IN NUMBERS: INCARCERATION-RECIDIVISM-EDUCATION THE NEED FOR BETTER COMMUNICATION BEHIND BAR...

IN NUMBERS:INCARCERATION-RECIDIVISM-

EDUCATION

THE NEED FOR BETTER COMMUNICATION BEHIND BAR

COMMUNICATION BEHIND BARSTDCJ REHABILITATION PROGRAMS DIVISION

AUGUST 2011


AUGUST 2011

OVERVIEW

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) operates the nation’s third largest prison system (along with California and the Federal Bureau of Prisons).

In 2011 there were 154,795 inmates on hand in TDCJ-run correctional facilities.

90% of inmates(139,316 persons) PRISON

7.8% of in-mates(12,133

persons)STATE JAILS

2.2% of inmates (3,346 persons)

SAFP

Graph 1: distribution of inmates on hand among different types of TDCJ facilities source: Statistical Report Fiscal Year 2010 of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice

link: http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/publications/executive/FY2010StatisticalReportFiscalYear2010.pdf

http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/publications/executive/FY2010StatisticalReportFiscalYear2010.pdf

INMATES: GENDER

RATIO

From the 154,795 inmates in Texas prisons, state jails, and substance abuse felony program (SAFP) facilities:

92.23% are male and 7.77% are female

the largest share of female inmates is in the SAFP: 23.55%

the largest share of male inmates is in prisons: 93.8%

source: Statistical Report Fiscal Year 2010 of the Texas Department of Criminal Justicelink: http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/publications/executive/FY2010StatisticalReportFiscalYear2010.pdf

PRISON STATE JAIL SAFP TOTAL ON HAND

number % number % number % number %

TOTAL 139,316 100% 12,133 100% 3,346 100% 154,795 100%

GENDERFEMALE 8,639 6.20% 2,598 21.41% 788 23.55% 12,025 7.77%

MALE 130,677 93.80% 9,535 78.59% 2,588 77.35% 142,77 92.23%


AUGUST 2011


INMATES: RACE & ETHNICITY

RATIO


36.21% are African American, 32.26% are white, and 31.03% are Hispanic



TOTAL 139,316 100% 12,133 100% 3,346 100% 154,795 100%

RACE ETHNICITY

AFRICAN AMERICAN 50,811 36.47% 4,408 36.33% 839 25.07% 56,058 36.21%

HISPANIC 42,19 30.28% 4,21 34.70% 1,626 48.60% 48,026 31.03%

WHITE 45,607 32.74% 3,461 28.53% 868 25.94% 49,936 32.26%

OTHER 708 0.51% 54 0.45% 13 0.39% 775 0.50%



AUGUST 2011


INMATES: OFFENSE OF INITIAL

SENTENCING


51.20% were initially sentenced for violent offenses 17.83% were initially sentenced for drugs-related offenses 16.58% were initially sentenced for property offenses 14.39% were initially sentenced for other types of offenses



