1. **State the problem:** We need to find what percentage of the total prison population are men. 2. **Identify the given data:** - Number of men = 48700 - Number of women = 1600 3. **Calculate the total prison population:** $$\text{Total} = 48700 + 1600 = 50300$$ 4. **Use the percentage formula:** $$\text{Percentage of men} = \left(\frac{\text{Number of men}}{\text{Total population}}\right) \times 100$$ 5. **Substitute the values:** $$\text{Percentage of men} = \left(\frac{48700}{50300}\right) \times 100$$ 6. **Simplify the fraction:** $$\text{Percentage of men} = \left(\frac{\cancel{48700}}{\cancel{50300}}\right) \times 100$$ 7. **Calculate the division:** $$\frac{48700}{50300} \approx 0.9678$$ 8. **Calculate the percentage:** $$0.9678 \times 100 = 96.78\%$$ **Final answer:** Approximately **96.78%** of the total prison population are men.