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Offender Classification

Effective offender classification is essential in corrections, not only to support daily management and administration, but also to keep the system responsive to changing offender demographics, sentencing statutes, and agency policy.

We help agencies develop or modify their classification procedures through programs, technical assistance, and resource materials. Use of objective classification systems and techniques is emphasized.

Review the documents from the library for more information about offender classification. For more information about this topic, please use the Help Desk.

Library Resources

Recommended Reading

Date	Title	Type
2004	Classification of High-Risk and Special Management Prisoners: A National Assessment of Current Practices By Austin, James; McGinnis, Kenneth. National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC); Security Response Technologies, Inc. (Middleton, MA); George Washington University. Institute on Crime, Justice and Corrections (Washington, DC). Results from a survey "designed to obtain information on the procedures used to classify high-risk inmates, particularly those in protective custody or administrative segregation, and inmates with mental illness or medical problems" are presented (p. xvi). Six chapters follow an executive summary: Introduction; Overview of risk assessment; Risk assessment systems and instruments; Findings of the National Survey of the Management of High-Risk Inmates; Identificati... Read More	87 p.
2004	Classification of High-Risk Offenders [Videoconference Held September 1, 2004] National Institute of Corrections Academy (Longmont, CO). Prison systems experience continued pressure to house offenders in the most appropriate setting possible. While most correctional systems have implemented objective classification systems that have become quite effective in identifying inmates for the general prison population, less attention has been given to accurately classifying inmates who pose a higher risk and may require special management within the prison setting. This satellite/Internet training program will report on a study cond... Read More	1 DVD (159 min.)
2001	Classification of Women Offenders: A National Assessment of Current Practices By Van Voorhis, Patricia; Presser, Lois. National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). University of Cincinnati. Division of Criminal Justice (Cincinnati, OH); National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). Findings from a telephone assessment of state and federal practices for classifying women offenders are presented. In addition to an executive summary, this report has the following chapters: Introduction; Issues in classifying women offenders -- the literature; Approach; Findings; And discussion. Most states still apply a male-based classification system to women.... Read More	34 p.
2001	Critical Issues and Developments in Prison Classification By Austin, James; Hardyman, Patricia L.; Brown, Sammie D.. National Institute of Corrections. Prisons Division (Washington, DC). In order to enable correctional administrators to anticipate further improvements in objective classification, this bulletin provides a summary of current critical classification issues. Topics briefly discussed include: re-evaluation of existing prison classification systems; external and internal classification; classification systems for women inmates; identification of high risk and special management inmates; the use of classification for reentry and inmate transition programs; the impact... Read More	3 p.
2004	Developing Gender-Specific Classification Systems for Women Offenders By Hardyman, Patricia L.; Van Voorhis, Patricia. National Institute of Corrections. Prisons Division (Washington, DC). George Washington University. Institute on Crime, Justice and Corrections (Washington, DC); University of Cincinnati. Center for Criminal Justice Research (Cincinnati, OH); National Institute of Corrections. Prisons Division (Washington, DC). A report which highlights the results of two cooperative agreements from the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) addressing the critical need for gender-specific objective classification systems is presented. Following an executive summary are six chapters: introduction; classification issues for women offenders--the literature; NIC Prisons Division--womens classification initiatives (e.g., National Assessment of Current Practices for Classifying Women Offenders and Working With Correc... Read More	81 p.
2004	Enhancing Prison Classification Systems: The Emerging Role of Management Information Systems By Brennan, Tim; Wells, David; Alexander, Jack. National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). Northpointe Institute for Public Management (Traverse City, MI); National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). The effects of information technology (IT) and computation developments on prison classification productivity are examined (p. vi). Ten chapters follow an executive summary: current status of MIS (management information system) support for prison classification brief review; MIS software, IT and classification productivity; offender classification roles and data requirements; automated prison classification system features and functions; software design principles and the user interface; evaluat... Read More	254 p.
