May 21, 1999    NCJ 115210

The survey reveals the number of felonies convicted in 1986, the percentage of violent offenders, and the average length of sentence for each offense. In 1986, the State courts convicted an estimated 583,000 persons for felonies, of which 46 percent were sentenced. Of the estimated 26 percent of murder offenses, 24 percent were sentenced to prison and 2 percent to death. Thirty-seven percent of the crimes reported were from the 75 largest counties. The most serious convictions listed were for murder, rape, robbery, burglary, and drug trafficking. Definitions and statistics for eight crime categories are provided. This report is the first of its kind to concentrate on other than urban jurisdictions.

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