NCJ Number
205859
Date Published
2003
Length
27 pages
Annotation
Maps of Brooklyn (New York) are presented in this chapter to show the overlap between residences of individuals who have been incarcerated or have returned from prison and the residences of people who are receiving various types of public assistance in the areas of health and human services, suggesting the importance of cooperation among the agencies administering these various services.
Abstract
The maps provide a "bird's eye" view of Brooklyn, showing the administrative boundaries for police precincts and census tracts, the contours of resident characteristics, needs-based programs services, and the activities of criminal justice agencies in the supervision of offenders. The maps show a clear difference in residential concentration between the Black and White populations, which continues to characterize most urban areas. In Brooklyn, communities of color are highly concentrated in the central and eastern sections of the borough. These areas have a high percentage of single-parent households and a high percentage of youth. This is where child support resources are most needed and where there is a concentrated provision of government needs-based program services, such as Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) and public assistance for children. Medicaid recipients are much more widely disbursed in Brooklyn than are recipients of TANF and public assistance for children. It is important to understand incarceration, reintegration, and community supervision as a backdrop for the provision of needs-based program services. Some of the maps portrayed illustrate the concentration of criminal justice populations, resources, and activity across Brooklyn neighborhoods. Concentrations of residents under the supervision of probation and parole authorities mirror those of incarcerated residents. In a single neighborhood, thousands of residents are under the supervision of two separate criminal justice agencies, the New York City Department of Probation and the New York State Division of Parole. These overlaps present opportunities for collaborations among these agencies. There is a substantial overlap of incarcerated residents and residents who receive TANF in Brooklyn. The overlap of residences with incarcerated parents and children receiving public assistance shows the compounded costs of incarceration as well as opportunities for economy-of-scale collaborations between criminal justice and health and human service agencies. Mapping helps various agencies and community organizations see where their services overlap in specific geographic locations, such that collaboration and integration of services can target those areas. 16 figures