2003	Findings in Prison Classification and Risk Assessment By Austin, James. National Institute of Corrections. Prisons Division (Washington, DC). New information and knowledge learned regarding classification and risk assessment systems are reviewed. Topics discussed include: differences between prison classification and public risk assessment; differences between external and internal prison classification systems; standards in evaluating prisoner classification and other risk assessment instruments; the logic of prisoner classification systems; issues in reliability; issues in validity; factors associated with misconduct; impact of pris... Read More	7 p.
2002	Internal Prison Classification Systems: Case Studies in Their Development and Implementation By Hardyman, Patricia L.. National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). George Washington University. Institute on Crime, Justice and Corrections (Washington, DC); National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). The development, implementation, impact assessment, and refinement of objective internal classification systems are examined. In addition to an executive summary, this report contains three chapters: introduction; description of the states' internal classification initiatives (Connecticut, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Florida, New Jersey, South Dakota, and Missouri); and common problems, issues, and solutions. Appendixes include: Checklist for the Analysis of Life History of Adult Offenders (CA... Read More	105 p.
1998	Objective Jail Classification Systems: A Guide for Jail Administrators By Austin, James. National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). Objective jail classification (OJC) is a process of assessing every jail inmate's custody and program needs and is considered one of the most important management tools available to jail administrators and criminal justice system planners. An effective system of inmate classification will reduce escapes and escape attempts, suicides and suicide attempts, and inmate assaults. OJC systems use locally developed and validated instruments, one at intake and another after a period of confinement, that... Read More	72 p.
2004	Objective Prison Classification: A Guide for Correctional Agencies By Austin, James; Hardyman, Patricia L.. National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). George Washington University. Institute on Crime, Justice and Corrections (Washington, DC). The current state of the art in prison classification is reviewed. Seven chapters follow an executive summary; introduction; a brief history of objective prison classification; what is objective prison classification; effective strategies -- guidelines for implementing classification systems; evaluations of prison classification systems; classification of women prisoners; and other special topics and issues in classification. ... Read More	78 p.
2004	Prisoner Intake Systems: Assessing Needs and Classifying Prisoners By Hardyman, Patricia L.; Austin, James; Peyton, Johnette. National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). George Washington University. Institute on Crime, Justice, and Corrections (Washington, DC); National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). Tasks, assessments, and technology used in prisoner intake systems are examined. Following an executive summary, this report has seven chapters: introduction; national overview of facility characteristics, facility functions, intake components and personnel responsibilities, and obstacles to intake assessments; four chapters review select agency's corrections population, intake facilities, intake process, processing time and flexibility, classification, and needs assessment -- one chapter per De... Read More	80 p.
2002	Revalidating External Prison Classification Systems: The Experience of Ten States and Model for Classification Reform By Hardyman, Patricia L.; Austin, James; Tulloch, Owan C.. National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). George Washington University Institute on Crime, Justice and Corrections (Washington, DC); National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). Work undertaken by the participating states is described, an outline of the fundamental tasks required for a revalidation effort is provided, and external classification trends and lessons learned from these classification reforms are summarized within this report (p. x). This report is comprised of the following sections: executive summary; introduction; NIC classification goals and objectives; description of the ten states' external classification initiatives (Virginia, Montana, Oregon, Oklaho... Read More	129 p.

