Prisons
Resident Classification
Individuals committed to the custody of the Department are sent to a Reception and Diagnostic Unit (RDU) for evaluation and classification.
During the RDU process, prison residents receive a physical examination, a psychological evaluation, an educational assessment, and a substance abuse evaluation.
Most residents will be assigned a custody level based on the following (civil commitments and residents under the sentence of death are not classified):
- Current crime
- Criminal history
- Escape history
- Age
- Institutional behavior
- Proximity to release
- Detainers and warrants
- Placement matrix
- Risk posed to the public, staff, and other residents
- Programming needs
