NCJ Number
81682
Date Published
Unknown
Length
0 pages
Annotation
The director of the Bureau of Prisons discusses the differential handling of organized crime figures in the Federal correctional system and court cases which have challenged this approach of offender classification on the grounds that it infringes on the prisoners' rights.
Abstract
Although less than 1 percent of Federal prisoners are organized crime figures, their presence in institutions creates special administrative problems. Most inmates are sentenced to prison for three reasons: deterrence, retribution, and rehabilitation. Organized crime figures are in prison mainly for incapacitation -- part deterrence and part punishment. Organized crime figures are designated as special offenders in Federal institutions. This designation is an internal management tool for controlling their transfer and assignment to inmate programs. The classification makes them ineligible for furloughs, halfway houses, and other forms of community-based corrections where they could carry on illicit activities. On October 8, 1974, a Federal court in Connecticut ruled in favor of three inmates who claimed they had been stigmatized by the Special Offender designation. The court stipulated several conditions for designation as a special offender. Later court decisions have also been concerned with inmate rights and the Special Offender designation, although no class action lawsuits have been filed. For the final workshop, see NCJ 81691.