13.2 Age

A trend towards an older prison population continues. In 1991, 14 percent of the sentenced inmates were 40 years or older, but in 2003 that proportion was 27 percent. Around 40 percent of the sentenced inmates were under 25 years old in 1991, compared with 25 percent in 2003.

Table 13-2 Age of sentenced inmates (percent)

Age

1991

1993

1995

1997

1999

2001

2003

 

%

%

%

%

%

%

%

15 - 19

11.0

7.9

9.7

9.9

8.9

6.4

6.7

20 - 24

28.9

26.6

22.9

23.0

22.2

19.9

18.6

25 - 30

22.2

21.6

22.2

20.3

19.9

18.6

17.7

31 - 34

15.4

15.0

15.6

15.8

16.2

18.0

16.7

35 - 39

8.9

10.4

10.2

10.8

11.9

13.5

13.2

40 - 49

9.2

11.4

12.5

12.2

13.4

15.1

16.6

50 +

4.4

7.0

7.1

8.0

7.5

8.5

10.4

Total

100.0

100.0

100.0

100.0

100.0

100.0

100.0

Percentages may not add to 100 because of rounding.