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N

NCIC:  National Criminal Information Center. (407.03)

Narrative Case Information:  Descriptive information regarding a case, which is entered and maintained electronically by Department staff and other authorized persons. This information documents events, administrative actions, professional opinions/assessments, and evaluations. (254.04 – 12/07)

Necessary Force:  Only the amount of force required to subdue the inmate to prevent injury, damage, or to carry out the legal order. (Interim Procedure – Use of Force Field and Threats on Staff)

Need:  Lack of something requisite, desirable, or useful; a condition requiring supply or relief. (03)

Needs Principle:  The principle of corrections practice which stresses the importance of identifying and treating those risk/need areas that are associated with criminal recidivism.  (371.06)

Negative Reinforcement: Reward or acknowledgment indicating acceptance, approval, or affirmation following negative or inappropriate behavioral performance (as in a criminal thinking peer culture); or a consequence that recipient perceives as negative.  Negative consequence, sarcasm, cynicism, and even criticisms that are not constructed to go beyond negative judgment and complaint are all classic negative reinforcers.  Many times they beget resistance, rebellion, or at least a further entrenched, negative attitude- one that is not open to the desired change. (76.05)

Negative Language:  Words or phrases that carry a negative connotation or definition. (414.04)

Needs-reducing Program: A correctional program designed to address an offender’s criminogenic need areas with the goal of reducing the risk for reoffense. (371.05 - 11/07)

New Reparative Board:  If a community does not yet have a board, the establishment of the new group of citizens will be considered a “Reparative Board”, with its own by-laws and community name. (501.02)

Next of Kin: A spouse, adult child, parent, adult sibling, adult grandchild, or any person identified by the individual as a “reciprocal beneficiary” or a person designated by the court to make decisions or have custody of the body. (353)

NFPA (National Fire Protection Association): An international non-profit organization, which provides standards for fire, electrical, and life safety issues. (404.02 – 3/07)

NIOSH (The National Institute of Safety and Health): The federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related injury and illness. NIOSH is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the Department of Health and Human Services. (404.02 – 3/07)

Non-Compliance with Treatment: Refusing treatment recommended by the DOC, or being ineligible for treatment by failing to meet the DOC Sex Offender Treatment Program admissions criteria, or failing to remain in and/or complete a treatment program recommender by the DOC. (255.01)

Non-Confidential Information: (1) Confirmation of the name of a specific offender or person placed in the custody of the Department; (2) the offender’s current offense; (3) date and length off sentence received; (4) date of commencement of furlough, supervised community sentence, probation or parole, or incarceration; (5) the individuals attorney of record; (6) the DOC employee assigned to supervise the offender; (7) records of bail or conviction or sentencing, including any court order or mittimus; (8) and, records reflecting the transfer of custody from a law enforcement officer to Corrections. (254.01, 255)

Non-Confidential Offender Status Information:

-offender’s current offense(s)

-date and length of sentence received

-date of parole/probation commencement and termination

-conditions of parole/probation

-offender’s attorney of record

-assigned probation/parole officer (253)

Non-Contact Visit: A meeting between an inmate and a visitor which is separated by a screen, solid glass partition or other partition which physically separates visitor from inmate. (327.01)

Non-Contractual Purchased Services:  These are services, which are necessary, but are not predictable in specific aspects of need, source, frequency, etc., to allow a contract to be drawn. (202)

Non-deadly Force: An amount of force used against an inmate or in a situation that would be reasonably expected not to result in the death or serious bodily injury of an inmate. (413.01)

Non-Participants:  Any individual within the immediate physical area of the disturbance, but not engaged verbally or physically in it.  Non-participants may be hostages, other inmates, volunteers, and so on. (414)

Nonprofit Organization:  A corporate entity registered in the state of Vermont as a “public benefit” type of nonprofit organization as defined in Title 11B VSA. (392.02)

Nonsecure Custody:  Exists when the following criteria are satisfied:

1.        The area where the juvenile is held is an unlocked multi-purpose area, such as a lobby, office, or interrogation room which is not designed, set aside or used as a secure detention area or is not a part of such an area;

2.        The juvenile is not physically secured to a cuffing rail or other stationary object during the period of custody in the area;

3.        The use of this area is limited to providing nonsecure custody only long enough and for the purpose of identification, investigation, release to parents, or arranging transfer to an appropriate juvenile facility or court.

