News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 21, 2023

NYC Department of Correction Continues Reducing Violence and Improving Safety and Training in Second Year of Mayor Eric Adams’ Administration

As year two of Mayor Eric Adams’ administration comes to a close, the department is proud to announce major reductions in key indicators related to violence, as well as significant improvements in safety and training.

“This year, the bold men and women of the Department of Correction have performed tremendous work, reducing violence, removing contraband and weapons, and improving the quality of training to our new recruits,” said Department of Correction Commissioner Lynelle Maginley-Liddie. “While we know there is still work to be done, we are proud of the great strides made to improve the safety of our facilities and our department’s contributions to the Adams administration’s goal of greater public safety for all New Yorkers.”

Reductions in key violence indicators:

Slashings and Stabbings have declined by 23% YTD with 369 in 2023, compared to 477 in 2022.
Assaults on Staff have declined by 17% YTD with 1,365 in 2023, compared to 1,643 in 2022.
Serious Injuries to Persons in Custody (PIC) have declined by 26% YTD with 848 in 2023, compared to 1,144 in 2022.
Use of Force Incidents have declined by 6% YTD with 6,581 in 2023, compared to 7,005 in 2022.

Making jails safer by removing weapons and contraband:

Through targeted searches and intelligence gathering, Correction Officers have removed more than 1,900 weapons and more than 2,100 contraband items, including narcotics.
Correction Officers arrested 153 visitors for attempting to smuggle contraband into jails, including narcotics.
The Special Investigations Unit Canine Unit intercepted 133 contraband drug packages via Mail Trailer searche

Community Outreach:

The Correction Intelligence Bureau (CIB) held presentations for more than 6,000 New Yorkers on gang awareness. At these events, Correction Officers teach parents and guardians important information to keep them and their families safe, and to prevent their children from joining or engaging with gangs.
CIB has partnered with the NYPD, District Attorney offices, community centers, and houses of worship on awareness and education in all five boroughs.

Improvements to Training:

For the first time in its history, DOC utilized the state-of-the-art training facilities at the NYPD Academy in College Point, Queens for new classes of Correction Officers. Two classes, comprised of more than 200 Correction Officers benefitted from this new training initiative, with a third class to graduate in early 2024.
After graduation and 12 weeks of academy training, new recruits now receive an additional eight weeks of field training inside NYC jails – in conjunction with veteran officers – where they obtain critical hands-on experience.
The department promoted its first class of Captains since 2018, improving supervision of Correction Officers in its facilities.
The Department’s Training and Development division opened a new scholarship unit to serve as a resource hub for all staff to visit and obtain information about tuition reduction programs, scholarships, and continuing education opportunities. The unit serves as a bridge to connect uniform and non-uniform DOC employees with information about the academic and professional development opportunities available to them.
The Department trained an additional 2,000 staff on administering naloxone, recertified more than 2,000 uniformed staff in CPR/AED/First Aid skills, provided an EMT certification course to staff to improve medical response on and off-duty, and began offering the Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor Training (CASAC-T) to Correction Officers to better aid and identify PICs who may need extra support for their substance abuse and mental health disorders.
DOC’s Correction Assistance Response for Employees Unit (CARE) was awarded $60,000 from the New York State Office of Mental Health to implement the CARES UP model, which focuses on mental health and wellness for DOC staff.
The Cadet Education, Empowerment, and Development for Success (CEEDS) and Advanced Certificate in Corrections Management (ACCM) programs at John Jay College experienced exponential growth in 2023. After a post-Covid rebuilding year in 2022, the CEEDS Program onboarded 22 new cadets this fall, a 100% increase. The ACCM Program experienced similar gains by enrolling 11 new captains, an increase of 120%.

Programs available for Persons in Custody:

The Department welcomed The Twinning Project, a program originally based in the United Kingdom that provides soccer lessons, mental health services, personal development programming and employment opportunities post-release to incarcerated individuals. This was the first cohort for this successful program in the United States.
DOC was selected from a national pool of applicants and awarded $498,500 for the Bureau of Justice Assistance Fiscal Year 23 Smart Reentry: Expanding Jail Programs and Services grant. This grant from the Department of Justice will identify at least 70 individuals per year who are at high risk of recidivism and provide intensive post release services by developing a re-entry service plan.
As of January 2023, the Programs Division Tablet Operations team has distributed more than 5,000 tablets to PICs. Tablets provide individuals more opportunities to connect with loved ones through free phone calls and provide greater access to educational services, law library, and a variety of programming.
The Programs Division Chaplaincy Services worked closely with the Mayor’s Office of Faith Based and Community Partnerships to engage and return religious volunteers. These volunteers have been placed in various facilities to provide religious services to the persons in custody. Chaplaincy Services held five Community Engagement Days, four Baptisms, and five Congregate Holy Day Events.

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The New York City Department of Correction (DOC) is dedicated to creating a safe and supportive environment while providing individuals in our care with a path to successfully re-enter their communities.