Showing papers on "Prison published in 1983"

Correlates of Institutional Misconduct Among State Prisoners

Abstract: * * * As with participation in illegitimate activities in the larger society, involvement in rule infractions within prisons is not normally distributed among prisoners. Rather, a small segment of the inmate population is disproportionately represented in official records of disciplinary activity. In this research, factors associated with differential levels of involvement in prison disciplinary infractions were examined. The findings indicate that the inmate's age at commitment, history of drug use, current offense (particularly homicide/nonhomicide categories), and the type of sentence that the inmate served were significantly related to high-rate infraction status. For one subgroup of the inmate population, race was also significantly related to infraction-rate status. However, these variables are not sufficiently predictive of institutional misconduct to justify their use as classification factors. The implications of the findings for the study of social control mechanisms in prisons are discussed.

Capitalizing on Nonrandom Assignment to Treatments: A Regression-Discontinuity Evaluation of a Crime-Control Program

Abstract: Despite the enormous potential of regression-discontinuity, quasi-experimental procedures, they have to date rarely been used in the evaluation of large-scale social programs. In this article, we report an evaluation of such a program in which a regression-discontinuity analysis is employed. Through a change in legislation, the program in question extended eligibility for unemployment benefits to prisoners after their release from prison. The regression-discontinuity approach proved practical and effective; it revealed that the program cut recidivism rates by 13 percent.

Punishment after slavery: southern state penal systems, 1865-1890"*

Abstract: This paper identifies and analyzes the political and economic functions of the state penal systems in the southern United States after the Civil War. The system of prison administration, discipline, and labor which emerged after 1865—known as the convict lease system—was a functional replacement for slavery. Like the Black Codes, vagrancy laws, and sharecropping arrangements, the convict lease system was a mechanism of race control used to prevent ex-slaves from obtaining the status and rights enjoyed by wage workers. The organization and philosophy of crime control both before and after the Civil War reflected the fact that both slaves and ex-slaves were problem populations. As such, they were a threat to the existing system of class rule but also a useful resource—economically as a pool of cheap labor for southern industrialization, and politically or symbolically as a means to consolidate white supremacy.

Incapacitation As a Strategy for Crime Control: Possibilities and Pitfalls

Abstract: A number of estimates of incapacitative effects from incarceration of convicted offenders are available. While these estimates vary in absolute magnitude, the studies consistently find that crime reduction achieved by existing collective incapacitation policies is modest, at under 20 percent of crimes prevented. Further crime reduction from alternative policies that would impose fairly stringent mandatory five-year prison terms after convictions for serious offenses is similarly modest. Implementing these alternative policies, however, would result in dramatic increases in already record-size prison populations. In view of the limited crime reduction and enormous increases in prison population associated with collective incapacitation policies, recent research has explored the potential benefits of more selective or targeted incapacitation. If a small number of high-rate offenders commit a disproportionately large amount of crime, targeting limited prison resources on these offenders should achieve increa...

