Offender Classification: Don't Overlook this Important Security Strategy

• NCJ Number: 118624
• Journal: Corrections Today Volume: 51 Issue: 4 Dated: (July 1989) Pages: 34-37
• Author(s): P Evatt; S Brown; F T Fowler
• Date Published: 1989
• Length: 4 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Program Description (Model)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article summarizes the South Carolina Department of Corrections' (SCDC) internal and external inmate classification processes which have eased burdens of a major consent decree regarding overcrowding, provided equity and consistency to inmates in placement and treatment, and promoted cost-effective management.

Abstract

Citing longer prison sentences and a national recidivism rate of over 30 percent, the article argues that inmate classification is critical to prison management and planning. SCDC's external classification system is described, as are incentives for positive adjustment and annual revalidation procedures. After assigning inmates to institutions according to security level, the SCDC uses a behavioral classification system to allocate housing. Each inmate is assigned a classification caseworker, and committees regularly review inmates' adjustment and program performance. This system also allows inmate input and opportunities for custody and security level advancement. The article explores monitoring processes, plans for future prison construction, and overcrowding.