PVP In-Depth Reports
In-Depth Issue Reports
Mental Health in the House of Corrections: A Study of Mental Health Care in New York State Prisons
With the assistance of mental health experts, the Prison Visiting Project conducted a two year study of the quality of care for inmates suffering from mental illness. Approximately 11% of New York State's prison population is on the Office of Mental Health (OMH) caseload and 3,200 inmates have a major mental disorder. Through surveys and structured interviews with over 400 inmates, correction officers, prison psychologists and officials, expert chart reviews and a literature review, PVP analyzed the adequacy of current mental health resources and the impact incarceration is having on the health and safety of inmates with mental illness.
The report found that correction officers are poorly trained to work effectively with prisoners with mental illness, there are insufficient mental health staff and resources to meet system-wide needs, and psychotropic medications are the most common form of treatment, rather than individual therapy. Additionally, inmates with mental illness face high rates of victimization in the general population, and they are disproportionately represented in disciplinary segregation, where their mental status deteriorates resulting in high rates of self-harm and suicide.
The report also found that the Intermediate Care Program within prisons and Central New York Psychiatric Center provide high quality services to inmates with mental illness, and recommended their expansion, as they treat only a fraction of the population in need. The report urged increasing mental health staff, expanding outpatient and residential mental health programs, improving the discharge planning process, and providing additional training to correctional staff to maintain positive interactions with inmates with mental illness.
Lockdown New York: Disciplinary Confinement in New York State Prisons
PVP conducted a three-year evaluation of conditions in Special Housing Units (SHUs), prisons within prisons where inmates are locked down 23 hours a day and deprived of programs, human interaction, fresh air and sunlight. Since 1998, New York has embarked on the largest expansion of disciplinary confinement in state history, adding over 3,000 SHU beds to the system.
The report’s principal findings were that rates of suicide and self-harm in the SHUs are significantly higher than in the general population, that inmates with mental illness are more often placed in the SHU and face longer sentences than those without mental illness, and that the punitive disciplinary measures in SHUs are inhumane and ineffective. The report made a series of recommendations, including the creation of an oversight board to monitor conditions in disciplinary lockdown, the removal of inmates with serious mental illness from SHUs and their placement in residential treatment programs, and the institution of measures to curb suicides and acts of self-harm.
Health Care in New York State Prisons: A Report of Findings and Recommendations
In 2000, the Correctional Association completed a three-year study of health care in New York State prisons. This investigative effort included interviews with over 1,300 inmates and 100 prison medical personnel at 22 men’s and women’s facilities. The findings revealed a mixed picture: significant improvements have been made in recent years, in some cases producing dramatic results; however, systemic problems continue to compromise the delivery of prisoner health care. Specifically, there have been notable improvements in the treatment and testing of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis and there are some model facilities that provide exceptional health care to inmates.
The report found, however, that significant problems compromise the delivery of healthcare to inmates, including a lack of external oversight of DOCS’ healthcare facilities, poorly paid and underqualified medical staff and insufficient discharge planning. The report’s recommendations included instituting a system of oversight for medical care in prisons, increasing compensation, training and qualifications for medical staff and creating systems for ensuring that care is accessible to former inmates upon release.
System-wide Reports
State of the Prisons 2002-2003: Conditions of Confinement in 14 New York Correctional Facilities
June 2005
State of the Prisons 1998-2001: Conditions of Confinement in 25 New York Correctional Facilities
June 2002