Earned Incentive Program for Inmates in the Arizona State Prison System

The Arizona State Prison system has developed a program to assist inmates in developing a more responsible, pro-social lifestyle to prevent recidivism. The program is the earned incentive program, or EIP. Through this program the inmates are held accountable for their actions while incarcerated. The inmates themselves can determine the conditions of their confinement based on their behavior while in prison.

The Earned Incentive Program is a three-phase system of graduated earned inmate incentives that inmates work towards during their incarceration. The incentives help inmates learn and sustain a responsible, pro-social lifestyle by incorporating the outside community's norms and values into their everyday lives. This program allows the inmates to make decisions and be held accountable for their conduct during their time spent in prison. The Earned Incentive Program encourages the inmates to complete educational programs, follow medical directives, fulfill restitution requirements, participate in restorative justice activities and improve relationships with self and others.

Some of the programs that inmates can use to help their phase level and, thus, facilitate the rewards that are commensurate with their phase are GED, work based education and substance abuse classes. Self-improvement classes such as conflict resolution, ideas for better communication and cultural diversity also help their phase level. Inmate behavior is used as a factor in determining phase levels through the minor and major disciplinary an inmate may receive over a six-month period.

Some of the rewards that an inmate may receive or lose depending on their phase level is the amount of visitation privileges they may acquire, the amount of money to be spent on store privileges, the amount of recreation they are allowed, the number and length of phone calls they can make and the work assignments and pay they are entitled to.

Phase 1 is the lowest phase with the least benefits entitled to an inmate while phase 3 is the highest phase with the most benefits an inmate is entitled to. An example of the benefits an inmate can have as a phase 1 is as follows:

Store: Most an inmate can spend is $40 per week.

Phone: One call per day for 15 minutes.

Visits: 1 per week for 4 hours.

As a phase 2 inmate, the benefits are as follows:

Store: Most an inmate can spend is $60 per week.

Phone: Two calls per day for 15 minutes each.

Visits: 3 per week for 4 hours each.

As a phase 3 inmate, the benefits are as follows:

Store: Most an inmate can spend is $80 per week.

Phone: Unlimited calls per day for 15 minutes each.

Visits: 4 per week for 4 hours each.

As you can see, the Earned Incentive Program allows the inmates to control how many benefits they receive and how much of each benefit they are allowed based on their conduct inside prison. An inmate can move up the phase level as well as move down the phase level based on how they live their lives inside the razor wire. This program simulates the outside world in that if the inmates do what they are supposed to do on the outside, such as work hard at a job or conduct themselves morally, they can live productive lives much like we do.

This program also helps the officers and other prison staff manage the inmate's behavior by showing them the rewards they can obtain or lose based on their behavior. The officers can explain to the inmates the repercussions of their actions in relation to the benefits of working towards a better phase level. This helps the inmates modify future behavior so they think about their actions and how it will affect the benefits of their phase level. This program allows the inmates to control some parts of their lives behind bars and, hopefully, allows them to see these benefits that can help them have control in their lives on the outside.