Prison Glossary of DOC Terms

Prison Glossary of Terms That Start With "D"

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Dangerous Contraband: A firearm, knife, bludgeon, or other weapon, device, instrument, material or substance, whether animate or inanimate, which is readily capable of causing or inducing fear of death or physical injury. This may include, but not be limited to, needles and Class "A" and "B" tools.

Dangerous Drugs and Paraphernalia: Alcohol; all controlled substances; marijuana and marijuana concentrates including all parts of the plant cannabis sativa L.; and any volatile substance inhaled for its mood-altering effect, including but not limited to, cleaning fluids, glue, lacquer, petroleum distillates and/or any drug controlled by regulations of federal or state law.

Date of Discovery: The date at which the initiating officer determined an offense has occurred and the identity of the offender to be charged. This is determined by the date that the initiating officer signs the "Notice of Charge."

Date of Offense: The date the crime was committed.

DEA: Drug Enforcement Agency.

Deadly Physical Force: Force, the intended, natural, and probable consequence of which is to produce death, and which does, in fact, produce death.

Deadly Weapon: Any firearm, loaded or unloaded, bullets, knife, bludgeon, or other weapon, device, instrument, material, or substance, which in the manner it is used or intended to be used is capable of producing death or serious bodily injury.

Debit Call: A call in which the offender pays all the charges for the call.

Deficit Balance: The current balance of an offender's DOC account less than zero.

Depository: An approved bank account established to collect or receive money of a trust, quasi-trust, or the operation of a business type enterprise.

Design Capacity: The number of housing spaces for which a facility is constructed or modified by remodeling, redesign or expansion. Management control, special use, segregation, lockdown, and reception beds are considered design capacity.

Designated Access Points: Entrance and exit points to a DOC property as established by the administration.

Designated Dining Hall Seating: A method establishing an open seating plan, by row, for the safe and orderly operations of dining halls.

Designated Providers: Approved medical providers, or specialists, who provide treatment for work related illnesses and injuries.

Detainer: A written request supported by documents to establish the legal interest of another jurisdiction for temporary and/or permanent custody of an offender.

Diet Request Form: A form that contains all of the available medical diets the provider may select when ordering a medical diet.

Dilution: A "dilute" sample is physiologically watered down with excessive drinking of fluid/water, or externally by adding water to the voided urine. A specimen is considered dilute when creatinine and specific gravity values are lower than expected for human urine. Urine specimens may be considered dilute when creatinine levels are less than 10 mg/dL, and the specific gravity is less than 1.0030.

Direct Offender Contact: Contact that includes supervision, direction, or control over offenders.

Direct Re-Entry Services: Services which are based on a re-entry DOC employee's assessment of an offender's needs, and include only a single or very short term duration of service.

Direct Supervision: DOC employee or contract worker presence in the immediate work area or job site, where offenders are using class "A" tools as part of an offender job or assignment.

Direct Threat: A significant risk of substantial harm to the health or safety of any person, including the applicant or DOC employee with a disability that cannot be eliminated or reduced by reasonable accommodation.

Disabled Offender: An offender who is considered disabled, pursuant to AR 750-04, Americans with Disabilities/Rehab Act Offenders with Disabilities and Request for Accommodations.

Disabled Persons: Any person with a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more of such person's major life activities, or who has a record of such impairment, or who is regarded as having such an impairment by those who have an effect on the individual's chance to secure, retain, or advance in employment, whether an actual impairment exists or not.

Discharge Review Board: Subject matter experts appointed, or designated, by the appropriate governing authority for the purpose of examining the facts related to a firearms discharge incident in question.

Discretionary Complaint: A violation or alleged violation of a condition of parole not requiring action either by statute or policy. This is a case management decision as to whether to file a parole complaint based on professional judgment considering the circumstances and gravity of the violation or alleged violation, the offender's criminal history, dangerousness, previous conduct, length of time on parole and likelihood of completing the parole term, suitable parole plan, and any other pertinent factors.

Discretionary Release: A supervised release 180 to 360 days prior to the Expiration of Sentence. Inmates must make Application for this release.

Dispense: To interpret, evaluate, and implement a prescription drug order or chart order, including the preparation of a drug or device for a patient or patient's agent in a suitable container, appropriately labeled, for subsequent administration to or use by a patient.

Disturbance: An act or noise which unduly and unnecessarily interferes with the visiting environment.

DOC Case Management Files: Those records maintained in a file, either hard copy or electronically stored on compact disk, which are a collection of legal documents, reports, submissions, diagnostic assessments, medical reports, psychological reports, statements, and support material used to make decisions about an offender in regard to job placement, security classification, treatment programs, community corrections referral, supervision, parole and general case management.

DOC Armorer: The DOC employee in charge of the central and all satellite armories.

DOC Form: An electronic or paper document which supports the implementation of DOC policy in conjunction with an administrative regulation or implementation/adjustment. This document may be used as an official record and shared with other agencies.

DOC Honor Guard: A group assigned to perform a ceremonial duty such as at a funeral, ground breaking, dedication, and community functions.

Dorms: General housing units that may or may not have secure doors mechanically controlled by a DOC employee. Dorms may house three or more offenders. Current dorms are assumed to be designed for the current occupancy and are not considered in double bunking numbers.

Double Bunking: The term refers to cells or rooms originally designed for one offender that have been modified by adding an additional bunk to the current cell or room space. The criteria used to define double bunking is that the original correctional cell or room use or design was for one offender and was modified for two offenders for the purpose of expanding bed space within the department.

Double Occupancy: Rooms or cells that were designed or converted to house two offenders at the time of construction. It also refers to modular rooms that were initially purchased or leased and intended to hold two offenders.

Drug and Alcohol Random Testing: Urine samples collected from offenders enrolled in drug and alcohol programs through a computerized selection process; each offender has an equal chance to be selected each time the computer selection is made.

Dressed Out: This is when a defendant or inmate exchanges their street clothes for prison or jail issued clothing.

Drug Test: An approved methodology of testing an individual for the presence of illicit drugs or alcohol. This includes, but is not limited to, urinalysis, breathalyzers drug patches, and oral swabs.

Dry Cell: A cell designated to securely house an offender, without plumbing fixtures or running water.

Dry Cell Watch: The process of continuous observation of an offender by Custody/Control in an effort to obtain and search an offender's bodily wastes to determine that an offender may have ingested/swallowed contraband or otherwise concealed contraband within his/her body.

Durable Medical Equipment: Medical equipment which may be re-used for therapy/treatment of multiple offenders (e.g., oxygen concentrators, TENS units, wheel chairs, etc).

Duty Officer: DOC employees designated by the facility administrative head, based on their job classification, experience, and training. They are to be in the overtime exempt status and defined as essential personnel.