NCJ Number
215951
Journal
Corrections Compendium Volume: 31 Issue: 4 Dated: July/August 2006 Pages: 11-17
Date Published
July 2006
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article summarizes the findings of a 2005 survey of 38 U.S. and 5 Canadian correctional systems regarding prison violence and escapes.
Abstract
Key results indicated that the only riot reported during 2005 occurred in Colorado’s correctional system. Thirty-five of the responding U.S. correctional systems identified 6,477 incidents of inmate assaults on staff while Canada reported 371 such incidents. New Hampshire reported no assaults on staff while the data on inmate assaults on staff in Nevada and Tennessee were either unknown or not recorded. Tennessee was the only correctional system in 2005 to report that a staff member was killed by an inmate. Of the responding U.S. systems, 36 percent identified 631 injuries to inmates caused by staff. Canada’s four responding systems reported no incidents of staff-to-inmate injuries. When questioned about inmate suicide attempts, 26 percent of the U.S. systems reported that information was unknown or that no suicide attempts were made in 2005 while the remaining 74 percent of U.S. systems identified 4,257 inmate suicide attempts. Canada reported 66 inmate suicide attempts. U.S. systems recorded 405 instances of prison disturbances in 2005 while Canada’s system recorded 99 such instances, which may include assaults, sexual conduct, telephone misuse, hostage situations, hunger strikes, and property damage among other things. A total of 272 escape attempts were reported by the 38 U.S. correctional systems while the 4 Canadian systems reported 15 escape attempts. These attempts were made from a variety of prison security levels and types of facilities. U.S. systems also reported 2,023 successful walkaways from custody during 2005 compared to Canada’s 72 walkaways from custody. Of the inmates who successfully “walked away,” 1,538 of the U.S. inmates and 38 of the Canadian inmates were apprehended. Tables