Inmate classification systems in Iowa correctional facilities

Inmate Classification in Iowa

Iowa Inmate Classification

The classification system used for prison inmates is primarily designed to stratify prison populations by their tendency to commit violent acts, either in public or in the prison system (reviewed by Gaes and Camp, 2009). This approach is believed to increase the efficiency of a correctional system by housing nonviolent offenders in less costly facilities and to minimize the negative influence of the worst offenders on the relatively well-behaved, non-violent offenders. The Iowa Department of Corrections recently reviewed its inmate classification system and made significant changes. This essay will examine the classification system in use within the Iowa correctional system and how it affects the inmate distribution.

Iowa Inmate Classification System

Classification of inmates in U.S. prisons can be divided into external and internal (Austin and Hardyman, 2004). External classification determines the custody classification and facility assignment. In Iowa, prisoners are primarily classified as having a minimum, medium, or maximum custody risk level (Prell and Smith, 2008). The impact of this classification system was recently reviewed and changes were recommended that shifted the inmate population towards increasing the size of the minimum risk population. This shift, which affected the female inmate population the most, is expected to improve offender access to rehabilitation programs, increase staff and inmate safety, and lower correctional costs. By comparison, internal classification is used to determine inmate placement within a correctional facility (Austin and Hardyman, 2004). Internal classification will determine who an inmate is housed with, which rehabilitation programs they may be eligible for, and work assignments.

The classification that will have the biggest impact on the correctional system in terms of safety and cost is therefore custody classification. Custody classification in Iowa was just revised because the old system was found to be inefficient, gender biased, too expensive, out of date, overridden too often, inconsistently implemented, and lacked validity (CJI, 2008). The risk factors that had been used historically to determine custody classification were analyzed statistically to determine which ones were better predictors of future institutional misconduct. The analysis resulted in a new list of recommended risk factors for male inmates, which were offense type, current violence charges, severity of criminal record, time left to serve, severity of disciplinary reports for past 12 months, number of prior disciplinary reports for past 12 months, age, escape history for past 5 years, membership in security threat group, and rehabilitation program and work compliance. The risk factors recommended for female inmates were the same, but were weighted differently based on the risk factor's gender-specific predictive power.

An inmate's risk factor score of 0 to 11, 12 to 24, or 25 to 39 would result in a minimum, medium, or maximum custody classification, respectively (CJI, 2008). The most recent recommended risk factors shortened the prior history used to determine an inmate's custody classification, thereby encouraging yearly reclassification. This will result in a more dynamic classification process to better reflect the most recent pattern of inmate institutional behavior. Reclassification could result in an inmate being moved into a less or more restrictive setting, which could increase an inmate's access to more rehabilitation programs and less restrictive work assignments, improve staff and inmate safety, and lower correctional costs. Exceptions to this classification system include inmates convicted of a sex-related crime or serving a life sentence, who may be reclassified internally under an administrative override. The mentally ill and other vulnerable inmates would be subjected to the same administrative override, to prevent victimization by other inmates.