NCJ Number
97609
Date Published
1982
Length
39 pages
Annotation
This report on conditions in New York State's Attica prison finds little improvement in the quality of life for prisoners and personnel and little reduction in tensions and frustrations since the McKay Commission's 1972 report on the 1971 uprising.
Abstract
Information was collected during a summer 1982 site visit and interviews with State corrections officials, Attica staff, prisoners' families, and prisoners' groups. Individual prisoner interviews on a confidential basis were not permitted. Prisoner groups selected by the Department of Correctional Services could be interviewed only with an employee present. By 1982, Attica's population had reached 2,175 despite the official policy of limiting it to 1,700. Consequently, conflicts and violent incidents among prisoners and between inmates and staff have increased substantially. Approximately 25 percent of the inmates have no programs or jobs and spend most of the day locked in their cells. The study also found indications of problems in medical care, food service, recreation, visiting, and access to court and legal materials. Violations of prison rules, disciplinary hearings, and inmates being punished for rule violations have greatly increased in the last year. The staff has been enlarged, but most are white even though the prisoner population is over 70 percent black and Hispanic. Inadequate staff training and lack of incentive pay or special classifications for officers working in more difficult or responsible jobs are problems. There appears to be no meaningful or consistent direction from Albany in important areas. The report concludes with recommendations to correct these problems.