Reception and Orientation in North Dakota

[Phil in Paris]

Male offenders are admitted to the State Penitentiary in Bismarck and female offenders are admitted to the James River Correctional Center in Jamestown. All newly admitted offenders receive a five-week period of orientation where instruction is given by various staff members on the operation of the institution and the programs available. This segregation time from the rest of the population helps to alleviate fears, apprehension, and confusion, which new arrivals may have. Upon completion of orientation, the inmate is seen by the Classification Committee, which assigns a risk category, housing unit, and recommends programming (work, education, treatment). The inmate is then placed in general population at the North Dakota State Penitentiary, the James River Correctional Center, or the Missouri River Correctional Center.