Almost Three Fourths of All Inmates Serving 85% of Sentences

Offenders who committed their offenses on or after October 1, 1995 are required to serve a minimum of 85% of their court-imposed sentences prior to their release. On June 30, 2003, almost three fourths (72.8%) of all inmates in prison had been sentenced under this law, meaning they will serve at least 85% of their sentences, and that number continues to increase annually. The average percentage of sentence served for released offenders has risen steadily in the last five years, from 77.9% in June 1999 to 84.5% in June 2003.

Percentage of Florida's Prison Population Sentenced Under Minimum 85% of Sentence Served Law As of June 30

 

Class of Felony of Primary Offense (Inmate Population on June 30, 2003)
Category	White Males	White Females	Black Males	Black Females	Other Males	Other Females	Total	Percent
Capital	2,427	93	1,847	52	165	5	4,589	6.0%
Life Felony	1,941	44	2,836	60	184	24	5,089	6.7%
First Degree/Life	2,061	92	3,041	96	129	11	5,430	7.1%
First Degree	7,016	404	8,533	432	493	114	16,992	22.3%
Second Degree	11,685	789	14,684	789	600	76	28,623	37.6%
Third Degree	6,668	918	6,754	735	282	51	15,408	20.2%
Misdemeanor	0	0	2	0	0	0	2	0.0%
Data Unavailable	446	4	715	7	11	0	1,183
TOTAL	32,244	2,344	38,412	2,171	1,864	281	77,316	100.0%