
Dorsey produced the report.
May 2016, NCJ 248766

NCJ248766

Office of Justice Programs
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