The report covers the number of convictions by month, offense class, and prior conviction level; offender demographic characteristics; type of punishment and average sentence lengths; types of intermediate and community sanctions imposed; hours of community service ordered; and number of offenders ordered to pay restitution. The data revealed that 159,276 misdemeanor offenders were convicted under structured sentencing during 1997. Eighty percent of all misdemeanor offenders were male, 55 percent were under age 30, and about 48 percent were black. Eighty-three percent of the convicted misdemeanor offenders received a community punishment, 15 percent received an active punishment, and 2 percent received an intermediate punishment. Sixty percent of the misdemeanor offenders who received a community punishment received unsupervised probation, 28 percent received supervised probation, and 12 percent were ordered to pay restitution and/or a fine as their most serious punishment. Figures and tables