Shock Incar ceration in New York - Home | Office of ...

1 Department of JusticeOffice of Justice ProgramsNational Institute of JusticeDEPARTMENT OF JUSTICEOFFICE OFJUSTICE PROGRAMSBJANIJOJJDPBJSOVCN ational Institute of JusticeProgram FocusShock Incarceration inNew YorkFocus on Treatment2 National Institute of JusticePROGRAM FOCUSS hock Incarceration in New York:Focus on Treatmentby Cherie L. Clark, David W. Aziz, and Doris L. MacKenzieHighlightsNew York State s Shock Incarcerationprogram for young adults provides a thera-peutic environment where young non-violent offenders receive substance abusetreatment, academic education, and otherhelp to promote their reintegration intothe aspects of the Shock Incarceration, orboot camp, regimen have as their goal thedevelopment of law-abiding citizens. Thetherapeutic approach adopted by NewYork State s four Shock Incarcerationfacilities encompasses drill and ceremony,physical training, work, and education, towhich are added a heavy emphasis onsubstance abuse education and treatmentand the development of personal respon-sibility.

2 A program called Network, inwhich staff receive special training, inte-grates all these components into a singletreatment York s Shock Incarceration programhas had the following outcomes:nSubstantial savings in operational andcapital costs. This has been accomplishedby reducing to 6 months the time theseoffenders would ordinarily have spent in educational achieve-ment. On average, graduates of ShockIncarceration in New York have improvedtheir reading and math scores by one the return-to-prison rates ofgraduates are compared to those of otherinmates, the graduates did as well as (or insome situations better than) parolees whodid not participate or complete components of this approach aresubstance abuse education and a treat-ment program called Network, whichnot only engages the specific partici-pation of Shock Incarceration inmatesbut overlies the rest of the daily regi-men of drill, ceremony, physical train-ing, work, and academic was designed to establishliving and learning units within correc-tional facilities that are supervised andoperated by specially trained correc-tional officers and New York State Department ofCorrectional Services began the ShockIncarceration program in September1987 and currently operates four adultfacilities dedicated to Shock Incarcera-tion with a total capacity of 1,570.

3 Including 180 beds for women offend-ers and 225 beds for orientation The department has intro-duced innovative techniques not onlyfor treatment but also for facility man- agement , staff training, and aftercareprogram York s Shock Incarceration pro-gram has two legislatively mandatedgoals:nTo treat and release selected Stateprisoners earlier than their court-mandated minimum period of Incar -ceration3 without endangering reduce the need for program emphasizes treatment asa means of promoting public safety. Itseeks to build character, instill respon-sibility, and promote a positiveself-image so that nonviolent offend-hock incarceration facilities, or boot camp pris-ons, for young adults are being developed in city,county, State, and Federal They pro-vide shorter incarceration than the youthful offenderswould normally receive, but the regimen involvesstrict, military-style discipline, unquestioning obedi-ence to orders, and highly structured days filled withdrill and hard work.

4 New York State s boot campsadd a new dimension to this typical regimen. In NewYork State, the program is designed to provide a totallearning environment that fosters involvement, self-direction, and individual Focus 3 PROGRAM FOCUS must not have committed a violent orsexual offense or been previously sen-tenced to an indeterminate prisonterm. Both males and females are eli-gible [see box].ScreeningAll offenders committed to DOCSwho are legally eligible for ShockIncarceration are sent to an orientationand screening center at LakeviewShock Incarceration Correctional Fa-cility (SICF). This facility also houses720 offenders, including all eligiblewomen offenders, in phase 1 and is thetraining center for all Shock Incarcera-tion screening was decentralized,ineligible inmates in some facilitieswould spread rumors during screeningthat discouraged eligible inmates fromvolunteering for Shock screening was begun toincrease the proportion of inmates whovolunteer for the program, and it ap-pears to have helped.

5 In fiscal year1992 93 approximately 65 percent ofeligible offenders were admitted to theprogram after screening, compared toabout 47 percent in 1988 1989 whenscreening was not screening interviews, offenders areinformed about Shock Incarcerationprogram requirements and must decidewhether they want to volunteer for theprogram instead of serving their fullterms in prison. Participants are care-fully examined for mental and physi-cal problems that would prohibit themfrom taking part in the program. Whilethe evaluation is in progress, offendersare introduced to some of the ShockIncarceration program officials believe this briefRita finishes 50 sit-ups and springs to herfeet. At 6 her platoon begins a 5-milerun, the last portion of this morning sphysical training. After 5 months in NewYork s Lakeview Shock IncarcerationCorrectional Facility, the morning work-out is easy.

