Judiciary Committee
AN ACT CONCERNING THE REPORTING OF INMATE POPULATION DENSITY AND CORRECTIONAL FACILITY SPECIFIC DATA
SUMMARY: The law requires the Department of Correction (DOC) commissioner to submit to the governor and the Judiciary and Labor committees, quarterly reports containing the number of inmate assaults on staff and other inmates, inmate disciplinary reports, and workers' compensation claims. Beginning with the first calendar quarter of FY 2010, this act requires that the reports provide the required information for each correctional facility, instead of the system as a whole. In addition, the act requires the reports to include, for each facility and each calendar quarter, the:
1. average number of inmates,
2. average number of permanent beds, and
3. inmate population density.
The act specifies that “inmate population density” means the average number of inmates for a correctional facility divided by the average number of permanent beds for that facility.
The act requires that if, during any calendar quarter, the inmate population density for a correctional facility increased by more than 10% above what was reported for the preceding calendar quarter or for the same quarter of the preceding fiscal year, the commissioner's report must include an explanation for the increase and a general description of the measures DOC will take to address it. The law imposes the same requirement if disciplinary reports, assaults, or workers' compensation claims increased by more than 5% above the number reported in the preceding calendar quarter or the same quarter of the preceding fiscal year.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2009
OLR Tracking: GC: SNE: SS: DF