4.        In no event can the area be designated or intended to be used for residential purposes; or

5.        The juvenile must be under the continuous visual supervision by a law enforcement officer or facility staff during the period of time that he or she is in nonsecure custody. (326.01)

Notice:  Dissemination of information in any form to include, but not limited to, the print media, documents, and electronic transmission. (256)

Notice of Hearing:  An official notice given to furloughed offenders who have violated a furlough condition.  This notice is the first due process step in warning the offender about what the violation was and where the hearing will be held.  Often notice of hearings involves a declaration of the offender rights concerning the hearing. (413.06)

Notice of Suspension:  A form that is used by the DOC to lodge an offender at a Correctional Facility pending a Graduated Sanction meeting or a Formal Process. (371.16)

Notice to Appear:  An official notice ordering appearance in front of the Parole Board for the beginning of the due process procedure in connection with a parolee or Supervised Community Sentence violation hearing.  This is given to offenders who have allegedly violated the conditions of either of these two legal statuses and, through the discretion of the supervising correctional officer, have not been arrested. (413.06)

Notification:  Verbal reporting of an incident, usually by the on-duty supervisor. (405.02)

Nudity:  The showing of the human male or female genitals, pubic area or buttocks with less than a full opaque covering, or the showing of the female breast with less than a fully opaque covering of any portion thereof below the top of the nipple, or the depiction of covered male genitals in a disconcertingly turgid state. (408.01)

Nurse:  One duly trained and licensed by the State of Vermont to care for the sick or infirm under the supervision of a physician. (351,361,363)

Nurse Practitioner:  One duly trained and licensed by the State of Vermont to provide care for the sick or infirm under supervision of a licensed physician, in addition to being qualified by additional training to provide care of greater responsibility under sponsorship of a licensed physician. (351)

Nutraloaf: A loaf style form of nourishment prepared using the ingredients and process listed in Attachment 2, designed to be consumed without the need for utensils, which is served as an alternative to regular inmate meals following placement in segregation for misuse of food or bodily waste.  (413.09)

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O

Objective:  Being observable; a characteristic of; a part of the whole that is measurable. (03)

Objective Standards:  Minimum program requirements to be used as guidelines for program development, maintenance and evaluation. (389)

Off Limits:  Any area where there is limited access, i.e., control center, gun towers, arm lockers. (415)

Off-Line:  Any time that no communication device is open for use. (414.04)

Offender:  Any person convicted of a crime or offense under the laws of this state, the United States government, or the laws of another state, who is under the supervision of the Vermont Department of Corrections. (409.01)

Offender Classification System:  The system that determines the appropriate security and custody level for an offender. (313.02)

Offender Contact:  Direct or indirect interactions with offenders during which DOC staff observes their behavior, and/or counsel and guide them regarding case plans and requirements imposed by the court, parole board, or DOC.  The purpose of the offender contacts is twofold:

·         To monitor an offenders compliance with conditions of release and other behavioral expectations so that appropriate behavior can be rewarded and inappropriate behavior can be responded to appropriately by DOC staff.