Violence in Juvenile Institutions

Abstract: VioLit summary: OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study by Poole and Regoli was to provide a detailed comparison of the effects of selected deprivation and importation variables on inmate violence in four juvenile correctional institutions. METHODOLOGY: A 50% systematic sample of male, juvenile inmates was drawn from each of four Southern correctional institutions ranging in organizational goals and structures from more treatment-based to more custody-based on a continuum (School For Boys, Training School, Industrial School, Youth School). The sample, after shrinkage due to inmates' releases, transfers, illnesses, refusal to participate and incomplete questionnaires, involved 373 inmates (81% of the original sample of 461). Because of the reading problems of some inmates, questions on the anonymous survey were read out loud to groups of 15 to 20 inmates at a time. The race, age, attitudes towards aggression, and preinstitutional violence of the participating inmates were operationalized by both the responses on the questionnaire and from the inmates' records to measure aspects of importation theory. Race was made into a dichotomized dummy variable of black=1 (51%) and white=0 (49%). Age was computed at the time of the study from date of birth available from the inmates' records. Attitudes towards aggression and violence were measured by questions on the inmates' use of exploitation, manipulation and physical toughness on a Likert 5-point scale. Deprivation theory was operationalized by variables which measured the inmates' level of adherence to inmates' code of behavior; the orientation and structure of the institution (custody versus treatment); and time served at the present institution. The dependent variable of institutional violence was calculated by a score which consisted of the number of times inmates reported fighting with other inmates or staff with a weapon during the last month. The data was analyzed using least squares and covariance. FINDINGS/DISCUSSION: This study operationalized both importation theories (inmates are violent, therefore will act violently regardless of prison structure) and selected deprivation theories (higher levels of violence will exist in prisons because of their structures regardless of inmates' characteristics) in order to compare them. The relationships found from the least square regression were that younger inmates were more likely to be placed in more custodial institutions; those inmates with more favorable attitudes about aggression and those involved in more preinstitutional violence were likely to be incarcerated for longer periods of time; those inmates in more custodial institutions were incarcerated for fewer months than those in more treatment institutions; inmates having positive attitudes about aggression and engaging in preinstitutional violence adhered more to the inmates' code supporting violence; inmates in more custodial institutions were more likely to support the inmates' code of violence; having a history of violent behavior, being in custodial institutions, and adhering to the inmates' code of violence all increased the likelihood of institutional violence. These relationships revealed that both variables measuring importation theory and deprivation theory were independently and directly related to institutional violence. When measuring the interactive effects of importation and deprivation, it was found that the effects of characteristics of the inmates did vary by institution type: in the School for Boys (the most treatment oriented program), race, attitudes towards aggression, preinstitutional violence and time served all had significant direct effects on inmate violence; in the Training School, preinstitutional violence and time served were the only significant predictors of institutional violence; in the Industrial School, only preinstitutional violence had a significant effect on inmate violence; and in the Youth Center (the most custody-oriented program), preinstitutional violence and inmate code had significant effects on inmate violence. Overall, these findings showed that preinstitutional violence had the strongest effect on institutional violence. In the most treatment-oriented program, it was the strongest predictor and in one of the custody-oriented program, it was the only predictor. The result that treatment-oriented institutions appeared to have more predictors of institutional violence than custodial institutions was explained by the fact that treatment facilities allow for more individual autonomy; and thus there was greater differentiation of inmates. More violence and more adherence to an inmate code of violence occurred in the more custody-oriented prisons lending support to the theory "...that as prison conditions become more brutal and oppressive, inmates will respond accordingly" (p.227). AUTHORS' RECOMMENDATIONS: The authors suggested the need for further research focusing on the interaction of importation theory and deprivation theory. They also stressed the need for further studies "...grounded in the everyday concerns...of inmates" (p.228). (CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado) KW - Juvenile Violence KW - Juvenile Male KW - Juvenile Inmate KW - Juvenile Offender KW - Incarcerated KW - Juvenile Correctional Institution KW - Violence Causes KW - Inmate Violence KW - Inmate Treatment KW - Deprivation Theory KW - Male Inmate KW - Male Violence KW - Male Offender KW - Comparative Analysis KW - Intervention Program KW - Program Evaluation KW - Program Effectiveness KW - Violence Causes KW - Violence Intervention KW - Violence Treatment KW - Correctional Institution Intervention KW - Correctional Institution Treatment KW - Correctional Institution Program

Prison Overcrowding and Disciplinary Problems: An Analysis of the Texas Prison System

Abstract: Data on prison overcrowding and disciplinary rates are examined. Trends for the total system, as well as individual institutions within the Texas Department of Corrections are presented. This is fo...

Former Mental Patients in a Prison and Parole System A Study of Socially Disruptive Behavior

Abstract: This paper examines the socially disruptive behavior of former mental patients for a sample of Federal inmates during prison confinement and upon release to the community. The analysis focuses on comparisons between these and other inmates in terms of prison disciplinary infractions and post-prison adjustment. Within the prison, it was found that the former mental patients had a higher disciplinary infraction rate than other inmates. This difference persisted even when differences in the known correlates of disciplinary infractions were accounted for. In the community, it was also found that the former mental patients were more likely to fail at adjustment. However, this difference was not statistically significant once differences in the known correlates of post-prison failure were accounted for. The implications of these two findings are discussed.

The Impact of Incarceration on Children of Offenders

Abstract: Hundreds of thousands of children experience emotional turmoil each year as the result of the incarceration of a parent. In addition to coping with feelings of grief, anger and rejection, they must deal with the stigma associated with having a relative in prison. Although this article concentrates on the impact of incarceration on both the children of male and female inmates, it also describes the problems encountered by other family members within the family unit. Despite a newfound interest in research and information on children of offenders, there is still a tremendous need for positive and innovative programs that address the problems of this special population.

