1974 1979 1986 1991 1997 2001
Gender
Male 69,217,000 76,388,000 83,973,550 90,362,099 95,948,130 101,492,258
Female 76,133,000 84,072,000 91,913,080 97,620,652 103,173,604 108,715,643
Race/Hispanic origin
White* 120,878,496 132,166,671 140,455,378 145,134,029 149,184,485 153,174,207
Male 57,704,209 63,114,508 67,150,845 69,718,665 71,989,995 74,217,435
Female 63,173,779 69,055,203 73,304,533 75,415,364 77,194,490 78,956,773
Black* 14,406,407 16,544,671 18,682,074 20,687,638 22,627,733 24,466,606
Male 6,593,640 7,543,858 8,517,413 9,465,170 10,401,742 11,287,707
Female 7,813,782 8,999,844 10,164,661 11,222,468 12,225,991 13,178,900
Hispanic 7,998,062 8,854,010 11,956,854 15,677,988 19,181,910 22,949,502
Male 3,923,600 4,353,052 6,003,930 8,022,134 9,674,049 11,452,968
Female 4,074,628 4,500,532 5,952,924 7,655,854 9,507,861 11,496,534
Note: Because of estimation and other rounding procedures, some detail
may not add to totals and may not match precisely totals in other tables.
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Female rates, though significantly lower, reveal similar racial and
ethnic disparities. Adult black females were nearly 2 1/2 times more
likely than adult Hispanic females and 5 1/2 times more likely than
adult white females to have ever served time in State or Federal prison.
Among adult residents in 2001, an estimated 1.7% of black females, 0.7%
of Hispanic females and 0.3% of white females had ever been
incarcerated in a prison.
Among both men and women who had ever been confined in prison in 2001,
blacks outnumbered whites in each age category under age 45; whites
outnumbered blacks in nearly every age category 45 or older (table 6).
The percentage of blacks declined steadily among each older age group
(dropping from 44% among those ages 18 to 24 to 29% among persons 65 or
older). The percentage of Hispanics also declined among older age
groups (dropping from 24% among those ages 18 to 24 to 8% among those
age 65 or older). In contrast, at yearend 2001 the percentage white
among all adults ever incarcerated increased from 27% of those ages 18
to 24 to 52% among persons age 65 or older.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
+Table 6. Number ever incarcerated in a State or Federal prison, by
gender, race, Hispanic origin, and age, 2001+
Number of adults ever incarcerated in a State or Federal prison,
by age--
18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65 or
older
Gender
Male 385,000 1,157,000 1,460,000 1,014,000 492,000 529,000
Female 24,000 129,000 205,000 118,000 47,000 59,000
Race/Hispanic origin
White* 112,000 391,000 628,000 497,000 271,000 304,000
Male 104,000 351,000 555,000 452,000 248,000 269,000
Female 8,000 41,000 73,000 45,000 23,000 35,000
Black* 181,000 567,000 681,000 406,000 162,000 169,000
Male 172,000 509,000 597,000 361,000 146,000 151,000
Female 9,000 58,000 84,000 45,000 16,000 18,000
Hispanic 99,000 295,000 309,000 181,000 69,000 46,000
Male 93,000 271,000 279,000 165,000 63,000 41,000
Female 6,000 24,000 3,0000 16,000 6,000 5,000
Note: Estimates were rounded to the nearest 1,000. See _Methodology_
for estimation procedures."
*Excludes persons of Hispanic origin.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
+Regardless of gender, race or Hispanic origin, prevalence rates
highest among persons age 35 to 44+
Although there was wide variation by race, Hispanic origin, and gender,
within each subgroup, persons ages 35 to 44 had the highest percents
ever incarcerated in 2001. Among men, the percent ever incarcerated
rose for each age group to a peak of 6.5% of those ages 35 to 44 and
then declined to 3.1% of those age 65 or older (table 7).
----------------------------------------------------------------------
+Table 7. Percent of adult population ever incarcerated in a State or
Federal prison, by gender, race, Hispanic origin, ang age, 2001+
Percent of adult population ever incarcerated in a State
or Federal prison, by age--"