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Offender characteristics
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The Bureau of Justice Statistics maintains an annual data series, the Annual Probation Survey, designed to provide national, federal, and jurisdiction-level data from administrative records on adults supervised in the community on probation.  Data include the total number of probationers supervised, by jurisdiction, on January 1 and December 31 of each year and the number of adults who entered and exited probation supervision during the year. Additional data include the characteristics, such as sex, race and Hispanic or Lationo origin, offense, etc. of probationers under supervision at the end of each year.

Summary Findings

Sex

Percentage of adults on probation, by sex, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2009, and 2010
  1995 2000 2005 2009 2010
Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
     Male 79 78 77 76 76
     Female 21 22 23 24 24
Note: Sex includes persons for which sex was reported

Source: Probation and Parole in the United States, 2005 and Probation and Parole in the United States, 2010.
 Data collected through BJS' Annual Probation Survey, an annual series that began in 1980.

Race and Hispanic or Latino origin

Percentage of adults on probation, by race and Hispanic or Latino origin, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2009, and 2010
  1995 2000 2005 2009 2010
Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
     White* 53 54 55 55 55
     Black* 31 31 30 30 30
     Hispanic/Latino 14 13 13 13 13
     American Indian/Alaska Native* 1 1 1 1 1
     Asian/Native Hawaiian/
     other Pacific Islander*		 -- 1 1 1 1
     Two or more races* ... ... ... -- --
Note: Race and Hispanic or Latino origin includes persons for which race and Hispanic or Latino origin were reported.
Detail may not sum to total due to rounding.
--Less than 0.5%.
...Not available.
*Excludes persons of Hispanic or Latino origin.

Source: Probation and Parole in the United States, 2005 and Probation and Parole in the United States, 2010. 
Data collected through BJS' Annual Probation Survey, an annual series that began in 1980.

Type of offense and most serious offense

Percentage of adults on probation, by type of offense and most serious offense, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2009, and 2010
  1995 2000 2005 2009 2010
Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
Type of offense          
     Felony 54 52 50 50 50
     Misdemeanor 44 46 49 47 47
     Other infractions 2 2 1  2 2
Most serious offense          
     Violent ... ... 18 19 19
     Property ... ... 24 26 28
     Druga 16 24 25 26 26
     Public orderb ... 24 19 18 18
     Otherc 84 52 14 10 10
Note: Type of offense and most serious offense include persons
for which type of offense and most serious offense were reported.
Detail may not sum to total because of rounding.
...Not available.
aIncludes only sexual assault, domestic violence, and other assault in 2005.
bIncludes driving while intoxicated and other traffic offenses only.
cIn 1995 and 2000, violent and property offenses were reported among other offenses. In 1995, public-order offenses were also reported among other offenses.

Source: Probation and Parole in the United States, 2005 and Probation and Parole in the United States, 2010.
Data collected through BJS' Annual Probation Survey, an annual series that began in 1980.

Supervision Status

Percentage of adults on probation, by supervision status, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2009, and 2010
  1995 2000 2005 2009 2010
 Total    100%    100%    100%   100%   100%
      Active  79  76 70  72 73
      Residential/other treatment program  ...  ...  1 1 1
      Financial conditions remaining  ...  ... ... 1 1
      Inactive  8  9 9 6 6
      Absconder  9  9 10   8 9
      Supervised out of jurisdiction  2  3 2 3 2
      Warrant status  ...  ... 6 6 6
      Other  2 3   2 2 2
Note: Supervision status includes persons for which supervision status
was reported. Detail may not sum to total due to rounding.
...Not available.

Source: Probation and Parole in the United States, 2005 and Probation and Parole in the United States, 2010.
Data collected through BJS' Annual Probation Survey, an annual series that began in 1980.

Jurisdiction-level data

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Terms & Definitions

Probation Probation refers to adult offenders whom courts place on supervision in the community through a probation agency, generally in lieu of incarceration. However, some jurisdictions do sentence probationers to a combined short-term incarceration sentence immediately followed by probation, which is referred to as a split sentence. Probationers can have a number of different supervision statuses including active supervision, which means they are required to regularly report to a probation authority in person, by mail, or by telephone. Some probationers may be on an inactive status which means they are excluded from regularly reporting, and that could be due to a number of reasons. For instance, some probationers may be placed on inactive status immediately because the severity of the offense was minimal or some may receive a reduction in supervision and therefore may be moved from an active to inactive status. Other supervision statuses include probationers who only have financial conditions remaining, have absconded, or who have active warrants. In many instances, while on probation, offenders are required to fulfill certain conditions of their supervision (e.g., payment of fines, fees or court costs, participation in treatment programs) and adhere to specific rules of conduct while in the community. Failure to comply with any conditions can result in incarceration.
 
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