chapter 12 prison life: living in and leaving prison
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Chapter 12 Prison Life: Living In and Leaving Prison. Learning Objectives. Discuss the problems of the adult correctional system Know what is meant by the term of “total institution” Be familiar with the problem of sexual coercion in prison and what is being done to help - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Chapter 12Prison Life:
Living In and Leaving Prison
Learning Objectives
Discuss the problems of the adult correctional system
Know what is meant by the term of “total institution”
Be familiar with the problem of sexual coercion in prison and what is being done to help
Chart the prisonization process and the development of the inmate social code
Compare the lives and cultures of male and female inmates
Learning Objectives
Be familiar with the different forms of correctional treatment
Discuss the world of correctional officers
Understand the causes of prison violence
Know what is meant by prisoners’ rights, and discuss some key privileges that have been granted to inmates
Be knowledgeable about the parole process and the problems of prisoner reentry
Men Imprisoned
Total institutions: Segregated
Under constant surveillance
Forced to obey strict official rules
Evaluated and assigned a classification
Isolated from friends and family
Coping in Prison: Inmates learn to adapt
Survival in prison may depend on one’s ability to identify troubled inmates and avoid contact
Men Imprisoned
Sexual Coercion:
A common belief of prison life is the threat of sexual coercion, long considered routine in penal institutions
Difficult to measure incidents of rape as most go unreported
Congress enacted the Prison Rape Reduction Act of 2003 establishing programs in the Department of Justice with the intention of controlling sexual violence in prisons
Men Imprisoned
Inmate Social Code:
Experts believe that inmates have formed their own set of norms and rules known as the inmate subculture
A significant aspect of the inmate subculture is the inmate social code
Inmate social code includes unwritten guidelines that express values and attitudes
Represents the values of interpersonal relations in the prison
Men Imprisoned
Study of Inmate Life in Maximum-Security from Donald Clemmer’s classic book The Prison Community:
Identification of the prisonization process
Prison argot (language)
Inmate assimilation
Destructive effects
Men Imprisoned
The New Inmate Culture:
The importation of outside values into inmate culture has had a dramatic effect on prison life
Prison assimilation began to chance in the 1960s
Black power movement
Racial, religious and political groups now more cohesive
Powerful, racially homogeneous gangs enforce a code of their own
Women Imprisoned
Female Institutions:
The majority are smaller, non-secure institutions similar to college dormitories and groups homes
Like male prisons, women’s prisons suffer from lack of educational and vocational training, and inadequate medical and social program treatment
Women Imprisoned
Female Inmates:
Young (under 30), minority group members, unmarried and undereducated (1/2 are dropouts), and either underemployed or unemployed
75% of inmates have substance abuse problems
Most are mothers
Broken homes
Physical and sexual abuse violence
Women Imprisoned
Adapting to the Female Institution:
Differ from male institutions
Less violent
The social code of male institutions does not exist in female institutions
Women form make-believe (or pseudo) families
Correctional Treatment
Correctional Treatment
Correctional Treatment
Educational Programs:
The first prison treatment programs were educational
A prison school at the Walnut Street jail was opened in 1784
Today, most institutions provide some type of educational program
Most research indicates that participation in correctional education is related to lower recidivism rates, and higher post-release earning and employment rates.
Correctional Treatment
Vocational Programs: Vocational Training
Work Release
Private Prison Enterprise
Post Release Programs
Can Rehabilitation Work? Although promising, some of the most carefully
crafted treatment efforts have failed to show a positive impact on inmates returning to the community
Guarding the Institution
Roles: Supervise the interior and exterior of the prison
Monitor inmate behavior
Prevent escape
Maintain order within the population
Enforce institutional rules and policies
Conduct searches for contraband
Settle disputes between inmates
Correctional officers must manage the stress of working in a dangerous environment
Guarding the Institution
Roles:
Controlling a prison is a complex task of balancing the conservative goals of punishment against the liberal goals of rehabilitation and treatment
Maintain order and security
Advocate humane treatment and rehabilitation
Correctional Treatment
Female Correctional Officers: Perform the same duties and tasks as male
correctional officers
Discipline has not suffered because of the inclusion of women as C.O.s
Research has indicated that the presence of female officers can have an important beneficial effect on the guard-inmate working relationship
Prison Violence
Conflict, violence, and brutality are part of institutional life
Violence can involve individual or group conflict amongst inmates and between inmates and staff
Sexual assault is a common threat
Politically driven prison riots:
More than 300 prison riots since 1774
90% of them since
Prison Violence
What Causes Violence?
Factors related to prison administration, inmate population characteristics, and the racial makeup of inmates and staff can influence violence levels
Individual Violence
Collective Violence
Individual Violence
Collective Violence
Prisoners’ Rights
Before the early 1960s, on conviction all rights were forfeited and inmates were considered civilly dead
Hands-off doctrine
Access to courts, legal services, and materials
Freedom of the press and of expression
Freedom of religion
Medical rights
Cruel and unusual punishment
Racial segregation
Overall prison conditions
Prisoners’ Rights
Hands-Off Doctrine:
A judicial policy that the courts would only intervene in correctional matters if there was a serious breach of the Eighth Amendment
After the 1960s, the Civil rights Act, 42 U.S.C. 1983 had federal courts hearing and considering inmate complaints about prison conditions – the hands-off doctrine eroded
Prisoners’ Rights
Substantive Rights – rights granted to inmates:
Access to Courts, Legal Services, and Materials
Freedom of the Press and of Expression
Freedom of Religion
Medical Rights
Cruel and Unusual Punishment
Overall Prison Conditions
Leaving Prison
Parole – Defined:
The planned community release and supervision of incarcerated offenders before the expiration of their full prison sentences
Decision to parole is determined by statutory requirement
Discretionary parole (parole boards)
Mandatory parole (release upon completion of a predetermined percentage of term)
Leaving Prison
Parole:
Functions of the parole board
Select and place prisoners on parole
Aid, supervise, and provide control of parolees in the community
Determine when parole has been completed and the parolee may be discharged
Whether parole should be revoked if violations occur
Leaving Prison
Parole Effectiveness:
Despite all of the efforts to treat released offenders, most parolees fail
Rearrested within the first six months after release
45% re-incarcerated within 3 years of release
States differ in success/failure rates depending upon correctional strategies
Leaving Prison
The Problem of Re-entry: The psychological and economic problems that
lead offenders to recidivism are rarely addressed in prison
The habitual personal deficits like drug abuse, criminal behavior, antisocial personality, and family dysfunction
Inmates leave prison without savings and few employment prospects
Why Do People Fail on Parole? Economic problems Family problems Community problems Legal problems
Leaving Prison
Improving Chances of re-entry:
On April 9, 2008 Second Chance Act signed into law:
Authorized various grants to government agencies and nonprofit groups to provide a variety of services including:
Employment assistance
Substance abuse treatment
Family programming
State correctional agencies have made an effort to help inmates take advantage of these services