TOTAL 139,316 100% 12,133 100% 3,346 100% 154,795 100%

OFFENSE OF INITIAL

SENTENCING

VIOLENT 78,368 56.25% 172 1.42% 711 21.25% 79,251 51.20%

PROPERTY 18,943 13.60% 5,946 49.01% 779 23.28% 25,671 16.58%

DRUGS 22,142 15.89% 484 3.99% 1,226 36.64% 27,602 17.83%

OTHER 19,863 14.26% 1,778 14.65% 630 18.83% 22,271 14.39%



AUGUST 2011


INMATES: OVERVIEW OF BREAKDOWN BY GENDER, RACE & ETHNICITY, AND

OFFENSE OF INITIAL SENTENCING



TOTAL 139,316 100% 12,133 100% 3,346 100% 154,795 100%

GENDERFEMALE 8,639 6.20% 2,598 21.41% 788 23.55% 12,025 7.77%

MALE 130,677 93.80% 9,535 78.59% 2,588 77.35% 142,77 92.23%

RACE ETHNICITY

AFRICAN AMERICAN 50,811 36.47% 4,408 36.33% 839 25.07% 56,058 36.21%

HISPANIC 42,19 30.28% 4,21 34.70% 1,626 48.60% 48,026 31.03%

WHITE 45,607 32.74% 3,461 28.53% 868 25.94% 49,936 32.26%

OTHER 708 0.51% 54 0.45% 13 0.39% 775 0.50%

OFFENSE OF INITIAL

SENTENCING

VIOLENT 78,368 56.25% 172 1.42% 711 21.25% 79,251 51.20%

PROPERTY 18,943 13.60% 5,946 49.01% 779 23.28% 25,671 16.58%

DRUGS 22,142 15.89% 484 3.99% 1,226 36.64% 27,602 17.83%

OTHER 19,863 14.26% 1,778 14.65% 630 18.83% 22,271 14.39%



AUGUST 2011


INMATES and STAFFBEYOND CAPACITY

As TDCJ confines 154,795 inmates, most of its facilities operate beyond their capacity.

Overcrowding is not a problem unique to the Texas penitentiary system. In fact, it is reported that :

State prisons are operating between 1% and 16% above capacity.

Federal prisons operate at 31% above capacity.

“Overcrowding exacerbates the chronic pains of imprisonment”

[Dr. Craig Haney from the University of California Santa Cruz- http://www.veradc.org/statements/haney_craig.pdf ]

source: Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justicelink: http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/ascii/p01.txt


AUGUST 2011

http://www.veradc.org/statements/haney_craig.pdf

http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/ascii/p01.txt

INMATES and STAFFPROBLEMS

The staffing levels in TDCJ facilities do not match the increasing influx of inmates. Here are some figures:

35 inmates : 1 staff member

For the 154,795 inmates in TDCJ correctional facilities there is a staff of approximately 4,000 guards.

This means that for every 100,000 inmates there are ca. 2,600 TDCJ correctional facility employees

There are over 35 inmates per 1 TDCJ correctional facility employee

source: NuPhysicia’s Analysis and Recommendations for California Prison Health Care SystemUniversity of California Santa Cruz

March 2010


AUGUST 2011

INMATES v. INMATESASSAULT

Overcrowded facilities and high inmates to staff ratio exacerbate the issue of prison violence.

State and Federal correctional facilities report a 27% increase in inmate-on-inmate assaults

Many correctional facilities in Texas do not count the number of inmate-on-inmate assaults.

The average annual number of inmate-on-inmate assault is estimated as ca. 82 assaults per county.

Texas has the highest reported number of inmate-on-inmate sexual violence cases: 4 times higher (3.95 per 1,000) than the U.S. average (1.05 per 1,000).

Source: Texas Commission on Jail Standards , 2004 House Bill 1660 Report to the Texas Legislation,link: http://www.tcjs.state.tx.us/docs/hb%201660%20report.pdf


AUGUST 2011

http://www.tcjs.state.tx.us/docs/hb%201660%20report.pdf

INMATES v. STAFFASSAULT

Inmate violence increasingly targets correctional facility staff:

State and Federal correctional facilities report a 32% rise in inmate-on-staff attacks.

33.5% of all assaults in prisons and jails are committed by inmates against staff.

Correctional Officers (COs) have the second highest mortality rate of any occupation

The average annual number of inmate-on-staff assault is estimated as ca. 17 assaults per county.

Source: Texas Commission on Jail Standards , 2004 House Bill 1660 Report to the Texas Legislation,link: http://www.tcjs.state.tx.us/docs/hb%201660%20report.pdf


AUGUST 2011

http://www.tcjs.state.tx.us/docs/hb%201660%20report.pdf

STAFFHIGH TURNOVER

The Texas correctional system faces the problem of high voluntary staff turnover.

41.3% of probation officers and direct care staff have serious thoughts about leaving in the near future or are actively looking for alternate employment.

Source: Community Justice Assistance Division, Texas Department of Criminal Justice ,link: http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/publications/cjad/publications-cjad-salary-turnover-survey.htm


AUGUST 2011

fiscal year (FY)

2005fiscal year (FY)

2006fiscal year (FY)

2007VOLUNATRY TERMINATION

RATE (% of staff size ) 13.5% 13.2% 14.6%

REASONS FOR VOLUNTARY TERMINATIONpay and benefits 56%

family/personal/ medical 32%career advancement 3%working conditions 9%

http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/publications/cjad/publications-cjad-salary-turnover-survey.htm

STAFFHIGH TURNOVER

The high voluntary turnover contributes to:

Unstable caseload sizes

Inexperienced staff

Training issues

Decreased quality of supervision

Lower staff morale

Source: Community Justice Assistance Division, Texas Department of Criminal Justice ,link: http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/publications/cjad/publications-cjad-salary-turnover-survey.htm


AUGUST 2011


RECIDIVISM

Source: The Pew Charitable Trust (2011). State of recidivism: the revolving door of American prisonslink: http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/uploadedFiles/Pew_State_of_Recidivism.pdf

Recidivism is the return to criminal activity after release from a correctional facility.

