The Nation - News from Sept. 25, 1989

Incarcerations for convicted drug offenders more than doubled in five states between 1983 and 1986, the Justice Department said. The 104% increase in prison or jail sentences caused the overall number of incarcerations to increase 28%, the study said. The department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics examined arrests, prosecutions and convictions in California, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia. The proportion of convicted defendants imprisoned increased for each category of offense: violent crimes, property crimes, drug crimes and public-order crimes. Arrests for drug offenses increased 52%, prosecutions rose 61% and convictions for those crimes went up 71% during the four-year period, the report said.