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iveness of the D. C. Department of Corrections, data on recidivism were assembled from several sources in the literature. Cohort follow-up data were singled out for attention because they provide a longitudinal trace of performance trends.

One major source of data was Daniel Glaser's volume, The Effectiveness of a Prison and Parole System . Another was California Prisoners: 1967. Other sources were the Annual Statistical Report: 1968, the California Youth Authority; and Research Reports No. 7,8 and 11, 1968 and 1969, the D. C. Department of Corrections.

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The basic procedure in the study was the charting of cohort performance curves as defined by the published data. Nine curves were drawn four defined by series of rising recidivism values, and the remaining five by end-values in follow-up periods of varying length.

As a first step in standardizing the data, Glaser's 90% rule and a similar 75% rule were used to transform performance rates at 36 and 24 months, respectively, into "ultimate" recidivism rates. Ultimate rates are defined as the stage at which cohort performance curves have leveled off.

To adjust for a series of social disorders that produced upward accelerations in three failure curves between the 24th and 36th months, the ultimate rates for these cohorts were derived from the 24th rather then the 36th month.

Other adjustments were recognized as needed in the performance curves to permit highly dependable comparisons, but the data were not detailed enough to permit these additional adjustments.

Findings

The partially adjusted ultimate recidivism rates for five adult release cohorts were: D. c. Reformatory releasees, 33%; California parolees, 38%; Wisconsin parolees, 42%; New York state parolees, 53%; and Washington State parolees, 58%.

50%

Figure 18. Trends in Recidivism in Four Male Youth Release Cohorts

Percent revoked,
jailed or

reimprisoned

Federal Bureau of Prisons
YCA Parolees

5

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Sources: 1) Glaser, Effectiveness of a Prison

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The partially adjusted rates for four youth release cohorts were: D. C. Youth Center, 43%; D. C. Community Treatment Center for Youth, 50%; California Youth Authority criminal court cases, 51%; and the Federal Bureau of Prisons youth corrections act cases, 54%.

Further studies with more current and more detailed data are needed to refine the adjustment procedures and to test the dependability of these preliminary comparisons.

Publication

Stuart Adams, A Comparative Study of Recidivism Rates in Six Correctional Systems, pp. 22 January 1970

23) TRENDS IN CHARACTERISTICS OF D.C. JAIL FIRST ADMISSIONS:

Purpose and Method

1940-1969

To provide information on changes in characteristics of people being booked for the firsttime into the D. C. Jail, a survey was made of first-admissions in the years 1940, 1950, and 1960 through June 30, 1969. A two percent interval sample was taken by manual search of the Jail card files. The sample indicated that the following changes had occurred:

Findings

1) The median age of first-admissions to the Jail fell about ten years in the period of the study. The trend line of median ages omitting all drunkenness cases from the sample shows a drop of 8.1 years.

2) The proportion of first-admissions who were black rose from 50% in 1940 to 79% in 1969 while the District of Columbia black population rose from 28% of the total in 1940 to 61% in 1966.

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3) The proportion of first-admissions who were female fell from 13.5% to 9% during the study period.

4) The proportion of first-admissions charged with Index crimes rose from 10% to 27%. Excluding drunkenness cases, the proportion for the rest of the first-admissions went from 17% charged with Index crimes to 27%.

5) The proportion of Jail first-admissions who have been in the District of Columbia longer than ten years increased from 39.5% to 52% between 1940 and 1969.

There was no clear trend in the place of birth of jail first-admissions.

Publication

Virginia McArthur, Trends in Characteristics of D. C. Jail First Admissions: 1940-1969, pp. 20, April 1970

24) TRENDS IN ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES TO

• D.C. CORRECTIONAL FUNCTIONS: 1967-1971

Purpose and Method

Monetary resources allocated to the D. c. Department of Corrections during the five-year period have ranged from a low of $11.8 million in Fiscal 1968 to $20.8 (requested) in Fiscal 1971.

The bulk of the resources over the past five years (about 60%) have been allocated to custody and security. The next largest allocations have been: supportive services (about 17%), social and community services (about 10%), and support of D. C. prisoners in Federal prisons (about 6%).

Relatively small allocations have been made to four functional categories: education and training (about 2%), psychological services (about 1.8%), data processing, research and planning (about 1.7%), and employment services (about 0.7%)