Corrections.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) presents Felony Sentences in State Courts, 2002, which features statistics for adults convicted of a felony and sentenced in state courts. The data were collected through a nationally representative survey of 300 counties in 2002. Twelve offense categories are reported on and trends from 1994 to 2002 are included that feature the number and characteristics (e.g., age, sex, and race) of adults convicted of felonies and the types (e.g., prison, jail, or probation) and lengths of sentences imposed. This periodic report is published every 2 years. Highlights include the following: drug offenders represented 32 percent of felons convicted in state courts in 2002; state courts sentenced 41 percent of convicted felons to a state prison, 28 percent to a local jail, and 31 percent to straight probation with no jail or prison time to serve; and guilty pleas accounted for 95 percent of felony convictions in state courts in 2002. This report is available online at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/fssc02.htm or by contacting the National Criminal Justice Reference Service at 800-851-3420.