NCJ Number
171919
Date Published
1997
Length
29 pages
Annotation
The Institutional Hearing Program (IHP) was examined with respect to which deportable criminal aliens were included in the program, the extent to which the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) completed deportation hearings during these aliens' time in prison or after their release, and INS's efforts to enhance the IHP.
Abstract
The analysis focused on INS activities and data on more than 17,000 foreign-born individuals released from prisons in the last half of fiscal year 1995. Results revealed that INS failed to identify many deportable criminal aliens, including aggravated felons, and to initiate IHP proceedings for them before they were released from prison. In addition, INS did not complete the IHP by the time of prison release for the majority of criminal aliens it did identify. Moreover, INS has not achieved several intended enhancements to the IHP. Problems in improving the program have included hiring delays, agent attrition, the use of lower-graded agents to replace rather than supplement higher-graded agents already working on IHP cases, and lack of adequate IHP management response to identified performance problems. Recommendations for the IHP and appended methodological information, figures, and tables