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Lifetime Likelihood of Going to State or Federal Prison
This Special Report presents lifetime chances of going to State or Federal prison by age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin. Using standard demographic lifetable techniques, and assuming that recent incarceration rates remain unchanged, an estimated 1 of every 20 persons (5%) can be expected to serve time in prison during
their lifetime. The lifetime chances of a person going to prison are higher for men (9%) than for women
(1%) and higher for blacks (16%) and Hispanics (9%) than for whites (2%). At current levels of
incarceration newborn black males in this country have a greater than a 1 in 4 chance of going to
prison during their lifetimes, while Hispanic males have a 1 in 6 chance, and white males have a 1
in 23 chance of serving time. 3/97 NCJ 160092
The data in this report have been updated by Prevalence of Imprisonment in the U.S. Population, 1974-2001 08/03 NCJ 197976.
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