Age at first
incarceration 1974 1986 1991 2001
12 0 0 0 0
13 0 0 1 0
14 1 0 6 0
15 6 8 27 12
16 25 29 67 58
17 66 81 139 152
18 107 143 219 254
19 142 203 295 325
20 140 217 307 350
21 143 209 306 344
22 133 188 274 329
23 132 172 285 304
24 113 164 261 285
25 92 153 254 280
26 81 142 227 274
27 79 128 224 282
28 79 116 210 262
29 68 116 189 268
30 55 112 179 244
31 45 107 164 243
32 40 93 148 217
33 38 87 123 206
34 36 82 120 196
35 38 78 125 198
36 36 74 126 195
37 34 68 114 177
38 28 64 103 153
39 23 56 92 129
40 21 50 83 123
41 18 43 75 116
42 18 38 63 122
43 16 42 56 114
44 15 41 48 98
45 13 41 46 77
46 12 34 44 65
47 12 33 45 58
48 11 35 46 53
49 10 28 44 43
50 10 26 35 42
51 8 15 27 42
52 9 16 25 41
53 7 12 27 36
54 7 16 30 28
55 8 15 33 25
56 7 14 28 21
57 6 10 25 18
58 4 9 19 17
59 4 9 19 16
60 2 7 15 15
61 2 5 10 16
62 3 5 12 19
63 3 7 12 15
64 4 7 11 11
65 3 5 5 4
66 2 2 4 2
67 2 2 3 3
68 3 5 3 4
69 2 4 5 5
70 2 3 7 5
71 2 2 7 6
72 2 2 4 4
73 1 2 3 1
74 0 0 2 0
75 0 0 4 0
76 0 0 2 3
77 0 0 2 3
78 0 0 2 3
79 0 0 5 0
80 0 0 5 0
*The number first incarcerated at each age divided by the number at
risk to first incarceration, times 100,000.
Note: 3-year averages were used to smooth age-specific rates.
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Between 1974 and 2001 the rate of first incarceration rose in nearly
every age-specific category. The largest increases occurred among
younger age cohorts -- those that already had high first incarceration
rates. The peak incarceration rate increased by over 200 persons per
100,000 (from 143 at age 21 in 1974, to 350 at age 20 in 2001). Rates
increased even among persons age 45 or older.
+In 2001, 3 out of 10 adults ever incarcerated were age 35 to 44+
Persons between ages 35 and 44 accounted for the largest number of
current and former prisoners at yearend 2001 (table 2). Born between
1957 and 1966, these persons turned 18 in the late 1970s and early
1980s when first incarceration rates began to climb. Between 1974 and
2001, the number ever incarcerated in this age group rose from 324,000
to 1.67 million.
Among persons between ages 25 and 34, the number ever incarcerated
nearly quadrupled (from 343,000 in 1974 to 1.29 million in 2001). While
persons in this age group also experienced rising first incarceration
rates, they were subject to these rates for a smaller portion of their
lifespan than those ages 35 to 44.
As a percent of those ever incarcerated, persons ages 35 to 44
increased from 18% in 1974 to 30% by 2001; persons age 25 to 34
increased from 19% in 1974 to 23% in 2001.
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+Table 1. Prevalence of incarceration in a State or Federal prison, by
current and former prisoners, 1974-2001+
Current and former prisoners ever incarcerated in a State
or Federal prison--
1974 1979 1986 1991 1997 2001