(The Center Square) — New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte is moving to root out political correctness in the state’s prison system with a new directive ordering corrections officials to refer to prisoners as ‘inmates’ not ‘residents.’
In a letter to New Hampshire Department of Corrections Commissioner Helen Hanks, Ayotte ordered corrections officials to stop referring to incarcerated persons as ‘residents’ and start calling them ‘inmates,’ which she said is “consistent with state law” and the agency’s mission of “deterrence, rehabilitation, and punishment.”
“Rehabilitative efforts should be pursued without ignoring the reality of incarceration. The language we use should also be consistent with New Hampshire law,” Ayotte wrote. “The label of ‘resident’— currently used by the Department of Corrections — for incarcerated persons obscures the joint goals of deterrence, rehabilitation, and punishment.”
Ayotte noted that the term “resident” exists in state law as a reference to the mentally ill who are at New Hampshire Hospital in Concord and veterans who live at the New Hampshire Veterans Home in Tilton.
Law enforcement officials and unions representing correctional officers issued a statement praising Ayotte for “taking steps to address the misperception caused by the shift away from referring to inmates, probationers, patients and parolees by their statutory names.”
“In recent years, individuals incarcerated in state prisons or under community supervision have been referred to by various terms such as Person Under Departmental Control, clients, students, offenders, residents, and more,” the statement said. “This evolving nomenclature has led to confusion not only among Department of Corrections personnel and law enforcement officers but also among the individuals themselves.”
Ayotte, a Republican sworn into office last month, campaigned on a ‘get tough on crime’ platform and has vowed to provide more funding and resources for law enforcement and fix a bail reform signed into law in August by then-Gov. Chris Sununu, who critics say has allowed dangerous criminals to avoid jail time.
Law enforcement groups and unions, including the New Hampshire Police Association and New Hampshire Corrections Supervisors Union Chapter 255, had pushed for the changes in terminology by using “accurate and legally recognized terms” for incarcerated individuals.
“Clarity and consistency in language are essential for both the justice system and the public, ensuring transparency and maintaining the integrity of legal designations,” the groups said.
