YOUTH AUTHORITY WARDS, NARCOTIC ADDICTS RECEIVED AS CIVIL COMMITMENTS, AND PERSONS TRANSFERRED FROM OTHER AGENCIES ARE INCLUDED IN THE DATA. DURING 1976, CDC POPULATION INCREASED BY 5.3 PERCENT FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR. TOTAL POPULATION ON DECEMBER 31, 1976, WAS 21,088 PEOPLE, OR 98 PER 100,000 POPULATION. THE 6,910 FELONS COMMITTED INCLUDED 6,463 MALES AND 447 FEMALES. ROBBERY WAS THE MOST FREQUENT CONVICTION AMONG MALE FELONS; BURGLARY WAS SECOND. MEDIAN AGE OF NEW FELONS WAS 26.8 YEARS FOR MEN AND 28.2 YEARS FOR WOMEN. THREE OFFENSE GROUPS (HOMICIDE, ROBBERY, AND ASSAULT) ACCOUNTED FOR 53.4 PERCENT OF THE MALE FELONS AND 40.2 PERCENT OF THE FEMALES. AT THE END OF 1966, THE RESPECTIVE PERCENTAGES WERE 38.6 AND 29.7. AMONG FELONS RELEASED FOR PAROLE, THE 5,430 MALES SERVED A MEDIAN OF 34 MONTHS IN PRISON, COMPARED TO 25 MONTHS FOR THE 399 WOMEN. PAROLE POPULATION TOTALED 13,049, A DROP OF 10.4 PERCENT DURING THE YEAR. THE PAROLE SUSPENSION RATE FOR MALES FIRST RELEASED TO PAROLE WAS 12.1 PERCENT, VERSUS 7.3 PERCENT FOR WOMEN. EXTENSIVE TABLES AND FIGURES PRESENT BREAKDOWNS BY OFFENSE, AGE, ETHNIC GROUP, PRIOR COMMITMENT RECORDS, AND RELATED CATEGORIES; APPENDED TABLES LIST FELON POPULATIONS BY INSTITUTION AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA. (CFW)