Summaries tables and commentary for published national government reports on corrections statistics for the period of U.S. history from 1850 (the date of the first national reports on the topic) to 1984. Historical comparison within this area has often been difficult because of the change over time in the agencies responsible for data collection, differences in reporting units, and the fact that separate reports have usually been issued covering local, State, Federal, and juvenile levels. In many cases these reports did not have a wide distribution and are currently unavailable in libraries.