Home
/
RELIGION & LIBERTY ONLINE
/
7 Figures: How long do criminals spend in prison?
7 Figures: How long do criminals spend in prison?
Dec 15, 2025 12:16 AM

As the old saying goes, “If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime.” But how much time do you have to do if mit a crime? Probably not as long as you’d imagine.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics recently released a report—Time Served in State Prison 2016—that reveals how long prisoners serve for a variety of criminal offenses. Here are seven figures from the report you should know:

1. The average time served by state prisoners released in 2016, from initial admission to initial release, was 2.6 years, and the median time served was 1.3 years.

2. Criminals served an average of 46 percent of their maximum sentence length before their initial release. State prisoners initially released in 2016 served an average of 62 percent of their sentence if they were serving time for rape or sexual assault, and 38 percent if serving time for drug possession. Persons serving less than one year in state prison represented 40 percent of first releases in 2016.

3. Persons sentenced for murder or non-negligent manslaughter served an average of 15 years in state prison before their initial release.

4. Ninety-six percent of violent offenders released in 2016, including 70 percent of those sentenced for murder or non-negligent manslaughter, served less than 20 years before initial release from state prison. About three-quarters of violent offenders released from state prison in 2016 served at least one year before initial release.

5. Roughly 1 in 5 state prisoners released in 2016 after being sentenced for rape or sexual assault served 10 or more years before initial release.

6. On average, state prisoners serving time for property, drug, or public-order offenses served less than two years before initial release. Most offenders (59 percent) released from state prison in 2016 after serving time for drug possession served less than one year before their initial release.

7. By offense type, the median time served was 13.4 years for murder, 2.2 years for violent crimes excluding murder, 17 months for drug trafficking, and 10 months for drug possession.

Comments
Welcome to mreligion comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
RELIGION & LIBERTY ONLINE
In Michigan, Raising The Minimum Wage Hurts The Most Vulnerable
If you’re blessed, your job is more than just a paycheck. It’s a structure for your life, it’s a place of friendship and camaraderie, and a sense of purpose. At least, it was for Stacy Osborn. Osborn had been working at Tastes of Life, a Hillsdale, Michigan, restaurant that also supported a residential program, Life Challenge of Michigan. The restaurant was owned by Pastor Jack Mosley and his wife, Linda. Mosley explained that, unlike a typical business that might fire...
Audio: Rev. Sirico on Acton University
Recently, Acton President and Co-founder Rev. Robert Sirico spoke with Joe Wooddell, professor of philosophy and vice president for academic affairs at Criswell College. They discuss the concept of classic liberalism, Lord Acton, the Institute, and what led to the creation of Acton’s largest event of the year, Acton University. If you’re new to Acton or want to learn more about Acton University, this is certainly a helpful resource. Registration for Acton University 2015 opens on Monday, November 17. Listen...
Radio Free Acton: F.H. Buckley on The Rise of Crown Government in America
F.H. Buckley speaks at the Acton Institute On this edition of Radio Free Acton, I was privileged to speakwith F. H. Buckley, Foundation Professor at George Mason University School of Law and author of a number of books, his latest being The Once and Future King: The Rise of Crown Government in America. The story of American Government is the story of the rise of presidential power, which has seen its fullest, and – for those who believe in the...
The Economy of Wisdom: Learning as a Pathway to Love
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.“ -John 1:1-3 In Episode 5 of For the Life of the World, Evan Koons wonders about the purpose of knowledge. “Is it about power?” he asks. “Man’s conquest of nature? …ameans for securing a healthy nest egg for retirement?” As he...
The World’s Most Persecuted Minority
The most persecuted and victimized people in the world today are Christians in the Middle East. Middle East expert Raymond Ibrahim lays out the grim details, and wonders why this human rights tragedy of our time is largely ignored by the Western media. ...
Toil as Curse and Grace
Wasn’t toil introduced into human labor as a punishment from God? Yes and no, says Dylan Pahman in this week’s Acton Commentary. Our life is plagued by imperfection and the tragedy of our mortality, but nevertheless God says to Adam, “you shall eat,” that is, “you shall have the means to sustain your life.” Work ought not to be so toilsome — toil, in that sense, is a bad thing — but given that our lives are characterized by sin,...
Rockin’ the Wall’s Inspiring Message
A Note to Readers: The Acton Institute is presenting a special screening of the film Rockin’ the Wall on November 20 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The event features a talk by Larry Schweikart, who worked closely with the film’s producers and is featured prominently throughout the documentary. To register, click here. Back in my college days, my friends and I debated the merits of military spending by the then-current administration. As this was the 1980s, featuring two terms of President...
Explainer: What is Net Neutrality?
On Monday, President Obama came out stronglyfor the concept of net neutrality, saying that “an open Internet is essential to the American economy, and increasingly to our very way of life.”What exactly is net neutrality? And why should Christians care? What is net neutrality? Net neutrality (short for “network neutrality”) refers to both a design principle and laws that attempt to regulate and enforce that principle. The net neutrality principle is the idea that a public information network should aspire...
Garbage collecting for the glory of God
In a new video from The High Calling, Howard Butt, Jr. shares the story of David Magallenez, a garbage man who daily serves the people of San Antonio by removing their trash, and does so with a happy heart. “If I’ve done my job well, people don’t even know I’m there,” David says. As the narrator concludes: “Neither job title nor position earns a person true stature. But in any field, dedication in serving others exemplifies the high calling of...
‘Listening To The Work:’ Art As Meditation
Good art is more than just something pretty. It touches the soul; it brings something of the Divine to life in a new way. Artist John Dunne paints from this perspective. Dunne had already developed a substantial career when he felt called to explore more sacred themes, particularly with Eastern influence. He says when he paints, he is “listening to the work.” He says that meditation on the part of both the artist and the viewer is absolutely necessary. ...
Related Classification
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.mreligion.com All Rights Reserved