NCJ Number
87944
Date Published
1982
Length
30 pages
Annotation
This report profiles the prison populations, facility characteristics, staffing, overcrowding, and incarceration costs for 15 Southern States.
Abstract
The Southern States involved in the study were Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. From July 1, 1977, to 1982, the inmate population in the South increased 36.6 percent. Annual operating costs per inmate for walled institutions ranged from $15,023 in Virginia to $4,762 in Texas. The weighted average cost for the region was $7,886. Staff ratios throughout the region ranged from 2.6 inmates per officer in Virginia to 10.2 inmates per officer in Texas. Defined as a function of density and confinement, overcrowding as a percentage of inmates in all crowded units was most prevalent in Texas, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas. On a per cell basis, the most expensive construction was reported in Oklahoma ($65,702 per cell) and Virginia ($57,168). In several States, the assignment of two inmates per cell yielded a reduced cost per bed; e.g., in Virginia, double-celling reduced the per bed cost to $39,027. Violent incidents, including assaults on inmates and staff, nonnatural deaths of inmates and staff, and escapes are also covered in the report. Tabular and graphic data are provided.