NCJ Number
179621
Date Published
1999
Length
49 pages
Annotation
Between January and December 1998, 7,783 unusual incidents were reported in correctional facilities of the New York State Department of Correctional Services (DCS); the rate of unusual incidents was 111.4 incidents per 1,000 inmate population.
Abstract
The rate of unusual incidents was highest in maximum-security facilities, with 210.1 incidents per 1,000 inmate population. Medium-security facilities experienced a rate of 68 per 1,000 inmates, minimum-security facilities 38.4, minimum-security shock incarceration facilities 58.9, and minimum security camps 39.7. Weapons were used by inmates in 36.4 percent of unusual incidents, and weapons were most often used during inmate assaults on inmates. In 1998, 213 deaths occurred in DCS facilities, including 1 homicide and 14 suicides. An additional 184 deaths were due to natural causes and 10 deaths were attributed to accidents or other causes. The number of inmate assaults on staff totaled 956. The annualized rate for maximum-security prisons was 30.6 incidents per 1,000 inmate population, and the rate for all facilities was 13.7. There were 1,556 inmate assaults on inmates. The rate for all facilities was 22.3 incidents per 1,000 inmate population. Most unusual incidents were resolved without injuries to staff; of 22,386 staff persons listed in unusual incidents, 93.3 percent did not incur an injury. Staff used force in 14.6 percent of unusual incidents, with force used most often in inmate assaults on staff. An appendix describes the method used to calculate annualized rates of unusual incidents. 26 tables and 9 figures