Data-Driven Management Systems Improve Safety and Accountability in New York City Jails

• NCJ Number: 226301
• Journal: Corrections Today Magazine Volume: 70 Issue: 5 Dated: October 2008 Pages: 40-43
• Author(s): Martin F. Horn
• Date Published: October 2008
• Length: 4 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article describes operational improvements for New York City jails that have resulted from aggressive data-driven management and a renewed culture of accountability, coupled with a top priority for keeping staff and inmates safe.

Abstract

New York City’s Department of Correction operates under a program called TEAMS (Total Efficiency Accountability Management System). TEAMS are based in two management tools: a data-based system for constant measurement of performance against key metrics, coupled with the fostering of a culture of accountability. This two-pronged effort has been at the center of TEAMS success in turning New York City’s jails from violent places into safe places of confinement. Late in 2006, the daily tracking of the number of stabbings and slashings in the city’s jails showed an increase. In January 2007, city corrections officials convened a special TEAMS session to examine the increase in stabbings and slashings. The analysis showed that 32 of the 37 slashings and stabbings in 2006 occurred in just 3 of the city’s 12 jails. Based on a detailed analysis of the data, strategies for prevention were developed. They included tactical searches, jail intelligence, and strategic inmate separations. Jail staff was held accountable for implementing these strategies and tactics. Slashings and stabbings in calendar year 2007 dropped by about half from 2006, and a 12-month low of only 19 stabbings and slashings was achieved. TEAMS track data on more than 600 large and small aspects of the daily life of the city’s jails. Data collection, however, is useless without regular data analysis that determines trends and identifies problems. This must be followed by the development of strategies for countermeasures. Strategies must be monitored for implementation as designed and evaluated to determine whether intended outcomes were achieved. 3 figures and 3 references