NCJ Number
125426
Date Published
1989
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This report documents the increase in the number of foreign-born inmates in New York State correctional facilities between 1985 and 1989. While the number of native-born inmates increased 41 percent during this time period, the number of foreign-born inmates increased by 123 percent.
Abstract
Over 80 percent of foreign-born inmates in New York are from the Caribbean region or South American; two-thirds of this population were born in the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Cuba, or Jamaica. Only two-fifths of these inmates have legal residence in the United States, and only three percent are naturalized citizens. Language and communication problems, the seriousness of offenses committed by foreign-born inmates, particularly drug offenses, and the drain on Department of Correctional Services resources to maintain foreign-born inmates are issues of concern. 10 tables.