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Survey of Inmates of State Correctional Facilities, 1979

NCJ Number
96136
Date Published
1981
Length
602 pages
Annotation
The variable description list and codebook are provided for the 1979 Survey of Inmates of State Correctional Facilities, one of a series of data gathering efforts during the 1970's to assist policymakers in assessing and overcoming any deficiencies in the Nation's correctional institutions.
Abstract

An introduction discusses data collection procedures, file structure, codebook information, and information processing. The survey involved interviews with 11,397 inmates in 215 State correctional facilities to obtain extensive information on their facilities to obtain extensive information on their demographic, socioeconomic, and criminal history characteristics. Details of inmates' military service records were also collected, such as era and branch of service, eligibility for benefits, type of discharge, and contact with veterans' groups. Other variables include age, ethnicity, education, lifetime drug use, drinking pattern prior to arrest, prior incarceration record, and prearrest annual income. There are 993 variables. The sample was selected independently from two sample frames of male and female inmates. Within each frame, the sample design was a stratified two-stage selection with probabilities proportional to size measures (PPS). Stratification of facilities was by four geographic regions. The data come in two formats: card-image and OSIRIS data set. The appendix contains offense codes, the 1970 population census occupational and industrial classifications, type of work (professional, technical, and kindred workers), the drug list (used in inquiring about drug use), and the disease list. The questionnaire accompanies the book as a separate item.