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Current Developments_________________________________

Current Developments Outside New York__________________

Special Reports_______________________________________

PRISONER REENTRY
More than 600,000 former prisoners will be rejoining communities nationwide. Many ex-offenders are not receiving transitional support, or are denied access to programs and locked out of many opportunities to reenter civilian life. State and local governments are being confronted by a demand for services and programs to improve the transition process.

PRISON LITIGATION
Conditions of confinement, overcrowding, access to medical treatment, allegations of abuse and neglect by prison officials are some of the issues raised by inmates in local and state prisons. These cases shine a light on the current state of prison life.

PRISON HEALTH CARE
Inmate health care issues run the gamut from suicide prevention to treating infectious diseases. Issues concerning the quality of health care behind bars are being raised across the country.

STRIP SEARCHING
Strip searches in local jails have resulted in lawsuits and challenges across the country alleging abuse and misconduct by jail officials.

RIGHT TO VOTE FOR EX-FELONS, PAROLEES AND PRISONERS
Many people are disenfranchised due to laws restricting an ex-felon's right to vote. A bill pending in the New York Legislature seeks to expand the voting rights of prisoners while movements in other states seek to offset the discriminatory impact of the current situation.

PHONE SERVICE BEHIND BARS
Prisons in New YorkState and elsewhere have arrangements with telephone providers that impose an unfair burden on inmates and their families who must communicate through collect calling.

PRISONS AND THE MENTALLY ILL - The way prisons and the government deal with mentally ill people while in custody and later when they return to the community has raised many concerns.

PAROLE
Parolees have been challenging the decisions and policies of the New York State Board of Parole through individual appeals and in a class action lawsuit.

Reports_____________________________________________

Michigan Breaks The Political Logjam: A New Model For Reducing Prison Populations (ACLU 2009)
Michigan’s successful efforts to reduce its statewide prison population by more than eight percent during the past two years while at the same time improving public safety provides a model for other states seeking smarter, more affordable criminal justice policies, according to a report released by the American Civil Liberties Union.

Beyond Supermax Administrative Segregation: Mississippi's Experience: Rethinking Prison Classification And Creating Alternative Mental Health Programs (Criminal Justice and Behavior 2009)
Pursuant to two federal consent decrees, the Department of Corrections greatly reduced the population in administrative segregation and established a step-down mental health treatment unit for the prisoners excluded from administrative segregation. This article describes and discusses not only the process of enacting the changes but also the outcomes, including the large reductions in rates of misconduct, violence, and use of force.

Accomplishing the Difficult But Not Impossible: Collecting Self-Report Data On Inmate-on-Inmate Sexual Assault In Prison (Criminal Justice Policy Review 2009)
This article reports our responses to these challenges in a study of inmate-on-inmate sexual assault in California. We describe our research procedures and provide an assessment of interviewer effects and threats to the generalizability of our sample.

Maximum Impact: Targeting Supervision On Higher-Risk People, Places And Times (PEW 2009)
At a time when states are facing historic budget deficits, state leaders can prevent a large share of the nation’s criminal activity and cut corrections costs by helping probation and parole agencies focus their efforts on higher-risk offenders, in higher-risk neighborhoods, at higher-risk times through a strategy of targeted supervision.

Final Report Of The National Prison Rape Elimination Commission (2009)
Congress conferred upon the Commission an enormous responsibility: developing national standards that will lead to the prevention, detection, and punishment of prison rape. Yet Congress also and appropriately required us to seriously consider the restrictions of cost, differences among systems and facilities, and existing political structures. We have endeavored to comply with these directives, sometimes struggling to find the correct balance among competing considerations. This report describes the scope and seriousness of the problems, ways of solving them.

No Equal Justice: The Prison Litigation Reform Act in the United States (HRW 2009)
This 46-page report addresses a law passed by Congress in 1996 that singles out lawsuits brought by prisoners for a host of burdens and restrictions that apply to no one else. The report shows that as a result of the law, many cases brought by prisoners seeking the protection of the courts against dangerous conditions of confinement, or a remedy for sexual assault or other abuse by staff or inmates, have been thrown out of court.