·         To support and guide the offender, using knowledge of best correctional practice and counseling skills, towards completion of their case plan and legal requirements. (371.17)

Offender Labor:  Assigned Offender Work Program labor performed by offenders either inside secure facilities or within the community while under the custody of the Commissioner. (398)

Offender/Mentor Team Leader: higher-skilled and more experienced offender workers who take a leading role in training and supervising the work of other offender participants in the Workforce Development Program, and who provide stability to the workforce. Mentors often act as production coordinators within a VCI shop and have higher level of responsibility. (394.01)

Offender Responsibility Plan (ORP) : The document that covers offender case planning, case management, and reparative responsibilities. Also, ORP is Offender Responsibility Planning, the Department’s strength-based restorative approach to case planning. (371.05)

Offender Work Programs:  Any work activity or program managed by the Department of Corrections, which governs inmate labor. (398)

Offense:  The conduct underlying a conviction. (256)

Office Contact:  An interaction or observation with an offender or a collateral person that occurs in the CRSU or CCSC office, any designated outpost office site, DOC treatment site, or correctional facility. (371.17)

Official Business (Visitors):  Persons who have business to conduct with the staff of the facility, other State employees, law enforcement personnel, sales personnel, or liaison committee members. (415)

Official Record:  A permanent record that indicates those people present in any correctional facility on any given day. (415)

Oleoresin:  a mixture of essential oil and resin found in nature. (413.03)

Oleoresin Capsicum: spray or foam appropriate for indoor or outdoor application and self-protection situations. (413.03) A product using tincture of oleoresin capsicum derived from cayenne pepper (its active agent), which is used to incapacitate, district and control a subject. (413.01) A product using tincture of oleoresin capsicum derived from cayenne pepper (its active agent), that when deployed is designed to cause sufficient physiological effect to stop control or temporarily immobilize an individual. (Interim Procedure – Use of Force Field and Threats on Staff) (ed. note: compare various versions)

On-Line:  Any time that communications are being conducted with Hostage Takers, (whether on a hostage phone or other communication devise). (414.04)

On the Job Training Manual:   A participant manual designed to serve as documentation of the on-the-job training portion of a new employee’s site orientation. (106.06)

Operational Community Service Team:  An operation community service team has a vehicle in good working order and appropriate for safe transportation of the service team and the necessary equipment to carry out the tasks of the assignment.  The service team leader has completed DOC training, and all offenders on the service team have been oriented to the Community Restitution Program, trained to complete the tasks assigned, equipped with safety gear necessary for the work site and trained in appropriate safety procedures. (424.05)

Oral Exam:  A set of 11 open-ended questions to be asked of all applicants who pass prior test requirements that are added to prior test scores for a total score.  Questions and rater responses are confidential and not to be disclosed. (122.03)

OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration): The federal agency, which oversees work site safety, issues for the U. S. Department of Labor. (404.02 – 3/07)

Other Direct Legal Assistance Available: The use of ILLs and ILAs does not preclude any inmate who is not selected and certified by the correctional facility superintendent or DLE to offer assistance to other inmates so long as those offering assistance do not charge or require payment of any kind.  Those inmates, who do provide assistance may, consistent with generally applicable space limitations and fire safety restrictions, retain the legal materials for other inmates.  DOC administration and staff will not retaliate against inmates assisting other inmates with legal matters. Any inmate may act as hearing assistants, subject to the local procedures of the correctional facility.  DOC administration and staff will not retaliate against any inmate assisting others with legal work. (385.01)

Other Persons: Any person placed in the custody of the Vermont Department of Corrections who is not pending trial, sentencing, or serving a criminal sentence. (254.01)

Outcome Evaluation: A formal review of programs coordinated and/or conducted by the Correctional and Restorative Program Design and Evaluation Team for the purpose of determining if the program achieved the desired result.  The Department uses two types of outcome evaluations:  (1) internal evaluations that are conducted or coordinated by the Correctional and Restorative Program Design and Evaluation Team and (2) external evaluations that are performed by outside agencies. (52.01)

Outcome Indicators:  Quantifiable criteria to be met in order for a program to achieve its intended results. (52.01)

Outcome Measures: Surveys, data base reports, audits, statistical studies and other measurement strategies and methods used to determine if a program met the outcome indicators. (52.01)

Outpatient Clinical File: A secure file containing, at a minimum, VTPSA required documents related to a client’s involvement in the treatment program. (251.04)

Oxygen Deficient Atmosphere: An atmosphere with an oxygen content below 19.5% by volume. (404.02 – 3/07)