Westchester County Task Force on Jail Overcrowding - Final Report

• NCJ Number: 86606
• Author(s): Anonymous
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 89 pages
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This report addressing jail overcrowding in Westchester County, N.Y., offers recommendations in the areas of admissions, length of stay, sentenced population, criminal justice planning and coordination, and facilities.

Abstract

In the area of admissions, the use of Pretrial Services Institute, which screens and recommends persons for release on recognizance, should be enhanced and extended. Greater use should also be made of Treatment Alternatives to Street Crime, a program for offenders who abuse the use of drugs and alcohol. The lower courts should be encouraged to consider all forms of bail authorized by statute and the use of bail alternatives. Further, a regional system of datafax machines should be installed to speed the availability of criminal histories. Action in the area of length of stay should establish two additional permanent criminal court parts in the county and institute a 1-year experimental monitoring period for the superior courts. Also, a community service and restitution program should be established for offenders. In the area of criminal justice planning and coordination, the recommendations involve (1) installing an automated data system at the jail as a step toward systemwide data collection, (2) funding the Office of Criminal Justice Planning to develop and analyze criminal justice data, and (3) establish a permanent Westchester County Criminal Justice Board as a mechanism for systemwide planning. Action in the area of facilities should (1) speed planned cell construction, (2) construct a 10-bed forensic unit for female inmates, (3) expand the men's forensic unit, (4) expand the youth shelter, and (5) explore the need for a women's shelter. Attachments provide information on members of the Task Force on Jail Overcrowding, jail population by selected categories, relevant criminal procedure law, the bail review directive of 1981, criminal court trial activity, and presentence reports. A bibliography of 10 listings is also provided. (Author summary modified)