NCJ Number
142819
Date Published
1992
Length
74 pages
Annotation
An important component of the plan of New York State's Department of Correctional Services to reorganize the delivery of program services to its inmate population involves grouping correctional facilities by geographic proximity into administrative regions, and this report presents a profile of the inmate population within each region.
Abstract
Administrative regions are referred to as clusters, and each cluster represents a group of neighboring facilities that share administrative, support, and program services. Each cluster has a core or hub facility at which inmates are received and from which inmate movement and other administrative service delivery functions are controlled. The hub system offers administrative efficiencies and the opportunity to implement a new approach to the educational and vocational training, therapeutic treatment, and work experience of inmates. It emphasizes a full program day, mandatory schooling, drug and alcohol treatment, work assignments, and inmate responsibility. A total of 57,907 inmates were in custody on January 1, 1992, of whom 54,526 (94.2 percent) were men and 3,381 (5.8 percent) were women. The largest cohort of inmates included persons between 25 and 29 years of age, followed by individuals between 30 and 34 years of age. Half of the inmates were black; about one-third were Hispanic and about one-sixth were white. Most inmates were committed from New York City counties (69.6 percent), and an additional 12.2 percent were committed from suburban New York. Only 20 percent of the inmates were legally married at the time of commitment. The majority of inmates had at least one living child, and 89 percent claimed affiliation with a recognized religion. The median minimum sentence was for 36 months, although the average minimum sentence was for 70 months. About 34 percent were in custody for drug offenses, 21 percent for robbery, 8 percent for murder, and 7 percent for homicide. More than half the inmates in custody on January 1, 1992, were second felony offenders. About 53 percent of the inmates had served a prior jail or prison term. Additional data are tabulated on the length of time served at current facility, estimated time to earliest release, academic status, drug use, inmate security classification, and inmate monitoring status. Tables and figures