One In 31: The Long Reach Of American Corrections (PEW 2009). This report examines the scale and cost of prison, jail, probation and parole in each of the 50 states, and provides a blueprint for states to cut both crime and spending by reallocating prison expenses to fund stronger supervision of the large number of offenders in the community.

One in 100: Behind Bars in America 2008 (PEW)
A new report by Pew's Public Safety Performance Project details how, for the first time in history, more than one in every 100 adults in America are in jail or prison—a fact that significantly impacts state budgets without delivering a clear return on public safety.

Legal Resource Guide To The Federal Bureau of Prisons 2008. This publication is intended to serve as a guide to legal resources, including relevant statutes, regulations, policy documents, and current case law concerning issues the BOP faces today.

Confronting Confinement (Commission on Safety and Abuse in America's Prisons). This is the Commission's final report after a year of public hearings and research into abuse and violence in our prisons and jails. It includes recommendations for improving and reforming the prison system, such as standardized reporting of violence and abuse, reinvestment in violence prevention programs, and expanding Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement to include correctional facilities.

Commission on Safety and Abuse in America's Prisons. A national Commission has been created to conduct hearings examining the extent of violence, sexual abuse, degradation, and other abuses in prisons and jails across the country. Four public hearings will be held over the course of a year. Updates and reports will be made available on the site. The Commission is staffed and funded by the Vera Institute of Justice.

State Corrections Statistics (NIC). This is a compilation of data concerning crime rates and prison statistics in the fifty states. The information provided includes: prison populations, national averages, state highs and lows, costs per inmate, probationers and parolees, along with general facts and graphs. The site is maintained by the National Institute of Corrections.

Parole Violations Revisited (NIC 2004). This handbook contains the results of projects in various states intended to develop or improve parole violation policies. It provides guidance for assessing parole violation policies, identifying areas of change, and tools for success. The report was prepared by the National Institute of Corrections.

Drug Detection in Prison Mailrooms (NIJ 2004). This study examined the efficacy of commercially available drug detection systems to screen incoming prison mail for controlled substances. The study was conducted by the National Institute of Justice.

Prisoners in 2003 (BJS 2004)
This report collects data on the United States prison population and compares it with previous years. Growth rates for select characteristics such as number of prisoners held and incarceration rates are listed. It includes information on prison capacities, use of local jails and privately operated prisons.

Arrested? What Happens to Your Benefits If You Go to Jail or Prison? (Bazelon Center 2004). This guide describes the impact on federal entitlements, e.g., disability, food stamps, veteran benefits, and health care programs, when someone is incarcerated, and the means for restoring benefits upon release. The guide was prepared by the BazelonCenter for Mental Health Law.

Disproportionate Minority Confinement: 2002 Update (OJJDP 2004). This report describes the problem and status of disproportionate minority confinement at the national, state, and local levels. The report was prepared by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

Prison Litigation Reform Act (NYC LAS 2004). This is a guide to the Prison Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PLRA), which reviews the law, noteworthy court decisions, and issues concerning its application. It was prepared by John Boston of The Legal Aid Society, Prisoners' Rights Project.

Objective Prison Classification System (NIJ 2004). This is a guide for use by correctional agencies developing policies and procedures for an objective prison classification system. It includes a review of classification systems, strategies for implementation and special cases. The guide was published by the National Institute of Corrections.

Classification of High Risk Prisoners (NIC 2004). This report contains an assessment of current practices in classifying high-risk inmates. It describes risk assessment systems and instruments, model programs, and the results of a national survey. The report was published by the National Institute of Corrections.

Probation and Parole in the United States 2003 (BJS 2004). This report describes the number of persons on probation and parole according to state at the end of 2003. It includes information on the parole and probation populations, gender and race, and rates of completion. The report was published by the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Profile of Jail Inmates 2002 (BJS 2004). This report describes the characteristics of local jail inmates based on a survey of nearly 7,000 prisoners in about 417 local jails conducted in 2002. It includes information on offenses, conviction status, criminal histories, sentences, time served, drug and alcohol use and treatment, and family background. There are also analyses based on gender, race, and Hispanic origin.

