The fiscal year 1979 annual report covering the activities of the Department of Correction of Delaware is presented.
The Department of Correction is responsible for the confinement and noninstitutional supervision and treatment of offenders -- both juvenile and adult -- as are ordered by the courts. The department is composed of a central office, an adult bureau, and a juvenile bureau. The major accomplishments of the central office during the year were (1) activation of zero-based budgeting, (2) obtaining and implementing a grant to update inmate records, and (3) obtaining and implementing a grant for Comprehensive Employability Assessment and Training. The adult bureau opened a 45-bed facility at Sussex Correctional Institution, consolidated inmate treatment under institutional services, opened a 118-bed facility on the grounds of the Delaware Correctional Center, opened the prison industries building at Delaware Correctional Center and commenced furniture refinishing, initiated a resident 'Green Tree Program' for drug and substance abuse, obtained and implemented a furlough supervision grant, obtained and implemented a classification grant, broke ground for a 64-bed maximum security facility, and maintained inmate population below court-mandated levels 8 out of 12 months. The juvenile bureau hosted the Middle Atlantic Conference on Corrections, instituted counseling service at Bridge House, initiated a new treatment approach at Woods Haven Kruse, and reorganized the client-study team under Community-Based Services. The most pressing problem faced by the department is overcrowding. The status of long-range projects is also discussed. An organizational chart is included. (Author abstract modified)