custody management in the nyc jail system

Custody Management in the NYC Jail System

Bloomberg Administration

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“Moving Forward: Addressing Georgia’s Policy Needs” March 23, 2013

NYC Health and Human Services

Presentation Overview

• Context Crime & incarceration trends NYC Department of Correction: Population

characteristics and demographics • Custody management challenges and strategies

Custody management and assessment tools Applying the information for improved custody

management and programming Adolescents Inmates with mental illness Security Risk Groups (Gangs)

Discharge Planning 2


Deputy Mayor Agency Oversight

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NYC Crime and Incarceration Reduction Strategies

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Established Reforms & Strategies

• Smart policing: Target resources based on analysis of where and when crimes occur

• Innovations in court practice: Creation of specialized ‘problem solving courts’ (drug courts, community courts, mental health courts that combine court supervision with services)

• Alternative to detention and incarceration: Programs that combine court supervision with case management and treatment for specific populations


NYC Incarceration Reduction Strategies

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Newly implemented reforms in the juvenile justice system (under 16 years of age)

• Keep youth out of the system where possible: Probation has increased diversion rates for appropriate cases

• Expand community options: Developed new models

that provide intensive services and supervision for high risk youth

• Use small therapeutic settings when youth pose a safety risk: Moved children from large state facilities to

smaller settings closer to families


NYC Incarceration Reduction Strategies

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Newly implemented probation reforms

• Moved staff from courts the community: more

accessible and develop better relationships and connections to community resources & services

• Court offices are also resource hubs: probationers

can access to services, computers, job searches, attend workshops, etc.

• Target resources: Use evidenced based risk instrument to

align intensity of supervision, services, and client case-load based on risk and need


Overview of NYC Department of Correction (Fiscal Year 2012)

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• Operating budget: $1.065 billion

• Budgeted headcount: 8,962 uniformed and 1,592 civilian staff

• Total admissions: 84,754 • Total discharges: 85,497

• Average daily population: 12,287


Overview of DOC (Fiscal Year 2012)

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(Cont.) • Average inmate age: 34.5 years

• Average length of stay: 53 days

• Average number of prior admissions: 8.7

• Percent of ADP with a mental health diagnosis: 38%

• Percent of releases from jail to the community: 75.5%


NYC DOC Custody Management Goals

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1. Improve public safety now: while inmates are detained by employing corrections’ best practices to maintain a safe, secure and constitutionally sound city jail system

2. Improve public safety later: employing corrections’ best practices to reduce readmissions to jail and ready the population to participate in their communities as civil and contributing members upon release

3. Recruit, train, retain, recognize and reward excellence in the workforce

4. Provide victim-focused and victim-friendly information, support and services to the crime-victim community


DOC has improved its screening and assessment process

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• Centralizing intake

• Screenings to take place on day 1-3 • Custody classification • Security risk group screening • Service priority level • Mental health screening • Substance abuse screening • Educational assessment

• Day 4-7 • Utilizing evidenced-based Risk/Needs assessment


High-risk and need groups present unique custody management issues: DOC has developed programming specifically geared to address these challenges

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Special Population

Daily

Population

Involvement in Jail Incidents

Adolescents (ages 16–18)

6%

28%

Inmates with a mental health diagnosis

38%

54%

High Custody 15% 42%

Security Risk Group (SRG) 19% 19%

Adolescents represent 6 percent of the total population of which, 43 percent have a mental health diagnosis.

Females represent 7 percent of the total population of which, 55 percent have a mental health diagnosis.


Adolescent Custody Management & Programming

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• Moved to cell housing from dormitory style • Increased cameras in all housing units and

corridors • Temporary lock-in (time-out) and earlier

curfew


Adolescent Custody Management & Programming

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Evidenced-based enhance learning activities

ABLE Adolescent Behavioral Learning Experience (ABLE): a behavioral program that builds problem-solving and decision-making skills to reduce recidivism

ERA’s Regents-readiness: individualized attention in school and a

high school diploma or equivalent

The DOE after-school program: offered four days a week, two hours

each day offers sports programming, college preparation, and arts and technology, study groups, college preparation and opportunity to earn food handler’s certificate and college preparation


Treatment and Programming for Mentally Ill Inmates

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Alternative to jail for inmates with mental health issues

• According to a recent analysis, inmates with mental health issues stay in jail longer than inmates with the same risk level and charge severity

• As a result of this finding, a new program is being developed Will combine court supervision with case management and

mental health treatment linkages and referrals Estimated 3,000 inmates are eligible for this program annually Cost savings from jail bed use will pay for program

• A combination of risk and need data will be used to determine eligibility


Treatment and Programming for Acutely Mentally Ill Inmates

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Planning more intensive clinical model for severely mentally inmates who engage in serious misconduct

• Serve inmates who would formerly be serving infraction time in a punitive setting for poor behavioral control

• Programmed units can provide in-cell time-out to remove patients that become over stimulated Occasionally provide Treatment Over Objection

(TOO) - address symptoms quickly prevent mental decompensation reduce psychiatric hospitalizations encourage compliance with unit standards


Treatment and Programming for Acutely Mentally Ill Inmates

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Created specialized housing units for subset of acutely mentally ill (6% of population)

• Population involved in 19 percent of incidents • Units include structured, evidenced based

behavioral program • Teams of clinical and correctional staff develop

and guide inmates through individualized behavioral contract

• Early results indicate a measurable reduction in fractions (about 25 percent)


Strategies to curtail gang violence

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• Gang members are the most likely to participate

in premeditated in-jail assaults, particularly assaults with weapons

• Steps taken to eliminate gang-related violence • full-body scanners similar to equipment that the TSA uses • more facility and visitor searches resulting in the confiscation

of greater numbers of scalpels and razors • more arrests and referrals for prosecution, • an agreement by the DA to seek significant penalties, • greater coordination with NYPD, and the • opening of a restricted housing unit for predators.


Re-entry: former discharge planning program did not align services with need and risk

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DOC’s first-generation effort at discharge planning revealed:

• Reduction in recidivism rates for those who were medium or high risk Readmission rates for participants in the highest level

risk category fell from 21% to 12%

• Increase or no change in recidivism for those who were low Readmission actually increased for participants in lowest

risk group actually increased slightly, from 78% to 84%


Re-entry: DOC’s improved effort targets interventions for inmates with a high risk of readmission

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• Re-entry interventions are available to any inmate

with elevated risk of recidivism

• Expanding skill building capacity Preparing resume

Hard skills training with certificate

Job placement and retention

Substance abuse assistance and relapse prevention

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and mental health treatment and

referral

• Community stabilization Temporary & permanent housing/shelter

Family, Parenting, and relationship courses

custody management in the nyc jail system

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