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Of the total population on April 30, 729 (86.5%) were black males and 114 (13.5%) were white males. The general population of the District contained an estimated 61.4% blacks and 38.6% whites.

The median age of the Jail inmates was 27.2 years as compared with 31.1 years for other prisoners in Departmental institutions.

Of the Jail inmates, 41.8% were reported as married; of the other inmates, 34.5% were reported as married.

Sixty-nine percent of the Jail inmates and 67% of the other prisoners were charged with felony offenses. The respective percentages of the two groups charged with or convicted for offenses of the most numerous types were as follows: robbery, 19.6 and 19.0%; housebreaking, 9.3 and 9.8%; homicide, murder or manslaughter, 6.4 and 9.2%; petty larceny, 8.4 and 8.6%; auto theft, 6.7 and 4.4%; narcotic offenses, 6.2 and 9.3%; rape, 4.8 and

2.3%; and aggravated assault, 4.1 and 5.5%. Thirty-one other categories of offense were represented in smaller percentages.

On the study date, there were 249 (29.5%) sentenced offenders in the Jail. This was a decrease from 41.6% in 1966, 47.2% in 1965, and 46.8% in 1964.

The median period of confinement of the population in the Jail at the time of the study was 91.5 days. For the unsentenced prisoners only, the median time was 41.3 days.

Publication

Donald D. Stewart and Virginia A. McArthur,

The Population of the D.C. Jail as of 30 April 1967: A Preliminary Study, pp. 22, June 1967.

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3) A STUDY OF BOARD OF PAROLE WARRANTS

Purpose and Method

D. C. Parole Board warrants for the arrest of 123 releasees under the supervision of the Board were studied along with the case records of the releasees to throw light on the characteristics of the releasees and the reasons for their "failure" under supervision.

Findings

Of the 123 releasees, 61 were good-time releasees and 62 were parolees. The great majority (115) had been released from the Reformatory for Men, 5 were from the Jail, and 3 were from the Reformatory for Women.

The releasees were 85% black, with a median age of 38.5 years, and slightly over half (50.4%) were single. About one-third had been sentenced for crimes against the person, another third for crimes against property, and the remaining third for a miscellany of offenses including narcotics (10.9%).

Median length of time served before release was 6.1 years. This is longer than the estimated 5.0 median term served by the average parole and good time releasee from the Reformatory for Men in 1965.

The length of time between release and issuance of the warrant ranged from one month to almost seven years. However, about half the warrants were issued within six or seven months after release.

Eight reasons for issuance of a warrant were identified. The most common were: new offense, 20.7%; left area or place of residence, 17.9%; failed to maintain employment or to continue on the same job, 17.0%; failed to report, 16.7%; failed to cooperate, 10.6%.

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In the 123 cases studied, 115 of the warrants resulted in revocation of release status. Disposition of the other cases was not clear from the records, although the whereabouts of several were unknown.

Publications

Donald D. Stewart, A Study of Parole Board Warrants, pp. 17, December 1967.

4) ABSCONDERS FROM MISDEMEANANT WORK RELEASE

Purpose and Method

Records of 294 misdemeanants who had participated in the D. C. Work Release program for misdemeanants were studied to ascertain outcomes of the experience. Special attention was given to the cases of absconders, who made up a relatively large part of the program terminations, and whose cases appeared to require careful study so that more effective procedures might be developed.

Findings

As of November 28, 1967, a total of 294 misdemeanants had participated in the D. C. Work Release program. The majority of these cases had been directly ordered into the program by the Court of General Sessions.

On the study date, 58 misdemeanants (19.7%) were still active in the program. Of these, 39 were employed, 14 were available for employment, and 5 had been temporarily suspended for infractions of rules.

On the same date, 236 of the original participants were on inactive status. Of this group of 236, approximately one-half (124) completed their sentences and were released from the program. The remainder of the group (112)

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had been revoked, either for rule infraction or for absconding. The absconders were 36 in number. On the study date, 20 of the absconders had returned, and 16 were still at large.

The absconders were 89% black, with a median age of 29.4 years, and 33% were married. With reference to offenses, the absconders had been convicted of petty larceny (33.3%), attempted housebreaking (14.5%), simple assault, (10.4%), traffic offenses (8.3 destruction of property (8.3%), carrying a deadly weapon (6.2%), and all other offenses (19%).

The minimum sentence being served by any of the absconders was 30 days. Almost 70 percent of the sentences were for 180 days or longer.

About half the absconders left the program within the first two weeks. Thus, most of the absconders were individuals who were serving relatively long sentences and who left the program very shortly after entering.

The absconders had a moderate representation (28.8%) in the skilled occupations: painters, carpenters, chefs, and other trades. This is twice the percentage of such trades among the 1965 releasees from the Reformatory for Men at Lorton.

The weekly income on work release of the absconding misdemeanants was $79.00. Fifty-eight percent reported one or more dependents.

Of the 36 absconders, 20 returned - 8 of their own volition and 12 were returned by the police. Of the latter group, 6 had been arrested as drunk or in connection with some other minor offense. All returnees were removed from the work release program, some were given additional sentences, and was sent to St. Elizabeths Hospital for 60 days observation.

Publication

Donald D. Stewart, Absconders from the Misdemeanant Work-Release Program: Preliminary Study, Research Report No. 4, pp. 16, January 1968.

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5) SOCIAL AND DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF RELEASEES FROM THE D.C. REFORMATORY FOR

MEN

Purpose and Method

The

A study was made of the 568 inmates released from the D. C. Reformatory for Men in 1965 to define their characteristics and to explore procedures for evaluating their parole performance and for developing parole prediction methods. present report outlines the findings on release characteristics. Later reports will deal with the parole performance of this group and with the prediction of parole success among releasees of this type.

Findings

Of the 568 releasees, 55 were released to detainers, records were incomplete on 18, and 15 died within the first year after release. The remaining 480 cases comprise the subjects of this report.

Of the 480 cases, 23 percent were released on parole, 47 percent on good-time, and 30 percent at expiration of sentence.

The typical releasee was a Negro in his early 30's, unmarried prior to incarceration, previously employed in semi-skilled or unskilled work in construction or service industries.

This releasee had an average IQ and about eight years of formal schooling. He had dropped out of school at about age 16.

He had been arrested at least once before 19, and had had at least five arrests and three incarcerations before the instant offense. He had a better than even chance of being either a user of narcotics or a heavy user of alcohol.

The releasee was somewhat more likely to have committed a crime against the person than a crime against property. He had been arrested alone in