States across the country saw changes in their prison admissions and populations due to supervision violations in 2020. But some states were already experiencing reductions in violation admissions and population prior to the pandemic. This snapshot shows available supervision violation data for South Carolina from 2018 through 2020.
Admissions
From 2018 to 2020, South Carolina saw a 37 percent decline in the number of prison admissions due to supervision violations.
The breakdown
Total Admissions
Violation Admissions
Technical Violation Admissions
2018
7250
1356
2019
7386
1234
2020
4156
852
Total
2018
2019
2020
Total admissions
7,250
7,386
4,156
Total Violation admissions
1,356
1,234
852
Probation admissions
818
667
410
Parole admissions
538
567
442
Total Technical Violation admissions
Probation admissions
Parole admissions
Total New Offense admissions
Probation admissions
Parole admissions
Population
From 2018 to 2020, South Carolina saw a 23 percent decline in the number of people in prison due to supervision violations.
The breakdown
Total Population
Violation Population
Technical Violation Population
2018
18958
3129
2019
18848
3051
2020
15726
2417
Total
2018
2019
2020
Total population
18,958
18,848
15,726
Total Violation population
3,129
3,051
2,417
Probation population
1,854
1,729
1,249
Parole population
1,275
1,322
1,168
Total Technical Violation population
Probation population
Parole population
Total New Offense population
Probation population
Parole population
Additional State Notes
For both admissions and population, South Carolina did not provide a breakdown of technical and new offense violation data for probation and parole. Probation violation numbers only represent admissions of people who violated probation as part of a split sentence of incarceration followed by probation. It does not include people whose original sentence was suspended to probation only, as these are included with new admissions from court. South Carolina was unable to report violations that were technical only because supervision is overseen by the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services, an entity separate from South Carolina Department of Corrections.
Whether an incarceration is the result of a new offense or technical violation is often difficult and problematic to delineate, even in states with available data. Most states do not consider a supervision violation to be the result of a new offense unless a new felony conviction is present, meaning technical violations may include misdemeanor convictions or new arrests. "Prison" includes county jail if the county was reimbursed by the state for a person’s incarceration, which occurs in some, but not all, states. Supervision violations may include revocations (i.e., unsuccessful terminations of a supervision and completion of a sentence in prison or jail) or short-term sanctions (i.e., probation or parole jurisdiction is maintained and the person is incarcerated for a short period of time in prison or jail). Not all states impose or include short-term sanctions in their count of supervision violations.
