NCJ Number
142910
Date Published
1993
Length
24 pages
Annotation
In New York State, the overall inmate population increased by 78 percent between April 1985 and December 1992, while the number of foreign-born inmates increased by 194 percent.
Abstract
The foreign-born inmates come from 111 countries, with 80 percent coming from either the Caribbean or South America. Two-thirds of the foreign-born inmates were born in the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Cuba, or Jamaica. Only 28 percent of these inmates come from countries in which English is the predominant language. Foreign-born inmates are also more likely to be convicted of drug law offenses and more serious felonies than are inmates born in the United States. If the foreign-born prison population continues to increase and to be imprisoned for longer time periods than inmates born in the United States, due to the nature of their offenses, the resources of the New York State Department of Corrections could be seriously strained as a result of the increased demand for prison space and inmate programs. Tables and appended list of countries (Author summary modified)