Managing Restrictive Housing Populations
Sep. 11, 2017 - Sep. 15, 2017--This 40-hour training program focuses on the management of inmates in Restrictive Housing within the control and jurisdiction of departments of corrections throughout the country.
Overview
The program explores the following: a brief history of restrictive housing, issues related to the use of restrictive housing, constitutional amendments/court decisions/consent decrees/other cases, management strategies for restrictive housing, the importance of mission/vision/values, prison culture and climate, staffing, and functional analysis/behavior management plans. Most importantly the program offers participants an opportunity to increase knowledge around restrictive housing, share best and promising practices with peers, and develop an understanding of the restrictive housing “Guiding Principles” issued by the Department of Justice in the report "Department of Justice Report and Recommendations Concerning the Use of Restrictive Housing"
Objectives
Teams attending will develop an action plan on a selected DOJ Guiding Principle to present to the NIC faculty and fellow participants on the final day of training and to the executive leadership of their agency upon return. It is requested that agency teams provide updates to the National Institute of Corrections at six (6) months and twelve (12) months after attending the program as to the progress of their action plan.
Audience
Teams should be composed of three (3) members, and include (1) Central Office Staff (Deputy Director, Director of Operations, Regional Directors, Restrictive Housing Managers), (1) Warden/Superintendent or Deputy/Associate Warden/Superintendent, and (1) agency Mental/Behavioral Health Director/Assistant Director or facility senior Behavioral Health Manger. The team should have oversight and decision-making authority to effectuate change in their agency.
As part of the selection process for the program, each applicant may be asked to describe his or her current function within the organization and validate or substantiate their decision-making authority within their agency.
Teams of three (3) consisting of (1) Central Office Staff (Deputy Director, Director of Operations, Regional Directors, Restrictive Housing Managers), (1) Warden/Superintendent or Deputy/Associate Warden/Superintendent, and (1) agency Mental/Behavioral Health Director/Assistant Director or facility senior Behavioral Health Manger. The team should have oversight and decision making authority to effectuate change in their agencies.
As part of the selection process for the program, each applicant may be asked to describe his or her current function within the organization and validate or substantiate their decision-making authority within their agency.
Pre-Work Requirements:
1. Review the Department of Justice Report and Recommendations Concerning the Use of Restrictive Housing (https://www.justice.gov/restrictivehousing).
2. Familiarize yourself with the Guiding Principles issued by the Department of Justice from the Report and Recommendations Concerning the Use of Restrictive Housing (attached). When reviewing the principles, conduct a self-assessment as to how your agency meets these guidelines or misses the mark. Begin to think about what steps/actions/changes/resources would be required to initiate these aspirational guidelines. Be prepared to discuss during the training.
3. Review the National Institute of Justice’s paper on Administrative Segregation in U.S. Prisons, March 2016 (https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/249749.pdf). Be prepared to discuss Future Directions – Research and Funding Priorities.
4. Prepare a read-ahead document (not to exceed four (4) pages) for trainers addressing the following questions:
a) What is the total inmate population of the Agency?
b) What is the current total number of inmates managed in Restrictive Housing (use attached definition)? What percentage of the population does this represent? What percentage did this represent in 2015?
c) What is the average length of stay in Restrictive Housing? Does this length of stay capture inmates moving from one Restrictive Housing status to another, i.e. Investigative to Disciplinary?
d) Does your agency track Restrictive Housing recidivism rates?
e) According to the DOJ definition (use attached definition), what populations of inmates are considered “Restrictive Housing” within your agency? Examples: Death row, Maximum Custody, Close-Custody, Disciplinary, Investigative, etc.
f) Are inmates identified as having a “Serious Mental Illness” placed in Restrictive Housing (use attached definition)?
g) Is there a time frame for completion of an investigation for inmates held in Investigative Restrictive Housing?
h) Who conducts disciplinary hearings in your agency?
i) What alternatives to Disciplinary Restrictive Housing are utilized in the agency, i.e. Reduced Privilege Dorm?
j) What is the maximum sentence to Restrictive Housing (days/years) that may be imposed as a sanction during the disciplinary process?
k) Does the agency utilize concurrent or consecutive disciplinary sentences for offenses that arise out of the same incident?
l) Are protective custody inmates managed in Restrictive Housing or in a special purpose housing unit with conditions comparable to those of general population?
m) Do you have a Restrictive Housing Step Program? Describe the program. How long is the program?
n) What out-of-cell activities are utilized in your agency to improve conditions of confinement within Restrictive Housing units?
5. Prepare a PowerPoint presentation using the attached template as a guide. The PowerPoint will be shared by the team to fellow class participants during the program. The PowerPoint shall be no more than twelve (12) slides and should be presented in 35 – 45 minutes. The team should be prepared for a question and answer period following presentation. The PowerPoint presentation and Q&A period will last no longer than one (1) hour. The Power Point presentation should capture the following information:
Agency inmate numbers/stats (those identified on PPT template)?
Agency efforts to reduce the use of Restrictive Housing? Success stories?
Agency alternative placements to Restrictive Housing?
Agency strengths in managing Restrictive Housing populations?
Agency challenges in managing Restrictive Housing populations?
Agency "best/promising practice" for Restrictive Housing?
This program does not have a video.