NCJ Number
153822
Date Published
1995
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This executive summary presents a description and evaluation findings of New York State's shock incarceration program.
Abstract
New York State operates the largest shock incarceration program for sentenced State inmates in the Nation with a capacity for 1,390 male inmates, 180 female inmates, and 222 beds dedicated to orientation and screening. New York State's shock incarceration program was established by enabling legislation on July 13, 1987. The program is structured as a therapeutic community, due to its foundation in the Network and Alcohol and Substance Abuse Treatment programs. Due to the documented substance abuse histories of the majority of program participants, a major emphasis has been given on substance abuse treatment within this community. The program provides a minimum of 675 hours of treatment to each inmate during the 6-month program. For every 100 shock inmates released, this study estimates that the Department of Corrections Services saves $2.11 million, which it otherwise would have had to spend for the care and custody of these inmates. For the first 11,709 releases from the program as of January 31, 1995, the department saved an estimated $367 million in both operating and capital costs. Each year, supervised crews of shock incarceration inmates perform thousands of hours of community service as part of the daily routine of the facilities. Inmates are in academic classes for just 12 hours each week. Evaluation findings show that shock graduates are more likely than comparison group parolees to be successful on parole supervision despite remaining at risk for longer periods of time. 2 charts