Annual Parole & Probation Surveys

PURPOSE

The Annual Parole/Annual Probation Survey(s) are sponsored by the Bureau of Justice Statistics to obtain national data on the parole & probation populations. The purpose of these studies are to measure growth in these parole and probation populations and identify factors related to this growth.

COVERAGE

Individual counts of probation and parole populations on a particular date. At year-end 2006 there were approximately 4,237,000 persons on probation and 798,200 persons on parole. Data are collected from a sample of approximately 520 adult probation and parole agencies.

CONTENT

Data collected includes information on the number of persons on probation and parole at the beginning and end of the year, the number of entries and discharges during the year, and selected characteristics of the year-end population.

FREQUENCY

Data has been conducted annually since 1979, with the exception of 1991. Data collected are for populations during the preceding calendar year; data collection begins one day after the reference date and continues for approximately 4 months.

METHODS

There are two different types of data collection: a questionnaire and a web reporting option.

PRODUCTS

Probation and Parole in the United States is a bulletin published by the Bureau of Justice Statistics approximately one year after the reference period. It provides the number of persons on probation and parole at year-end, by State, and compares the national totals to year-end counts for previous years. The report provides State-level probation and parole supervision rates and the percentage change in each population during the year. It presents probation and parole entries and exits, by State, and it provides national and State-level data on parole revocations. The bulletin also includes a national description of the race, gender, and offense composition of these populations. This is followed by a release of detailed tables presenting characteristics of the parole and probation populations by State.

USES

The Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, researchers, policymakers, and practitioners use the data to measure probation/parole growth patterns and to identify factors related to its growth.