Probationers dropped in 2013 by 32,000 people–a fairly significant number–while parole numbers increased slightly, found researchers in a new report released by the U.S. Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics. According to the report, the probation supervised community started dropping in 2008 and has decreased steadily. In 2013 the drop increased because most probationers completed their sentence or were discharged early, researchers found. However, the percentage of probationers supervised for a felony offense increased slightly to 55% up from 52% in 2000.
The parole population increased slightly (up about 2,100 offenders), from an estimated 851,200 offenders in 2012 to 853,200 in 2013. Additionally, the reincarceration rate among parolees at risk of violating their conditions of supervision increased slightly, from approximately 9% during 2012 to about 10% in 2013, reversing a 6-year trend of decline.
Approximately 1 in 51 people in the United States are either on probation or parole, about 4,751,400 offenders, said the report.
Read the full report here.