Health Status of Soon-to-Be-Released Inmates (NCCHC 2004). This report describes a comprehensive study of health care and disease prevention among inmates in jails and prisons who were about to be returned to society. The study showed that tens of thousands of inmates were being released without being diagnosed or treated for communicable diseases, chronic diseases, and mental illness. The report was prepared by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care.

State Prison Expenditures 2001 (BJS 2004). This report reviews the operating costs of state prisons across the country. Among the budgeting information examined was prison employee salaries and wages; employer contributions to employee benefits; supplies, contractual services, and other operating costs; and capital expenditures. The report was prepared by the US Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Costs of Incarceration and Supervision (Third Branch 2004). Comparative analysis of costs for incarceration in federal prison, community corrections centers, and probation supervision. This information was derived from the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the Administrative Office of the US Courts, and the Office of Probation and Pretrial Services.

Mental Health in the House of Corrections (CANY 2004). This report describes the state of mental health services in New York State prisons. It is an in-depth study based on two years of research and visits to 20 state prisons. It underscores systemic problems and deficiencies while praising several exemplary programs. Recommendations for reform and specific improvements are included. The report was published by the Correctional Association of New York.

Prisoners of the Census . This web site collects and publishes information concerning the use of Census information for counting New York prison inmates and its negative impact on poor and minority communities. It includes information and analysis on state redistricting in New York and selected states; news articles and scholarly publications; fact sheets; legislative developments; a bibliography; and research links. The site is maintained by Peter Wagner, Esq., of the Prison Policy Initiative, working under a Soros Justice Fellowship from the Open Society Institute.

Prison Policy Initiative. This organization researches issues concerning prison policies, and advocates for reform. It includes reports, articles, and various statistical atlases. The materials they publish cover a range of topics: disenfranchisement, death penalty, prison boarding, prison construction, prison population growth, Census, health care, and racial disparities.

Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 2003 (BJS 2004). This report describes data collected from National Prisoner Statistics counts and the Annual Survey of Jails in 2002. It includes data on prison and jail inmates at the federal and state levels. Information on trends from 1995 to 2002 is provided. The statistics are broken down by gender, race, and Hispanic origin, juvenile status, conviction status, and confinement status.

Meaning of Life: Long Prison Sentences in Context (Sentencing Project 2004). This report describes the impact that widespread overuse of life sentences, based on policy changes, is having on inmates, public safety, budgets, and society. It raises questions about the fairness and reliability of the process for imposing life sentences, and the necessity of such sentences. It concludes with a set of recommendations for changes in law, policy and practice. The report was prepared by the Sentencing Project.

New Landscape of Imprisonment (Urban Institute 2004). This report examines the effects of prison expansion in the 1980s and 1990s by focusing on changes in 10 states with the highest levels of growth. The report was prepared by the Urban Institute.

New Landscape of Imprisonment (Urban Institute 2004). This report examines the effects of prison expansion in the 1980s and 1990s by focusing on changes in 10 states with the highest levels of growth. The report was prepared by the Urban Institute.

Hepatitis Testing and Treatment in State Prisons (BJS 2004). This report describes prison policies related to hepatitis testing and treatment. It was based on the 2000 Census of State and Federal Adult Correctional Facilities. The data includes the number of hepatitis C tests conducted, the number of tests confirmed positive, and the number of inmates treated for hepatitis C. The report was prepared by the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Treatment or Incarceration (Justice Policy Institute 2004). This report reviews the efforts of Maryland criminal justice officials to strike a balance between treatment and incarceration of non-violent drug offenders. The report was prepared by the Justice Policy Institute.

BOPWatch. This is a listserv devoted to discussion of the policies, practices and procedures of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), and related topics. It is intended as a resource for criminal defense practitioners. The site is moderated and edited by Howard O. Kieffer of Federal Defense Associates in California.

Prisoners' Reading Encouragement Project (PREP). This is a not-for-profit organization that provides reading and education materials to prisoners and prison libraries. The work is done by volunteers and through donations. They work in cooperation with the New York State Department of Correctional Services.
 

Research Links________________________________________

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