Related Resources

Date	Title	Type
1994	Survey Report on Internal Offender Classification System By Austin, James; Chan, Luiza. National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). National Council on Crime and Delinquency (San Francisco, CA). The report presents the results of a survey on internal offender classification systems across the United States. The report discusses survey methods and prevalence of these systems. It then briefly describes the offender classification systems in various states and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The survey also solicited agency interest in participating as an internal classification test site. A table detailing each state's response to the survey questions is included.... Read More	10 p.
1984	Offender Needs Assessment: Models and Approaches By Clements, Carl B.; McKee, John M.; Jones, Susan E.. National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). Rehabilitation Research Foundation (University, AL); National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). ... Read More
1994	Understanding Why Inmates Are Misclassified: The Use of Qualitative Methods in Evaluating Objective Prison Classification By Alexander, Jack; Austin, James. National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). National Council on Crime and Delinquency (San Francisco, CA). This study of classification systems has two purposes. The first is to test new methods for evaluating objective prison classification systems by using qualitative research methods. The second is to examine why inmates often do not behave as expected according to their classification level. By looking at two prison systems, this report provides the process evaluation results of their classification systems and explains the factors that influence inmate behaviors.... Read More	63 p.
1990	Jail Classification System Development By Austin, James F.; Brennan, Tim; Buchanan, Robert A.. National Institute of Corrections. Jails Division (Boulder, CO). National Council on Crime and Delinquency (San Francisco, CA); Correctional Services Group (Kansas City, MO). Contents: (v. 1) Consultant's Guide to Conducting a Phase I Jail Classification Assessment; (v. 2) Evaluating Jail Classification Systems: Practical Approach; (v. 3) Executive Summary; (v. 4) Final Report; (v. 5) Guidelines for Developing, Implementing and Revising an Objective Jail Classification System; (v. 6) Objective Jail Classification System User's Manual; (v. 7) A Review of the Literature; (v. 8) Survey of Jail Classification Systems; (v. 9) Training Manual; (v. 10) Implementing Objecti... Read More	10 v.
1992	Jail Classification System Development: A Review of the Literature National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). LIS, Inc. (Boulder, CO). This review of the literature summarizes the history of inmate classification, the specific classification peculiarities characteristic of jail settings, and issues in the implementation of objective jail classification systems. This 1992 edition includes new sections on objective classification system components, the use of criminal history data in making classification decisions, and computer applications in objective classification.... Read More	69 p.
1992	Handbook for Evaluating Objective Prison Classification Systems By Alexander, Jack; Austin, James. National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). National Council on Crime and Delinquency (San Francisco, CA). Developed to provide correctional professional with a tool for more effectively and efficiently managing their departments, this document presents a critical review of issues relevant to the evaluation of correctional classification systems. Topics covered include: standards for conducting classification evaluations, impact evaluation and validation goals, evaluation questions, designs, and methods; and sampling and data collection techniques.... Read More	98 p.
1989	Behavioral Classification for Female Offenders: Research Report By Quay, Herbert C.; Love, Craig T.. National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). South Carolina Dept. of Corrections. Division of Classification (Columbia, SC). Five patterns of behavior in institutionalized female offenders that are similar to patterns in male offenders are identified. These behavior patterns are aggressive, manipulative, dependent, inadequate, and depressed/anxious. They can be utilized to classify female offenders into behaviorally homogenous subgroups. (p.iv).... Read More	35 p.
1993	Indiana Department of Corrections Women Classification Study By Austin, James; Chan, Luiza; Elms, William. National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). National Council on Crime and Delinquency (San Francisco, CA). This study evaluates the effect of the current Indiana Department of Corrections classification system on female inmates, with special emphasis on possible over-classification. It also assesses the specific needs and difficulties that female inmates experience during incarceration. Data presented compare male and female inmate classifications and examine female inmates' demographics, abuse history, children, and prison visitation. From this data, the report provides recommendations for adjusting... Read More	46 p.
2004	Prisoner Intake Systems: Assessing Needs and Classifying Prisoners By Hardyman, Patricia L.; Austin, James; Peyton, Johnette. National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). George Washington University. Institute on Crime, Justice, and Corrections (Washington, DC); National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). Tasks, assessments, and technology used in prisoner intake systems are examined. Following an executive summary, this report has seven chapters: introduction; national overview of facility characteristics, facility functions, intake components and personnel responsibilities, and obstacles to intake assessments; four chapters review select agency's corrections population, intake facilities, intake process, processing time and flexibility, classification, and needs assessment -- one chapter per De... Read More	80 p.
1996	Risk Classification in the 1990s By Van Voorhis, Patricia; Brown, Kelly. National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). University of Cincinnati. Division of Criminal Justice (Cincinnati, OH). This monograph reviews several models for risk classification and describes the current state of offender risk classification, as well as furnishing a consumer's guide to risk assessment. The authors present options, review issues, promote the proper use of available technology, and identify potential misuse of risk assessments.... Read More	60 p.
2004	Classification of Women Offenders: Gender-Responsive Approach to Risk/Needs Assessment By Van Voorhis, Patricia. National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). University of Cincinnati. Center for Criminal Justice Research (Cincinnati, OH). An overview of the work done by collaborative partnerships to design and validate gender-responsive risk and needs assessments for female offenders is provided. This article discusses issues surrounding female offender classification and the current National Institute of Corrections (NIC) study regarding gender-responsive approaches to risk and needs assessment.... Read More	8 p.