Showing papers on "Prison published in 1981"
01 Jan 1981
1,352 citations
TL;DR: This study looks at the impact of a corrections environment upon prisoners through a process of monitoring inmate attendance at sick call clinic, suggesting there are architectural design features of the prison environment that provide basis of perceived threats to inmate safety and survival.
Abstract: This study looks at the impact of a corrections environment upon prisoners through a process of monitoring inmate attendance at sick call clinic. Contrasting cell block designs and characteristics are compared on the basis of significant differential demands for health care services emanating from specific areas. Known psychological and physiological responses to situations perceived to be threatening provide the theory that health behavior may be used as one indirect measure of environmentally induced stress. Findings suggest there are architectural design features of the prison environment that provide basis of perceived threats to inmate safety and survival. Loss of privacy on several dimensions appears to be a critical environmental characteristic. Research has established that abnormally high utilization of health care services occurs in total institutions. This raises several questions. Do people who find themselves in total institutions have characteristics which are predominantly unique to their population but at variance from the general population? If so, would such variation influence the differences in utilization of health care? Are there common characteristics of total institution environments that would cause the high rates of health care utilization? Studies of Navy ship crews by Doll et al., 1969 [1] ; Gunderson et al., 1970 [2] ; and a prison study by Andrew Twaddle, 1976 [3], revealed health care utilization patterns which were similar to each other. Here two different total institutions with different subject profiles produced similar patterns. This suggests the possibility that characteristics of total institutions are causal rather than characteristics of the subjects.
319 citations
Book•
01 Jan 1981
TL;DR: The Prison and the Factory as mentioned in this paper is a seminal work in the field of social discipline and control and has become a much cited but largely unavailable text for those working in social control.
Abstract: Editors' IntroductionThis is the first appearance in English of an Italian work which has become one of the seminal books in its field, and which has been influential in shaping recent Marxist studies of social discipline and control. The Prison and the Factory, like Rusche and Kirchheimer's Punishment and Social Structure, has become a much cited but largely unavailable text for those working in the field of deviance and social control. Because of the attention which The Prison and the Factory has attracted, we believe it to be important to provide a translation for English-speaking audiences. A second reason for publishing this work is to extend more widely the interest that has been generated by more recent work by Dario Melossi which has become available in English.The Prison and the Factory is where Melossi and Pavarini established their fundamental arguments concerning the interrelationship between the development of capitalist accumulation and forms of punishment and discipline. These arguments have become a basis for increasing exploration and debate in this area, which has merged a variety of different academic starting points: in law, sociology and history. This focus of interest has been manifested in recent work in Britain, in organisations such as the National Deviancy Conference and the Conference of Socialist Economists; in the USA, particularly through Crime and Social Justice, as well as in other European countries through the European Group for the Study of Deviance and Social Control, and La Questione Criminale.In more general terms, the work of Melossi and Pavarini coincides with a major expansion of interest in historical criminology: for example, in the work of Hay, Linebaugh and Thompson. As Melossi and Pavarini themselves point out in their Introduction, one particularly sharp focus of this move to historical analysis has been the relationship between the crisis of prison systems and the attempt to unearth the social and historical origins of those institutions. It has become increasingly apparent that in all Western societies, the penal system, no matter what its specific national form, is failing in its selfproclaimed tasks of rehabilitation and deterrence. One of the responses to this 'crisis' has been the attempt to excavate the real nature of the connection between prisons and social structures. As such, he prison has emerged as one of the key sites for analysing the relation between social regimes and forms of discipline and regulation. Melossi and Pavarini's entry to this debate follows the direction established in Rusche and Kirchheimer's pioneering work, Punishment and Social Structure. The Prison and the Factory reconsiders and develops the work of Rusche and Kirchheimer in examining the relation between modes of production and modes of punishment. The specific form of this project in The Prison and the Factory is the analysis of the connection between the genealogy of capitalism and the genealogy of the penal institution. The prison as a specific form of punishment is located within the emergence of capitalist social relations and the development of generalised labour. It is this development which they argue produces a regime of punishment based on the deprivation of liberty.Within this analysis, Melossi and Pavarini provide a synoptic tracing of the shifts and developments in penal regimes in relation to changes in the process of capital accumulation and the problems of the regulation of labour associated with that process. This work deals with the early stages of capitalist development through the specific national forms which this development took in a number of European States and in North America. The Prison and the Factory thus lays the foundation for major investigations of the relationship between capitalist modes of production and their apparatuses of social discipline and control.
