Findings and Recommendations on the use of Segregation in Five Departments of Corrections

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Abstract

Segregation, the practice of holding someone in a cell typically 22 or 23 hours a day with minimal human interaction, has become widespread over the past few decades. Originally implemented to manage people who committed violence within prisons, segregation has become a common tool for responding to all levels of rule violations, managing challenging populations, and housing vulnerable people. In 2015 and 2016, the Vera Institute of Justice conducted an assessment of the use of segregation in five corrections agencies—Nebraska Department of Correctional Services, Oregon Department of Corrections, North Carolina Department of Public Safety, New York City Department of Correction, and Middlesex County Adult Corrections Center in New Jersey. This paper highlights Vera’s findings on these agencies’ use of segregation and the populations most frequently placed there. The paper includes recommendations for policy and practice changes that can be implemented safely and effectively to reduce that use.

Authors

• Léon Digard, Vera Institute of Justice

• Elena Vanko, Vera Institute of Justice

• Sara Sullivan, Vera Institute of Justice