THE INSTITUTIONALIZED FELON POPULATION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS CONSISTED OF 20,233 MEN AND 1,027 WOMEN, AN INCREASE OF OVER 1978 OF 8.2 PERCENT OF MEN AND 21.3 PERCENT FOR WOMEN. OF THE MALE POPULATION, 71.4 PERCENT WERE SENTENCED FOR ROBBERY, HOMICIDE, BURGLARY, AND CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES AND MARIJUANA OFFENSES. ALMOST 70 PERCENT OF THE WOMEN WERE CHARGED FOR ROBBERY, CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES AND MARIJUANA, HOMICIDE, AND FORGERY. THE MEDIAN AGE WAS 28.5 YEARS FOR THE MEN AND 29.2 YEARS FOR THE WOMEN, WHILE 83.2 PERCENT OF THE MEN AND 92.5 PERCENT OF THE WOMEN HAD NEVER BEEN PAROLED SINCE ADMISSION TO PRISON. OVER ONE-THIRD OF THE MEN AND NEARLY ONE-FIFTH OF THE WOMEN HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN IN PRISON, WHILE 20.5 PERCENT OF THE MEN AND 7.4 PERCENT OF THE WOMEN HAD ESCAPE RECORDS. THE MAJORITY OF FELONS WERE COMMITTED FROM SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COUNTIES; NEARLY ONE-FOURTH WERE COMMITTED FROM THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA. THERE WERE 23 MEN ON DEATH ROW WHILE LIFE SENTENCES WERE BEING SERVED BY 10 PERCENT OF THE MEN AND 7 PERCENT OF THE WOMEN. THE ETHNIC AND RACIAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE MEN WAS 39.8 PERCENT WHITE, 35.1 PERCENT BLACK, AND 23.2 PERCENT CHICANO; FOR WOMEN IT WAS 41 PERCENT WHITE, 36.9 PERCENT BLACK, AND 18.4 PERCENT CHICANO. THE MEDIAN EDUCATION LEVEL FOR THOSE TESTED AT ADMISSION WAS EIGHTH GRADE. TABLES ARE INCLUDED.