violence and safety in american corrections: what the research shows a briefing for……
TRANSCRIPT
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Violence and Safety in American Corrections:
What the Research Shows
A Briefing for……
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How do we measure safety in Corrections?
• Follow principles of good social science research (large, random samples).
• Gather data on a wide variety of performance measures.
• Standardize the occurrence of violence by population, to understand its relative frequency/prevalence.
• Take into account the national trends that affect prison populations and facility operation.
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Macro Trends in American Corrections
• Dramatic Population Increases fueled by sentencing reforms and political environment.
• De-institutionalization of the mentally ill resulting in Corrections becoming the primary custodians.*
• The increasing power of Corrections Unions.
• National efforts to collect and share performance data—thus boosting research capabilities.
• A National discussion on inmate reentry and its implications for public safety.
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What the Current Research Shows: America’s Prisons and Jails are Safe and Getting Safer.
• Over the last twenty-five years, the incarcerated population has increased 330%.
• Over the same time period, a host of key indicators of safety and order have improved dramatically.
• The use of restrictive measures (like administrative segregation) has also decreased.
• Thus, as several researchers have shown, these gains are likely the result of correctional leadership and innovative management.*
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Population Growth• The number of individuals incarcerated in the
United States has increased 330% from 1980 to 2004.
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Homicide and Suicide• Homicide and Suicide in Prisons and Jails occur
very infrequently and have declined dramatically, even while the incarcerated population has exploded.
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Prison RiotsRiots: The number and rate of prison riots has declined
dramatically from a peak in 1973 to a rare event in recent years, despite the increase in prison population.
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Staff Homicides: have declined 100% from 1982 to 2001.
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Prison Escapes: have declined 95%
from 1981 to 2001.
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Inmate-on-Inmate assaults have decreased 29% from 1984 to 2000
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Assault and Sexual Assault (Cont’d)
• Assaults: In his testimony before the Prison Commission, BJS statistician Allen Beck stated that the likelihood of an individual inmates experiencing assault is 7%.
• Sexual Assault: The recent BJS study on sexual assault found 3.15 allegations of sexual violence per 1,000 inmates held in 2004. In State prisons, fewer than 20% of allegations of non-consensual sexual acts were substantiated.*
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Comparing Correctional Facilities and
the Community-At-Large:
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The rate of inmates held in protective custody has declined 69% from 1986 to 2001.
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The use of administrative segregation has not
increased with population growth.
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The percentage of inmates held in maximum security facilities has decreased 30% from
1980-2004 (excludes federal prisons).
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What has happened in American Corrections in the past 25 years?
• The incarcerated population has increased dramatically.
• Homicides, suicides, riots, staff homicides and prison escapes have all decreased dramatically.
• Available data indicates a decline in assaults; assault and sexual assault are not considerably higher in jail and prison than the community at large.
• These gains have been achieved alongside a decrease in the use of restrictive measures like protective custody and administrative segregation.
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What does this tell us?• In conclusion, America’s prisons and
jails are safe and getting safer. • Many factors contribute to safety and
effectiveness, including resources, staff training, programming for inmates, transparency and accountability.
• To achieve safety gains in this context, high quality correctional leadership and effective management are absolutely essential.