"People who have access to good resources, mental health and insurance, can get help," he said. "It's more of an issue of money and poverty than anything else."

The Census Bureau is releasing 2006 data today on the social, racial and economic characteristics of people living in adult correctional facilities, college housing and nursing homes. It is the first in-depth look at people living in "group quarters" since the 1980 census. It shows, for example, that nursing homes had much older residents in 2006 than in 1980.

The new data have limitations, such as not having figures for states, including Utah, where the total group quarters population is under 45,000.

Most prison inmates are 25 or older, while 96 percent of people in college housing are ages 18 to 24. And, in addition to not including commuter students, the census report does not provide racial breakdowns by gender or age, though it does show that males make up about 90 percent of prison inmates.

In Utah, women comprise only about 9 percent of the state prison population. But the number of women inmates is growing at 6 percent a year, a much faster rate than the number of men, which is growing at 1.5 percent to 2 percent annually.

Drugs are a big part of that increase, said Jack Ford, spokesman for the Department of Corrections. Many non-drug offenses are committed by addicts seeking money to buy drugs, he said.

"Our statistics say 82 to 85 percent (of inmates) have a substance abuse problem," he said. "Meth has become a big thing, especially among the women."

In its last session, the Legislature created statewide drug treatment for felons with the Drug Offenders Reform Act. The bill's sponsor, Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West Jordan, says it will greatly reduce the state's prison population.

The way it works, Buttars said, is that those who break the law to support drug habits undergo intense rehabilitation rather than go to jail.

"It could clear at least 1,500 beds," Buttars said. "If a person goes into DORA, they're able to stay in their home and keep their children. ... With meth it takes about a year to get them clean."

Van Vleet said drug courts tend to reduce repeat offense rates, and the new statewide DORA program shows "tremendous potential." Still, he said, it's too early to say what the statewide impact will be.

The national data show that big increases in black and Hispanic inmates occurred since 1980. In 1980, the number of blacks living in college dorms was roughly equal to the number in prison. Among Hispanics, those in college dorms outnumbered those in prison in 1980.

There are a lot of reasons why black students do not reach college at the same rate as whites, said Amy Stuart Wells, a professor of sociology and education at Columbia University's Teachers College.