NCJ Number
145702
Journal
DOCS Today Volume: 4 Issue: 3 Dated: (Summer 1992) Pages: 7-14
Date Published
1992
Length
8 pages
Annotation
These four articles are cover stories in a DOCS (New York State Department of Correctional Services) issue entitled "NYS Shock Stresses Treatment."
Abstract
New York State operates the largest shock incarceration program in the Nation, with an annual capacity of 3,000. Legislation was passed in 1987 stating that certain inmates who need substance abuse treatment and rehabilitation can benefit from a 6-month intensive incarceration program. The 7-days-a-week, 16-hours-a-day routine includes hard physical work and training, mental exercise, emotional and social interaction, and self-examination. Signs with tough mottoes remind inmates that they are in shock incarceration. The goal is to build character and instill a sense of responsibility such that offenders can return to society as law-abiding citizens. The systemic effects are to relieve prison overcrowding and release carefully selected inmates early without compromising public safety. Although the program is more costly per day than prison, it saves money in the long run. For each 100 inmates who graduate from the program, the department saves $1.24 million. In January 1991, the department decided that marginally adjusted shock participants, rather than being removed, could be recycled, that is, allowed to stay in the program under a limited set of conditions and circumstances. Photographs, chart