Photo Courtesy of Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Unit
According to Comptroller Stringer, focusing more resources on fewer inmates has done little to stem violence in City jails.
By Forum Staff
The rate of fight and assault infractions in City jails skyrocketed 25 percent in Fiscal Year 2016, even as per-inmate spending grew to $132,019 and the average daily number of inmates fell to a 33-year low of 9,790, according to a new analysis released on Monday by City Comptroller Scott Stringer.
During the last Fiscal Year, the Department of Correction’s budget grew by $140 million, an increase of 12 percent. Focusing more resources on fewer inmates, however, did little to stem violence in City jails, Stringer said.
“By many measures, New York City’s criminal justice system is moving backwards, not forward. Instead of working to reverse the cycle of crime and poverty in our communities, we are warehousing New Yorkers in jails like Rikers Island, which are getting more violent by the day,” Stringer added. “The fact is, today’s jails are failing to protect inmates and officers alike, while soaking up more and more tax dollars every year. New Yorkers deserve a 21st Century criminal justice system, focused on fairness and rehabilitation – rather than one that prizes permanent punishment. We must continue to explore smarter, and more humane, ways to tackle this issue – and work towards closing Rikers Island once and for all.”
Report findings include:
- The rate of fight/assault infractions reached 1,148 per 1,000 average daily population in Fiscal Year 2016, representing an increase of 25 percent over the prior year, 48 percent over the last two years, and 144 percent since 2007.
- While the number of inmates has decreased, Stringer noted, the share of the population that are at a higher risk of violence has grown. The portion of inmates designated as “security risks” has increased from 8.2 percent in FY 2014 to 13.3 percent in FY 2016. Similarly, the share of inmates with a mental health diagnosis has grown steadily from 27 percent in FY 2009 to 42 percent in FY 2016.
- The rate of use of force by correction officers on inmates also saw a small increase, growing 14 percent between FY 2015 and FY 2016 to 538 per 1,000 ADP.
- The rate of inmate assaults on staff fell to 94.8 per 1,000 ADP, a decrease of 8 percent.
- The number of tort claims filed for personal injuries at City correction facilities – by both inmates and City employees – grew to 2,792 in 2015, an increase of 25 percent since 2014, and more than double the number in 2011.
- Overtime costs have nearly doubled since 2014, growing 98 percent to reach $275 million in Fiscal Year 2016. This represents a per-inmate overtime cost of $28,074.
- The annual cost-per-inmate reached $132,019 – 17 percent higher than the year before, and 37 percent above the Fiscal Year 2014 cost.
In response to a U.S. Department of Justice investigation and the Nunez legal settlement in 2015, the Department of Correction has devised a plan to reduce violence including new housing strategies, additional security cameras and monitoring, and most recently the elimination of solitary confinement for persons age 21 and under.
