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Managing Offenders
1. State and Local Government Expenditures for Correctional
Services per Capita
Definition:
This indicator represents the amount of direct, general
state and local expenditures for correctional agencies per
person. Correctional services include state correctional
facilities and programs for adults and juveniles, local
jails, and probation and parole services and programs.
Significance:
An analysis of a state’s performance of managing offenders
should include the dollars spent on correctional services.
There is no one indicator that captures a state’s
correctional philosophy or its performance. The amount of
money is one indication of the resources a state has
committed to these services.
Historical/Trend Analysis,
State and Local Government Expenditures, per Capita, for
Correctional Services

Data reflect
South Carolina (SC) average, United States (US) average, and
Southeast (SE) average. The southeast region consists of
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North
Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
Source:
United States Census Bureau,
State and Local Finances
Selected State
Rankings, Per Capita Expenditures for Correctional Services,
2006
(“1” represents state with highest, per capita, state and
local government expenditures for correctional services)
SC
|
NC |
GA |
TN |
WY |
ND |
|
39 |
30 |
19 |
37 |
1 |
50 |
|
$143.24 |
$174.40 |
$214.14 |
$147.49 |
$351.36 |
$116.02 |
2.
Incarceration Rate
Definition:
This indicator represents the number of prisoners in state
prisons per 100,000 population at the end of the calendar
year. The count of total state prisoners covers only those
who are in a state confinement facility and are sentenced to
a year or longer. The data exclude persons who are being
held for short periods in local jails. It also does not
include federal incarcerations. Some states classify 16 and
17 year-olds as adult offenders. The data presented below
include these individuals. South Carolina defines adult
offenders as 17 and older.
Significance:
The incarceration rate illustrates the demand on a state’s
correctional facilities. This is affected by a state’s crime
rate, arrest rate, and the judicial system’s sentencing
philosophy.
Historical/Trend Analysis,
Incarceration Rate

Data reflect
South Carolina (SC) average, United States (US) average, and
Southeast (SE) average. The southeast region consists of
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North
Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
Source:
United States Department of
Justice
To learn more
about South Carolina’s average daily inmate population,
visit:
South Carolina Department of
Corrections
Selected State Rankings, 2006,
(“1”
represents state with highest incarceration rate)
|
SC |
NC |
GA |
TN |
LA |
MA |
|
7 |
31 |
6 |
23 |
1 |
50 |
|
528 |
363.3 |
565 |
423.8 |
857.3 |
147.2 |
3.
Average Number of Inmates per Correctional Officer
Definition:
This indicator shows the average number of inmates per
correctional officer. The actual number of inmates a
correctional officer must supervise may vary greatly from
this average due to post assignments and number of officers
working on a particular shift.
Significance:
The number of inmates a correctional officer supervises
should be considered when analyzing how effective the
corrections department is managing offenders. The greater
the number of inmates per correctional officer may increase
the opportunity for assaults and escapes.
Historical/Trend Analysis,
Average Number of Inmates per Correctional Officer[i]


Source:
United States Department of
Justice
Source:
South Carolina Department of
Corrections
4.
Percentage of offenders successfully completing supervision
Definition:
This indicator shows the percentage of offenders who
successfully completed the terms and conditions of their
probation and/or parole supervision. Terms and conditions
could include attaining employment, enrolling in school,
paying restitution, etc.
Significance:
Offenders who complete their terms of probation and/or
parole supervision are more likely to become contributing
members of society than those who do not successfully
complete supervision. A higher percentage of offenders
completing supervision also would reduce the demand on the
state’s correctional system.
Historical/Trend Analysis,
Percentage of Offenders Successfully Completing Supervision[ii]

Source:
United States Department of Justice
South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon
Services
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Many
experts argue that success rates of probation and
parole supervision are attributable to such things
as: (1) courts’ practices in using alternative
sentences in place of incarceration; (2) the
philosophies and supervision practices of the
oversight agencies; (3) the conservative approach
taken by parole boards in releasing prisoners into
the community; and (4) the process by which
revocation hearings are conducted.
In South
Carolina, both the courts and parole board tend to
have a conservative philosophy regarding the
offender population. As a result, fewer offenders
are placed under community supervision, a condition
that may lead to higher success rates.
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Rev. 05.29.08
[i]
The Bureau of Justice Statistics conducts the Census of
State and Federal Correctional Facilities and reports
national data. Only custody/security personnel data were
used to calculate the national average. The Bureau of
Justice Statistics did not report individual state data for
this indicator. Therefore, southeastern average and rankings
are not available. The last year the census was conducted
was 2000. Another census will be conducted in 2005. However,
the South Carolina Department of Corrections reports these
data in the agency’s annual accountability report.
[ii]
The national average data were calculated using data from
the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ (BJS) Probation and
Parole in the United States reports from 2001 to 2005.
BJS does not report individual state data for probation and
parole for this indicator. Therefore, southeastern average
and rankings are not available.
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