Prisons for Women, 1790-1980

Abstract: Until recently, women's institutions and their inmates have received little attention in the literature on prisons. This neglect in part stems from the fact that over time women have comprised but a small fraction of the total prisoner population. Yet it is also the product of two common assumptions: that the development of the women's prison system and experiences of its inmates closely resemble those of men; or that, if different, the evolution of the women's prison system and female experience of incarceration are irrelevant to mainstream penology just because they can shed little light on the nature of the prison system as a whole. Neither assumption is correct. During the first stage in the development of the women's prison system (1790-1870), female penal units outwardly resembled male penitentiaries, but in some respects their inmates received inferior care. During the second stage (1870-1935), strenuous and often successful efforts were made to establish an entirely new type of prison, the women's...

The Elderly in Prison: Issues and Perspectives

Abstract: The elderly prison inmate is described in terms of a personal profile, social-psychological effects of the prison environment, prison peer relationships and status hierarchy, participation in basic social institutions, and conformity to prison rules and parole. Additionally, results are reported of a recent survey conducted by the author on the existence or lack thereof of special policies, programs, and facilities for elderly inmates in United States prisons. Coverage of these topics is followed by a critique of research methods and recommendations for future research.

Prisons as Self-Regulating Systems: A Comparison of Historical Patterns in California for Male and Female Offenders

Abstract: Building on our earlier work testing the stability of punishment hypothesis, we here combine the general modeling strategy previously employed with more behaviorally grounded models of actors' expectations and preferences. Using these tools, we model the historical attempts by criminal justice actors in California to balance prison admissions and releases in an equilibrating manner. We find that there have been efforts to regulate the flow of individuals through prison and that, contrary to expectations, these processes are not very different for males and females.

Depression: The Way Out of Your Prison

Abstract: Preface. Preface to the New Edition. Acknowledgments. The Prison. Inside the Prison. How to Build your Prison. Why Not Leave the Prison? Why I Won't Leave the Prison. Outside the Wall: Living with a Depressed Person. Suppose I Did Want to Leave the Prison, What Should I Do? Suppose I Decide Not to Change? The Prison Vanishes. Notes. Index.

Selective Incapacitation: Sentencing According to Risk

Abstract: In October 1982, the Rand Corporation published Selective Incapacitation, a sentencing proposal based on seven years of research by a team of Rand researchers under the direction of Peter Greenwood. In his report, Greenwood claims to have developed a classification scheme that would enable criminal Justice practitioners to determine which offenders should receive long, "incapacitating" prison sentences and which can be sentenced to alternative programs or safely released to the community. If implemented in its purest form, he says, selective incapacitation could result both in a net reduction of crime in the community and in the number of offenders who would need to be incarcerated. Since the release of the Rand report, most criminologists agree that Greenwood's findings are incomplete, methodologically flawed, and do not justify his policy proposal. Some have also raised moral and legal objections to it. In this article we outline the history, criticism and impact of selective incapacitation. We find tha...

Impact of Family Reunion Program on Institutional Discipline.

Abstract: Although it is generally accepted that the primary purpose of prison programs is to assist offenders in preparing for return to society, correctional administrators frequently believe that programs also serve an institutional control function. However, certain recent studies have questioned this common belief. In view of this controversy, the present research examines the impacts of a specific program (the Family Reunion Program) operated by the New York State Department of Correctional Services on inmate discipline. This research found that this program appears to have a positive impact on encouraging inmates, who were originally disapproved for program participation due to disciplinary infractions, to improve their institutional behavior.

Problems of Prisoners' Families The Hidden Costs of Imprisonment

Abstract: This research examines the differential effects of imprisonment on the inmate's family—the hidden familial costs of imprisonment. Lengthy interviews were conducted with adult members of inmates' families in a sample drawn from a maximum security prison, and 46 of these are analyzed here. Problems with income, employment and child care were severe, pervasive, and subject to only minor changes over time. These affected spouses more than other family members. Deterioration of relationships with family and friends were also noted by many, showing a greater tendency for adjustment over time. Some of the strongest perceived effects of imprisonment on the family members were emotional, including problems of expressing and dealing with feelings, and problems of experiencing enjoyment in life. Social ties complicate the punitive consequences of incarceration, which stands in tension with a system of justice that is oriented to the individual rule violator.

