"Offense characteristics of federal prisoners

"• Almost half of prisoners sentenced to federal prison were serving time for a drug offense (almost all for drug trafficking) on September 30, 2018, the most recent date for which data are available (tables 15 and 16).

"• About two-fifths of federal prisoners in 2018 were in prison for a public-order offense (39%, or 63,600), including 18% (28,800) for a weapons offense and 6% (9,200) for a convicted immigration offense.

"• Fewer than 1 in 10 federal prisoners (8%) were serving time for a violent offense on September 30, 2018.

"• About 10% of black, 7% of white, and 3% of Hispanic federal prisoners were serving time for a violent offense in 2018.

"• About 47% of white, 38% of black, and 35% of Hispanic federal prisoners were serving time for a public-order offense in 2018.

"• Almost 60% of Hispanic federal prisoners in 2018 were serving time for a drug offense (almost always for drug trafficking), and 17% were serving time for an adjudicated immigration offense."

State
"Offense characteristics of state prisoners

"• More than half (56%) of state prisoners sentenced to more than one year were serving a sentence for a violent offense at year-end 2017 (the most recent year for which data are available) (tables 13 and 14).

"• At year-end 2017, an estimated 14% of sentenced state prisoners were serving time for murder or non-negligent manslaughter (182,200), and another 13% were serving time for rape or sexual assault (167,000).

"• On December 31, 2017, about 14% of sentenced state prisoners had been convicted of a drug offense as their most serious crime (183,900).

"• Among sentenced state prisoners at year-end 2017, an estimated three-fifths of blacks and Hispanics (61% each) and nearly half of whites (48%) were serving time for a violent offense.

"• Among prisoners serving more than one year in state prison at year-end 2017, a larger proportion of blacks (17%) than Hispanics (15%) or whites (11%) were serving time for murder or non-negligent manslaughter.

"• Among sentenced prisoners serving in state prison at year-end 2017, a larger portion of whites (17%) than Hispanics (14%) or blacks (8%) were serving time for rape or sexual assault.

"• At year-end 2017, 57% of male and 38% of female sentenced state prisoners were serving a sentence for a violent offense."