These projections rely on the expected number of felony cases to be disposed of in State courts and on the projected outcomes of these dispositions. Future changes in administrative policy, judicial interpretation, or legislation could affect the accuracy of these projections. At the beginning of fiscal year 1991-1992, there were 54,746 inmates under DOCS jurisdiction with an additional 929 "state ready" inmates and a backlog of 1,679 convicted but not yet sentenced offenders; later, another 1,500 inmates who had been inadvertently omitted from the count were added in, for a total of 58,854. Since 1973, the DOCS inmate population has increased by 343 percent; admissions have continually exceeded releases. After 1993, the rate of growth of the prison population is expected to slow to about 2.2 percent annually, so that the total DOCS population will reach 73,396 by March 31, 2000.