Israel Prison Service Annual Report 1996

Dear Mr. Minister,

I have the honor to submit to you the annual report of the Israel Prison Service (IPS) for the year 1996.

During 1996, the IPS continued to improve its organizational and functional structures in order to adapt more fittingly to its role as a social and law enforcement agency which contributes to the preservation of law and order, and to the improvement of the quality of life and to social progress in Israel.

The following activities and accomplishments of the IPS have received special emphasis in this annual report:

Construction of New Prisons and Prison Wings

In order to alleviate the problem of overcrowding and to improve conditions in the country~s prisons, and, in order to achieve correctional standards similar to those in western industrialized nations, the IPS is continuing with its program of constructing new facilities in accordance with international standards. Highlights in this area during 1996 included:

• Official opening of Tzalmon prison (capacity: 720 inmates)
• Continued construction of Hermon prison (capacity: 480 inmates)
• Initiation of construction of Hasharon detention center (capacity: 640 inmates)
• Completion of planning stage on the psychiatric hospital project (capacity: 216 inmates)

In addition, new prison wings were opened up in the following facilities:

• Nafha prison (capacity: 320 inmates)
• Ma'asiyahu prison (capacity: 300 inmates)
• Eshel prison (capacity: 100 inmates)
• Shata prison (capacity: 24 inmates)
• Neveh Tirza women's prison (capacity: 24 inmates)

Treatment, Education and Occupational Activities for Inmates

In addition to providing incarceration facilities for offenders, the IPS provides work, education and vocational training opportunities so as to reduce inmate idleness and promote rehabilitation.

In order to discourage inmates from a resumption of criminal activities on release from prison, the IPS employs multidisciplinary teams and operates the following systems and programs:

• Inmate rankings within each wing
• Individualized, group and religiously - oriented rehabilitation programs for inmates prior to their release
• Drug rehabilitation programs within individual prisons (in addition to the national drug rehabilitation center)

The above programs essentially are designed to encourage prisoners to become useful citizens. From a strictly economic standpoint, we are well aware of the negative effects recidivism has upon prison operating and capital costs.

The War on Drugs

Recognizing that drug abuse is widespread in Israel and is often the root cause of criminal behavior, the IPS maintains that the rehabilitation of its inmates is impossible unless they are drug-free. Thus, the IPS carries out measures to prevent the introduction of drugs into the prison system and is expanding its drug rehabilitation program through the Hasharon drug treatment center, which provides hospitalization facilities for some 400 inmates.

Laboratory testing for drug-spotting has been expanded, special wings and cells have been allocated for drug-free prisoners, and a special anti-drug unit (code name: Dror, which means "freedom") is being deployed in order to prevent drug infiltration within prison facilities.

Improved Working Conditions for Prison Staff

Improvements have been made with regard to salary, clothing allowances and working conditions. The training system has been upgraded and construction has begun on a school for prison guards to replace the Nir School, whose facilities the IPS was forced to vacate and which are now being used by the Border Patrol.

Special emphasis has been placed on the upgrading of IPS staff: criteria for recruitment have been made more stringent and the image of prison personnel has been enhanced both within the system and in the eyes of the general public.

The IPS is an agent and reflection of Israeli society, and its achievements on behalf of the criminal justice system and Israeli society, in general, as presented in this report, have been made possible thanks to the efforts of our prison personnel, who work long and hard hours, whose jobs are demanding and whose work schedules are far from what is usually found in the job market.

I want to personally thank all of IPS's personnel and especially my predecessor Commissioner Aryeh Bibi, who was in charge of the IPS from 1992 to 1996. It is indeed my privilege to submit this summary of work carried out by my colleagues in the IPS in 1996.

I am confident that, with the assistance of the Ministry of Public Security, and especially with your own personal involvement, the IPS will have the capacity to deal with the challenges of today as well as tomorrow, for the sake of the safety and well-being of all members of Israeli society.

With best wishes,

Respectfully submitted,

Major General Amos Azani
Commissioner Israel Prison Service

Selected Statistical Data (January 1997)

 Distribution of Prison Capacity 1986-1997
 Composition of IPS Inmate Population
 Distribution of Israeli Inmates by Length of Sentence
 Classification of Inmate Population by Offense - Residents of Israel
 Distribution of Inmates of Judea, Samaria and Gaza by Length of Sentence
 Classification of Inmate Population by Offense - Judea, Samaria and Gaza Residents
 Classification of Community Workers Population by Offense