Recidivism has far-reaching and expensive consequences.

The annual correctional costs in the United States equal $52 billion.

By decreasing recidivism rates by 10% Texas can save $33.6 million a year

High recidivism rates carry devastating individual cost for the offenders and high social costs for their families and the community.


AUGUST 2011

http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/uploadedFiles/Pew_State_of_Recidivism.pdf

RECIDIVISM

Graph 2: RECIDIVISM LEVELS FOR THE 2004 STATE PRISON RELEASE COHORTS WITHIN 3 YEARS OF RELEASE Source: The Pew Charitable Trust (2011). State of recidivism: the revolving door of American prisons

linkhttp://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/uploadedFiles/Pew_State_of_Recidivism.pdfvey.htm

Recidivism rates are indicative of the effectiveness of the correctional system.

They can be used to predict the future growth of the prison system

Offenders are most likely to recidivate within 3 years of release from a correctional institution.

Texas comes close to the national average recidivism rate of 41%.

Series1

61.2%MIN-NE-

SOTA43.8%NE

W MEXICO31.9%TEX

AS24.6%OKL

AHOMA

22.8%

OREGON

average national rate of 41% recidivism within 3 years of

release


AUGUST 2011

http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/uploadedFiles/Pew_State_of_Recidivism.pdf


RECIDIVISMBY OFFENDER CHARACTERISCTIS

Source: Texas Legislative Budget Board (2011). Statewide Criminal Justice Recidivism and Revocation Rate link: http://www.lbb.state.tx.us/PubSafety_CrimJustice/3_Reports/Recidivism_Report_2011.pdf

The latest data on the recidivism of Texas correctional facilities release cohorts is available for the following fiscal year (FY) cohorts:


AUGUST 2011

FY 2005 FY 2006 FY 2007

3-YEAR RE-ARREST RATE

76.4%

73.6%

***

TIME FROM RELEASE TO RE-ARREST

13 months

13 months

***

3-YEAR RE-INCARCERATION RATE

***

41.2%

35.7%

TIME FROM RELEASE TO RE-INCARCERATION

***

15 months

14 months

http://www.lbb.state.tx.us/PubSafety_CrimJustice/3_Reports/Recidivism_Report_2011.pdf

RECIDIVISMBY CORRECTIONAL FACILITY


Not all offenders are equally likely to recidivate.

Recidivism rates vary by gender, race/ ethnicity, type of offense of initial sentencing, and correctional facility


