The Nation - News from Nov. 14, 1988

Nearly 2% of American adults were being punished for crimes last year, with record numbers on parole or probation, according to a Justice Department study. The report by the department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics said that of the 3.4 million Americans under the supervision of federal, state or local corrections officers, a record 2.6 million men and women were either on probation or parole. Of those, 2.24 million were on probation, a 6% increase over the previous year, and 362,000 were on parole, an 11% increase. The parole population in the West showed the largest percentage increase over the year, gaining almost 22%, the study said. Joseph M. Bessette, acting bureau director, said the probation and parole population has grown by 40% since 1983, while the number of people incarcerated increased about 33%.