174 citations
TL;DR: Three books published during the seventies, by Michel Foucault, Michael Ignatieff, and David Rothman, greatly revised the history of the penitentiary.
Abstract: Three books published during the seventies, by Michel Foucault, Michael Ignatieff, and David Rothman, greatly revised the history of the penitentiary. Contrary to the received wisdom which located the penitentiary's origin in the altruism of Quakers and other humanitarian reformers, and portrayed it as a humane advance from the squalid jails and workhouses, corporal and capital punishment, and transportation that preceded it, the revisionist accounts characterized the penitentiary, and other nineteenth-century "asylums" as weapons of class conflict or instruments of "social control." Social theories on a grand scale, such as Marxism or structural-functionalism, however, claim too much. The revisionist historiography of the prison followed these theories into three major misconceptions: that the state controls a monopoly over punitive regulation of behavior, that the state's moral authority and practical power are the major sources of social order, and that all social relations can be described in terms of...
163 citations
Book•
01 Jan 1981
TL;DR: The international outcry over the detention of Ngugi Wa Thiong'o without trial by the Kenyan authorities even reached him in prison as discussed by the authors, where he described the purposeful degradation and humiliation of prison life.
Abstract: The international outcry over the detention of Ngugi Wa Thiong'o without trial by the Kenyan authorities even reached him in prison. In this book he describes the purposeful degradation and humiliation of prison life.
126 citations
Book•
01 Jan 1981
TL;DR: The authors examines how innovations in policy and administration, while solving problems or setting new objectives, frequently created or disclosed fresh difficulties, and brought different types of people into the administration and management of prisons, whose interests, values and expectations in turn often had significant effects upon penal ideas and their practical applications.
Abstract: This title, first published in 1981, draws from an extensive range of national and local material, and examines how innovations in policy and administration, while solving problems or setting new objectives, frequently created or disclosed fresh difficulties, and brought different types of people into the administration and management of prisons, whose interests, values and expectations in turn often had significant effects upon penal ideas and their practical applications. Special attention has been paid to the study of recruitment, the work and influence of gaolers, keepers, governors, and highly administrative officials. This comprehensive book will be of interest to students of criminology and history.
87 citations
TL;DR: Early views of the impact of serving time in prison depict a process of systematic destruction of the person among offenders sentenced to long terms as discussed by the authors, however, recent research suggests that this de...
Abstract: Early views of the impact of serving time in prison depict a process of systematic destruction of the person among offenders sentenced to long terms. Recent research, however, suggests that this de...
69 citations
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TL;DR: The authors examined the nature of the work relations between guards and fellow guards, inmates, and prison administrators, and found that negative evaluations of work relations resulted in increased levels of alienation experienced by guards.
Abstract: This article focuses on alienation among prison guards by examining the nature of the work relations between guards and fellow guards, inmates, and prison administrators. Data for the project were derived from both questionnaire and interview sources. The independent effects of the three forms of work relations on five types of alienation were assessed through an examination of standardized regression coefficients estimated from a fully recursive model of the variable relationships. We found that negative evaluations of work relations resulted in increased levels of alienation experienced by guards.
62 citations
TL;DR: The authors found that officers who hold sympa thetic attitudes are likely to see themselves as isolated from the officer group, whereas officers holding attitudes unsympathetic to inmates and treatment tend to view themselves as in the mainstream of opinion regardless of the ma jority view.
Abstract: Connecticut prison officers exhibit substantial misperception of the beliefs and attitudes of their fellow officers. On each of eight hypothetical conflict situ ations, officers perceive their colleagues as being less sympathetic to inmates and treatment than they report themselves to be. Officers who hold sympa thetic attitudes are likely to see themselves as isolated from the officer group, whereas officers holding attitudes unsympathetic to inmates and treatment tend to view themselves as in the mainstream of opinion, regardless of the ma jority view. In addition, officers tend to perceive unanimity among their col leagues even when consensus is lacking. These findings have implications for officers and for public policy regarding prisons.
54 citations
TL;DR: Generally, guards' beliefs ate less punitive than could be expected from previous literature and three independent factors emerge from a factor analysis: belief in the rehabilitation potential of prisoners, belief inThe rehabilitative potential of the prison, and belief in a guard's supportive role.
