Classification of Inmates

This paper discusses prisoner classification, a method of evaluating inmate behaviors that determines whether of not inmates are high-risk.

This paper describes that, in the risk evaluation process, offenders are put through a series of evaluations, including health and medical screenings, prior arrest surveys, and other behavioral testing. The author relates that specialists assign a profile to each inmate, including his or her offending crime, social background, educational background, work history, and criminal record. The paper explains that there are five basic types of high-risk inmates; each type of inmate has its own set of rules and regulations to maintain the highest level of safety.
“The first type of high-risk inmate, as identified by the Department of Corrections (2002), is the inmate who is deemed high-risk because of escape possibilities. This means that those inmates have a history of escape attempts, either at local detention centers, or from previous Federal Prisons. These inmates have a high motivation to escape and are physically capable of harming guards or others to do so. For these inmates, extra security is required to make sure they do not flee.”