6 Rita even enjoys it, takingpride in her physical Rita graduates and returns to NewYork City, she will face 6 months ofintensive supervision before moving toregular parole. More than two-fifths ofRita s platoon did not make it this far;some withdrew voluntarily, and the restwere removed for misconduct or failureto participate satisfactorily. By complet-ing Shock incarceration, she will enterparole 11 months before her minimumrelease requirements for completing shockincarceration are the same for male andfemale inmates. The women live in aseparate housing area of Lakeview. Oth-erwise, men and women participate in thesame education, physical training, drilland ceremony, drug education, and coun-seling programs. Men and women areassigned to separate work details andattend Network group meetings held ininmates living in Shock Incarcerationers can return to society as law-abiding York s Shock Incarceration pro-gram is divided into two 6-monthphases:nPhase 1: an intensive incarcerationprogram operated by the Departmentof Correctional 2: intensive community su-pervision conducted by the Division 1 is built around a therapeuticprogram called Network, whichseeks to create a positive environmentto support successful reintegration ofinmates into the community.

7 Withinthis general framework, inmates en-gage in the activities normally associ-ated with boot phase 2, Shock Incarcerationgraduates are intensively supervised inthe community. In New York City,where most of them return, a programtermed AfterShock helps with hous-ing, drug and alcohol treatment, re-lapse prevention, family counseling,job training and placement, and othercritical needs. Much of this is accom-plished with the assistance of a varietyof community-based service andSelectionIn New York, judges cannot sentenceoffenders directly to Shock Incarcera-tion. Sentenced offenders can enter theShock Incarceration program if theyare legally eligible, if the Departmentof Correctional Services (DOCS) staffdetermines they are suitable for theprogram, and if they are willing tobecome participants. Because ShockIncarceration participants who suc-cessfully complete phase 1 are re-leased prior to serving their mandatedminimum prison terms, the eligibilityand suitability criteria have been de-signed to ensure that the program ad-mits only candidates who will benefitfrom participation and eliminatesthose who pose a risk to qualify, offenders must be under35 and eligible for parole within 3years of admission to DOCS.

8 They4 National Institute of JusticePROGRAM FOCUSO ffenders can be removed from ShockIncarceration for legal, medical, disci-plinary, or adjustment problems, orthey may voluntarily decide to , about 37 percent of thoseadmitted fail to complete phase 1 andare sent to regular prisons to completetheir original of participants. InSeptember 1993, New York State had1,188 males and 129 females in theShock Incarceration program. Exhibit2 (page 8) presents some TrainingStaff training is a key component ofShock Incarceration. Staff in anyDOCS facility can apply for openingsat SICF s. Once chosen they take partin a 4-week training program patternedafter the Shock Incarceration regimenfor offenders. The training program isdesigned to familiarize all staff withthe concepts, goals, and structure ofthe Shock Incarceration program.

9 Itseeks to give them a better understand-ing of the inmates they will workwith and of the interrelationshipsamong security, programs, training is largely experiential informat. The schedule is based on amodified version of the Shock Incar - ceration day, which includes physicaltraining, drill and ceremony, and in-structor development, while coveringsome aspect of the 6-month treatmentcurriculum. The course content in-cludes leadership skills and teachingtechniques. All staff, regardless ofdiscipline, learn the fundamentals ofdecisionmaking, substance abuse con-All participants in New York s Shock Incarceration program spend at least 12 hours each week onacademic has lowered withdrawalrates among those who enter and RemovalMale offenders who volunteer for theShock Incarceration program eitherremain at Lakeview or are sent to oneof the other three SICF s locatedthroughout the State.

10 Females remainat Lakeview. SICF s are minimum-security facilities, some of which wereformerly forestry camps; they are lo-cated in remote wooded areas thatafford opportunities for hard outdoorlabor. Male participants enter in pla-toons of 54 to 60 once each month,and the platoons proceed through the180-day program as a first 2 weeks of Shock Incarcera-tion are called zero weeks. Inmateslearn the basics of physical training,drill and ceremony, and discipline. Itis a period of orientation, indoctrina-tion, and initial evaluation with a focuson strict discipline and attention todetail. Most volunteer dropouts occurduring zero weeks. To minimize zero-week dropouts, the period is empha-sized as an educational time foreasing inmates into the 1 shows the weekday scheduleof activities for inmates in phase arise at 5:30 and are keptbusy until 9:30 with highly struc-tured activities including physicaltraining, work, drug and alcohol treat-ment, education, recreation, and drilland ceremony.