Abstract: The study investigates prison guards' beliefs concerning the prison, the prisoners, and their own. role and the relationships between these beliefs and other variables. Subjects came from four maximum security Israeli prisons (N = 370). Generally, guards' beliefs ate less punitive than could be expected from previous literature. A considerable variance in guards' beliefs is revealed. Three independent factors emerge from a factor analysis: belief in the rehabilitation potential of prisoners, belief in the rehabilitative potential of the prison, and belief in the guard's supportive role. The relationships between these beliefs and background and work-related variables are examined and discussed.
TL;DR: The correctional officer role is examined in relation to the possibilities the role affords for the delivery of human services to inmates with problems and crises of adjustment.
Abstract: The correctional officer role is examined in relation to the possibilities the role affords for the delivery of human services to inmates with problems and crises of adjustment. Correctional officers who expand their roles to include human service obligations contribute to the development of resilient prison environments—environments that accommodate the shifting needs and concerns of inmates, and support their coping efforts. Human service officers strive to be complete correctional officers, responsive to the challenges posed for them and their wards by the prison. These correctional officers need nurturance and support if they are to survive. This requires organizational backing in the form of policies that foster and reward human service work, and training that provides the requisite skills, perspective, and support.
Book•
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01 Jan 1981
TL;DR: In the last days of the Second World War, Hugh Selwyn Mauberley scrawls his desperate account on the walls and ceilings of his ice-cold prison high in the Austrian Alps.
Abstract: In the final days of the Second World War, Hugh Selwyn Mauberley scrawls his desperate account on the walls and ceilings of his ice-cold prison high in the Austrian Alps. Officers of the liberating army discover his frozen, disfigured corpse and his astonishing testament - the sordid truth that he alone possessed. Fascinated but horrified, they learn of a dazzling array of characters caught up in a scandal and political corruption. Famous Last Words is part-thriller, part-horror story; it is also a meditation on history and the human soul and it is Findley's fine achievement that he has combined these elements into a web that constantly surprises and astounds the reader.
TL;DR: In this article, a model of criminal as decision-maker and authoritarian is proposed and cognitive-moral development through liberal arts education is proposed as a change agent, and the crucial role of democratic structures in the program is emphasized.
Abstract: Rehabilitation is seen as a necessary goal of the justice system and post-secondary education in prison advanced as a means of such rehabilitation. Evidence is cited to support this claim. Using the model of the University of Victoria program in British Columbia, three components of prison education are examined: theory, content, and structure. A developmental theory is posed, using Pi a get and Kohlberg as the basis. A model of criminal as decision-maker and authoritarian is proposed and cognitive-moral development through liberal arts education proposed as a change agent. Finally, the crucial role of democratic structures in the program is emphasized.
TL;DR: In this article, Biles reported a positive relationship between crime and imprisonment, using cross-sectional data from the United States, Australia, and Canada, and extended his analysis using two sets of time series data.
Abstract: A recent article by David Biles reported a positive relationship between crime and imprisonment, using cross-sectional data from the United States, Australia, and Canada. This article extends his analysis, using two sets of time series data on crime and imprisonment rates for the United States as a whole. The unlagged correlations between the crime and imprisonment rates for 1941-57 and 1958-78 are not statistically signifi cant, but one of six lagged correlations from 1958-78 is significant, as are four of six from 1941-57. The inconsistency in correlation provides little guidance for the development of correctional policy. Considering these findings, William Nagel's support for a moratorium on prison construction takes on the color of a reasonable, and perhaps even conservative, reading of available policy and management data rather than a radical proposition for change.
01 Jan 1981
TL;DR: O'Donnell et al. as discussed by the authors pointed out that the average length of prison sentences given to offenders convicted of virtually identical crimes vary from one locale to another and that different judges seem to give completely different sentences to the same offender.
Abstract: If there is one conclusion about the United States criminal justice system with which most knowledgeable observers of the system would agree, it is that the sentencing of convicted felons is blatantly unfair Not only does the average length of prison sentences given to offenders convicted of virtually identical crimes vary from one locale to another (see, eg, Bottomley, 1973; Green, 1961; Hogarth, 1971; O’Donnell, Churgin, & Curtis, 1977), but different judges seem to give completely different sentences to the same offender For example, in one instance (reported in O’Donnell et al, 1977), after reading the same file describing characteristics of an offender and the nature of his criminal activity (transporting stolen securities across state lines), one federal judge imposed a three-year prison term while another released the offender with only one year of probation
TL;DR: In a series of articles, Alfred Blumstein has proposed and tested a homostatic model of punishment in society as mentioned in this paper, and found support for his hypothesis after analyzing time series of imprisonment rates for three countries.
