U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Ranking the Nation's Most Punitive States

NCJ Number
110379
Author(s)
J Austin; R Tillman
Date Published
1988
Length
8 pages
Annotation
A state-by-state analysis using alternative measures of punishment and control showed great variations among states and that in some states between 2 and 3 percent of the population is under some form of criminal justice control.
Abstract
Measures included the total incarceration rate of both adults and juvenile and the total rate of incarceration plus probation and parole. These data were compared with reported crime statistics to determine the incarceration rate in relation to the imprisonment rate, but states with the highest imprisonment rates did not necessarily have the highest rates of total control. Differences among states in total control were only partly related to the differences in their crime rates. The differences among states in the use of different forms of control reflect variations in how State officials allocate public resources and adopt unique sentencing strategies. The south is the most punitive region, followed by the midwest, while the western states are the least punitive even when controlling for crime and arrest rates. Thus, jurisdictions traditionally ranked as conservative or liberal in their use of imprisonment may be misclassified. Tables, footnotes, and appended information on methodology.