The report includes historical trend information covering the past 20 years, presenting graphs and tables for various offender characteristics and institutional design bed capacity. It reports the number of CDC offenders incarcerated in a California state prison, conservation camp, community correctional center or Department of Mental Health hospital. This population grew from 19,623 in 1977 to 155,276 in 1997. White male inmates dropped from 43 percent of the male institution population in 1977 to 30 percent in 1997. Most of the shift in racial composition was related to an increase in the percentage of Hispanic (Mexican) inmates. The black male population was 33 percent in 1977, reached a high of 37 percent during 1988 and 1989, and in 1995 dropped to 31 percent, where it remains. The report presents data on institution population and new admissions by offense category, parole violators returned to prison, admission/return status, felon parole and civil narcotic outpatient population, releases to parole, average time served and design bed capacity and population. Notes, figures, tables