NCJ Number
185643
Date Published
1999
Length
162 pages
Annotation
There were 28,936 total admissions to the New York State Department of Correctional Services in calendar year 1998; of these, 19,497 or 67 percent were new court commitments, 7,679 or 26 percent were returned parole violators, and 1,760 or 6 percent were other admissions.
Abstract
Of 1998 new commitments, 5,393 or 28 percent were violent felony offenders, 9,082 or 47 percent were drug offenders, 2,884 or 15 percent were property or other offenders, 1,520 or 8 percent were coercive crime offenders, and 618 or 3 percent were youthful and juvenile offenders. The number of violent felony offense commitments and their proportion of total commitments dropped from 31 percent to 28 percent between 1995 and 1998. While the number of drug offense commitments dropped during the same period, their proportion of total commitments rose from 45 percent to 47 percent. Of new court commitments in 1998, 9,128 or 47 percent were sentenced as first felony offenders and 10,163 or 52 percent were sentenced as second felony offenders. The average minimum sentence for new court commitments in 1998 was 43 months. An examination of the prior adult criminal records of new court commitments in 1998 showed 12 percent had no prior adult arrest, 7 percent had a prior adult arrest but no conviction, 21 percent had a prior conviction but received a sentence other than jail or prison, 30 percent served a prior local jail sentence, and 30 percent served a prior State or Federal term. Average jail time served by new commitments rose to 6.7 months in 1997, from 6.5 months in 1997. Thirty-one new commitments were received in 1998 with minimum sentences of life without parole, compared to 12 in 1996. Data are provided on the characteristics of inmates. Appendixes contain supplemental information on sentence ranges by felony class and crime codes. Tables and figures