Emails, William R. Kelly, Ph.D, director, Center for Criminology and Criminal Justice Research, University of Texas, Sept. 30-Oct. 1, 2015

8:25 a.m.

Sept. 30, 2015

Today, 65 million adults have a criminal record.  There are about 245,000,000 adults in the US.  Thus, 27% of the adult population has a criminal record.  The media usually state one in three have a criminal record.  

The 65 million comes from the Justice Department and is routinely used in analyses by  government agencies and research organizations.  See http://www.sentencingproject.org/doc/publications/cc_HiT_CriminalRecords_profile_1.pdf

William R. Kelly, Ph.D.

williamkellyphd.com

Director, Center for Criminology and Criminal Justice Research

Professor of Sociology

Sociology Department

From: <Selby>, "Gardner (CMG-Austin)"

Date: Wednesday, September 30, 2015 at 1:10 PM

To: William Kelly

Subject: RE: Urgent inquiry for a fact check

You wrote: Today, 65 million adults have a criminal record.  There are about 245,000,000 adults in the US.  Thus, 27% of the adult population has a criminal record. 

Can you point me solid sources for each of those figures?

g.

8:48 a.m.

Oct. 1, 2015

I’m using the low end of the estimates of adults with a criminal record.  A solid source for that is Th Sentencing Project at  http://www.sentencingproject.org/doc/publications/cc_HiT_CriminalRecords_profile_1.pdf

The adult population was from the Census Bureau at http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/00000.html

William R. Kelly, Ph.D.

williamkellyphd.com

Director, Center for Criminology and Criminal Justice Research

Professor of Sociology

Sociology Department