NCJ Number
135530
Date Published
1992
Length
170 pages
Annotation
Shock incarceration in New York State was established by enabling legislation in 1987 that required a program of rigorous physical activity, intensive regimentation, discipline, and drug rehabilitation.
Abstract
New York's Division of Parole created a comprehensive supervision program based on a team approach with reduced caseloads and emphasizing service delivery. This allowed for more casework, counseling, the development of employment skills, an emphasis on relapse prevention and self-esteem, increased home visits, the enforcement of curfew checks, and random drug testing. Shock parolee placements were made in community programming related to employment, education, relapse prevention counseling, and peer group counseling. The legislature required that an ongoing evaluation of shock incarceration be conducted to assure its program objectives were being met. Evaluation findings in this report indicate that shock incarceration is the only program where inmates can be granted a release to parole prior to their parole eligibility date. Savings have been realized by releasing shock graduates an average of 9 months prior to completion of their court-determined minimum period of incarceration. For the first 4,411 releases, these savings amounted to an estimated $84 million in operating costs, plus $93 million of avoided capital construction costs. Despite their short period of incarceration, shock inmates made academic educational progress. Fewer misbehavior reports were written at shock facilities compared to camps and some medium security facilities. Further, evidence suggests that intensive supervision resulted in higher employment rates and program enrollment rates for shock parolees in relation to several comparison groups of nonshock parolees. It is concluded that the shock incarceration program has met legislative requirements without compromising community protection rights of citizens. References, tables, and charts