New York State Department of Correctional Services Bureau of Records and Statistical Analysis Inmate Under-Custody Statistical…

As part of its function to research correctional services conditions and issues, the Division of Research and Statistical Analysis compiled statistics on inmates under custody in New York's correctional facilities. This database of information was used for studying current operations, analyzing population trends and characteristics, and evaluating the long term effectiveness of institutional programs.

Statistics were kept on four basic types of correctional institutions; the categories changed several times between 1956-75 as follows: 1956-1969 - Prisons, Reformatories, Youth Camps, Institutions for the Mentally Handicapped; 1970-1974 - Maximum Security, Medium Security, Minimum Security, Institutions for the Mentally Handicapped; 1975 - General Confinement, Reception and Classification, Camps, Specialized Facilities.

For each inmate in one of the above types of correctional facilities, information was collected on personal, social, and legal characteristics. The specific data identified was: institution; inmate number; date received at institution; crime category; number and type of sentences; date of birth; crime; minimum sentence; maximum sentence; county from which committed; court by which committed; color/race; age when committed; religion; sex; D.C.I. number/NYS i.d. number (after 1970); years resided in New York; military service/type of discharge; education; occupation; use of narcotic drugs; marital status; previous criminal record; country of birth; if foreign, date of entry into US; if foreign, whether naturalized; for non-psychiatric, 1970-74: record of return for parole violators; for psychiatric: psychiatric classification; institution originally received; month and year received; and mental hygiene id number.

This data was used to produce a variety of reports, some of which are published. In particular, yearly summary reports were produced on the characteristics of inmates under custody.

This system was replaced in 1976 by the Offender-Based State Correction Information System.

Tape characteristics: Files are on nine track magnetic tape in a standard software independent format--rectangular files, coded in EBCDIC, 1600 bpi, IBM internal labels.

User's Guide for the New York State Department of Correctional Services Inmate Under Custody Files, prepared by NYSA staff, and Codebook are available at the repository.

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of this material.