Abstract: In a series of articles, Alfred Blumstein has proposed and tested a homostatic model of punishment in society. Based on ideas found in Durkheim, Blumstein hypothesizes that, over stable historical periods, the level of punishment in a society will be stable as well. After analyzing time series of imprisonment rates for three countries, Blumstein finds support for his hypothesis. In this paper, I re-analyze one of Blumstein's time series and analyze several others, including data for California from 1853 to 1970. These analyses and re-analyses, of both imprisonment and prison admission rates, show no support for the stability of punishment hypothesis. As a consequence, I argue that doubts can be raised about the adequacy of Blumstein's empirical analyses, that the measure of punishment he uses-imprisonment rates-may not be as good a measure of punishment as prison admission rates, and that additional approaches should be explored in order to provide more compelling tests of the stability of punishment hypothesis. * This research was supported by the National Institute of Justice (Grant No. 78-NI-AX0093). Richard A. Berk, Sheldon L. Messinger, and Thomas P. Wilson provided helpful comments and suggestions. Thanks go to Pat Gibson and Trina Marks Miller for typing various drafts, and to Kathy Stathopoulos for helping prepare the data. ** Ph.D. candidate, Dep't of Sociology, University of California, Santa Barbara; Senior Programmer, Social Process Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that the task is to find work which is commensurate with the offender's skills and further suggest that finding suitable employment may be particularly beneficial for offenders with a "medium risk" of reconviction.
Abstract: The efforts of a specialist employment agency for ex-prisoners resulted in 65 men starting work soon after their release from prison. The present study considers evidence regarding their involvement in further criminal activity in the subsequent ten years. The claims in terms of modifying subsequent reconviction rates must be modest but, remarkably, of the men who worked in the job for at least a year, not one was reconvicted. The authors argue that the task is to find work which is commensurate with the offender's skills and further suggest that finding suitable employment may be particularly beneficial for offenders with a “medium risk” of reconviction.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss general problems offenders experience as they leave prison and enumerate needs among a halfway house population, and basic agreements and disagreements between staff and offenders are briefly discussed.
Abstract: Work in identifying specific needs of offenders returning to the community began only recently There are available several surveys of parolees, but study of other offender groups is necessary This paper discusses general problems offenders experience as they leave prison An approach to the enumeration of needs among a halfway house population is then outlined, and basic agree ments and disagreements between staff and offenders are briefly discussed
TL;DR: In this paper, the determinants of the costs of prisons are explored and an economic model relates cost to output, input prices, and a number of variables controlling for differences in the type of outputs and inputs for each prison.
Abstract: This paper explores the determinants of the costs of prisons. An economic model relates cost to output, input prices, and a number of variables controlling for differences in the type of outputs and inputs for each prison. Data from the federal prison system are used to estimate the model. Our results indicate that a minimum-cost prison would be quite large (1,000 to 1,600 inmates) and that the improvement of some correctional standards (e.g., single-bed cells, more living space) may serve to decrease rather than increase prison operating costs.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: Controlled (N = 10) and under-controlled homicides were compared by a cluster analysis of Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory profiles as mentioned in this paper on five sets of variables: intellectual, background, Prison Officer's ratings, indices of institutional discontent and attitudes toward prison.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors focus on the social organization of the prison environment and the guards' changing occupational role as critical causes of the strike, concluding that it was the use of National Guard troops and the application of Taylor Law sanctions, rather than any bargaining strategy by either party, that brought the guards back to work.
Abstract: In analyzing the 1979 strike by nearly all of the prison guards in New York State, this paper focuses on the social organization of the prison environment and the guards' changing occupational role as critical causes of the strike. Many guards believe that in recent years they have lost status and much of their authority; in addition, racial tension has mounted within the guard force as well as between guards and inmates. The authors argue that collective bargaining is not well suited to resolving those problems, and in fact the bargaining system may have aggravated them. The authors also analyze the strike's resolution, concluding that it was the state's use of National Guard troops and the application of Taylor Law sanctions, rather than any bargaining strategy by either party, that brought the guards back to work. Finally, the authors suggest that these strike penalties may have intensified the worker anger and discontent that were major causes of the strike.
TL;DR: The military coup in Bolivia on July 17, 1980 initiated a bloody and repressive situation in that country as mentioned in this paper, which brought about the arrest and imprisonment in late August of former Methodist Bishop Mor...
Abstract: The military coup in Bolivia on July 17, 1980 initiated a bloody and repressive situation in that country. It brought about the arrest and imprisonment in late August of former Methodist Bishop Mor...