AUGUST 2011

FY 2006 RELEASE COHORT FY 2007 RELEASE COHORT

TYPE OF CORRECTIONAL FACILITY

RELEASED

OF THEM RE-INCARCERATED WITHIN

3 YEARS

RELEASED

OF THEM RE-INCARCERATED

WITHIN 3 YEARS

# % # % SUBSTANCE ABUSE

FELONY PUNISHMENT FACILITIES

5,329 2,111 39.61%

5,464 2,201 40.48%

IN-PRISON THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITIES

924 223 24.13% 794 196 24.69%

STATE JAILS 24,218 7,879 32.53% 24,213 7,717 31.87%

STATE PRISONS 40,438 1,052 26.01% 41,051 9,972 24.29%

INTERMEDIATE SANCTION FACILITIES

10,549 4,550 43.13% 10,221 4,101 40.12%



TYPE OF CORRECTIONAL FACILITY

GENDER

% of RELEASED COHORT

% OF COHORT GENDER GROUP RE-

INCARCERATED WITHIN 3 YEARS

% OF RELEASED COHORT

% OF COHORT GENDER GROUP

RE-INCARCERATED WITHIN 3 YEARS

SUBSTANCE ABUSE FELONY PUNISHMENT

FACILITIES

MALE 79.3% 40.3% 80.5% 42.4%

FEMALE 20.7% 36.8% 19.5% 31.4%


MALE 67.2% 26.9% 78.5% 25.7%

FEMALE 32.8% 18.5% 21.5% 21.1%

STATE JAILSMALE 76.6% 33.9% 77.6% 33.4%

FEMALE 23.4% 28.1% 22.4% 26.7%

STATE PRISONS MALE 90.1% 26.8% 90.0% 25.0%

FEMALE 9.9% 18.6% 10.0% 17.9%


MALE 90.3% 43.9% 90.6% 40.9%

Female 9.7% 34.6% 9.4% 32.3%

RECIDIVISMBY GENDER



AUGUST 2011


RECIDIVISMBY OFFENSE OF INITIAL SENTENCING



AUGUST 2011


TYPE OF CORRECTIONAL

FACILITY

OFFENSE OF INITIAL

SENTENCING

REELASED AS % OF COHORT

% OF COHORT INITIAL OFFENSE GROUP RE-


released as % of cohort

% OF COHORT INITIAL OFFENSE GROUP RE-


SUBSTANCE ABYSE FELONY PUNISHMENT

FACILITIES

VIOLENT 18.2% 41.2% 19.1% 45.1%PROPERTY 24.8% 48.2% 24.8% 49.0%

DRUGS 38.8% 36.8% 40.0% 36.0%

OTHER 15.7% 32.8% 16.0% 32.0%


VIOLENT 10.6% 26.5% 8.7% 26.1% PROPERTY 22.6% 34.4% 23.0% 27.9%

DRUGS 52.5% 19.0% 54.2% 23.5%

OTHER 14.3% 25.0% 14.1% 23.2%

STATE JAILS

VIOLENT 1.0% 22.0% 1.1% 18.6% PROPERTY 43.2% 33.6% 44.1% 34.6%

DRUGS 44.0% 32.1% 42.4% 29.5%

OTHER 11.8% 31.2% 12.4% 31.3%

STATE PRISONS


DRUGS 31.6% 25.6% 31.7% 24.0%

OTHER 17.8% 24.1% 20.8% 21.5%



DRUGS 35.7% 40.4% 36.9% 37.5%

OTHER 11.4% 38.5% 11.8% 37.5%


EDUCATIONTHE UNMET NEED

Source: Gaes, G. G. (2008). The impact of prison-education programs on post-release outcomes. Re-entry roundtable on education

Wolf Harlow. C. (2003). Education and Correctional Population. Bureau of Justice Statistics.

One cost-efficient and successful way to reduce violence in correctional facilities and decrease recidivism levels is through education.

It is important to keep in mind that people who make up the incarcerated population are, in fact, those who have had the least opportunity to succeed prior to imprisonment.

Prisoners are under-educated in comparison to the community and have lower literacy skills to handle everyday tasks that they confront. (Bureau of Justice Statistics)

About 75% of state prison inmates, almost 59% of Federal inmates, and 69% of state jail inmates did not have not completed high school. In comparison, only about 18% of the general population have not graduated from high-school.


AUGUST 2011

EDUCATION

1 in 6 jail inmates dropped out of school because they were convicted of a crime, sent to a correctional facility, or otherwise involved in illegal activities.

Ca. 50% of state prison inmates reported they have participated in an educational program since their most recent admission to prison.

Ca. 25% state prison and jail inmates have taken basic education or high school level course and about one third have taken vocational courses.

About 35% of State inmates, 33% of Federal inmates, 22% of jail inmates, and 11% of probationers had successfully passed the GED while incarcerated.


AUGUST 2011



EDUCATIONTHE BENEFITS

Educational programs and vocational training for incarcerated offenders:


AUGUST 2011



Help incarcerated establish positive communication and relations with others

Increases the offenders’ success in securing employment upon release

Reduce the financial, social, and individual costs of incarceration

Contribute to the reduction of recidivism

EDUCATIONTHE BENEFITS

The Windham School District is an example of the success of educational and vocational programs that target the incarcerated offenders in Texas.


AUGUST 2011



FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010

offenders who received educational services through the Windham School District

82,500 79,000 77,500

GED (General Education Development) awarded

5,039 4,893 5,287

% of vocationally trained offenders released during the fiscal year who have secured employment and earn income in one or more occupations related to the vocational training they received while incarcerated

70% 79% 75%

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