One of the most striking aspects of the portrait which can be drawn from available law enforcement statistics is the fact that few crimes lead to arrest or conviction. In 1977, 1,083,483 major offenses were reported to the police, but fewer than 150,000 of these complaints resulted in an arrest, and approximately 20,197 led to a felony conviction. Equally notable is the immense variation in the type and duration of punishments imposed following conviction in New York. The bulk of reported crimes in New York were property offenses; crimes of violence constituted only 13.7 percent of reported major offenses. Statewide, 60 percent of defendants convicted after indictment on felony charges were sent to prison or jail, while 40 percent received probation or another nonincarcerative sanction. Substantial variation characterized the length of time offenders convicted of the same offense actually served in State prison. On the average, inmates generally served between one-third and one-half of their maximum sentences before they were released on parole. 44 tables and appendix