Assessing the New Generation of Prison Classification Models

Abstract: A number of new prison classification models are being promoted throughout the country. These objective models purport to improve equity, reduce costs, and make the classification decision-making process itself more explicit to inmates and staff. This paper uses computer simulations to test the effects of three well known models on the Nevada State Prison population. Results show that adoption of any of the three models would produce similar results; massive expansion of the minimum security beds, increased equity and explicitness in classification decision-making. Whether or not correctional officials utilize these models will depend upon the correctional administrator's willingness to accept these models as designed. Assuming these findings apply to other states, the nation's current inventory of minimum security beds and the capacity of community correctional systems need to be expanded to handle the large number of minimum security inmates now occupying expensive medium and maximum security bed space.

Race Relations and the Female Inmate

Abstract: At least since the Attica State Prison revolt, penologists have been exploring the racial climate of men's correctional facilities. In the tradition of criminology research, theoretical and empirical studies of female inmates have lagged behind the work concerning males; accordingly, the extent of racial turmoil in women's prisons remains unknown. Utilizing data gathered on Minnesota's correctional facility for adult female felons, this study explores white and minority inmates' perceptions of race relations within the prison. The data reveal that while the minority women perceive more racial conflict than the white women, the correctional facility cannot be characterized as a racially hostile environment. Implications of these findings for purposes of future research are discussed.

Issues in Prison Sexual Violence

Abstract: some prisoners. While discussion of prison sexual violence has focused on homosexual rape, a rare event, sexual harassment, affecting far more men, has been a neglected topic. In contemplating such decisions as sentencing and release from confinement, in weighing the suffering of impiisonment in a particular case, the stress associated with being the target of sexual aggressors should always be considered. While, indeed, prison managers should carry out measures to reduce the problem, it remains a strong possibility that sexual harassment, an inherent situation in the American prison of today, is not likely to be much reduced by administrative measures.

U.S. Social Structure and Imprisonment. A Comment

Abstract: * * * An article by Joubert, Picon and McIntosh (1981) is found to contain several serious methodological flaws. A second analysis using a similar data set suggests that these methodological problems may have caused them to draw erroneous conclusions regarding the effects of social structural variables on prison admission and release rates.

The Relationship between Attitudes toward Social Interdependence and Psychological Health within Three Criminal Populations

Abstract: Summary Attitudes toward cooperative, competitive, and individualistic situations were correlated with a number of measures of criminal attitudes and thought patterns and psychological pathology. Three male-criminal samples from correctional institutions were included in the study: 62 juvenile inmates, 25 prisoners in a minimal security prison, and 36 prisoners in a maximal security prison. The results indicate that the more cooperatively oriented the inmates, the greater their psychological health; competitiveness had some relationship to psychological health; and positive attitudes toward individualistic situations were correlated with psychological pathology, alienation, and criminal attitudes and thought patterns. These results provide some indication of the possible long-term impact of the three types of social interdependence, extend previous research to criminal samples, and relate the literature on social interdependence with the literature on psychological health and criminality.

One Day in My Life

Abstract: Bobby Sands was twenty-seven years old when he died. He spent almost nine years of his life in prison because of his Irish republican activities. He died, in prison, on 5 May 1981, on the sixty-sixth day of his hunger strike at Long Kesh, outside Belfast. This book documents a day in the life of Bobby Sands. It is a tale of human bravery, endurance and courage against a backdrop of suffering, terror and harassment. It will live on as a constant reminder of events that should never have happened -- and will hopefully never happen again.

Prison Labor and Prison Industries

Abstract: Idleness is a leading characteristic of the American prison system. It is a feature so familiar to prison administrators and penologists that many accept it as inevitable. One need not share Calvin Coolidge's view of work as "the only means to manhood and the measure of civilization" to regard this situation as deplorable. Two explanations have been forcefully propounded and widely accepted. One is that a satisfactory solution to the prison employment problem is precluded by economic forces over which it is impossible to exercise control. The other is that lack of policy and determination rather than inexorable external constraints have been the crucial factors in the failure to use prison labor efficiently. Although the problem of prisoners' work and prison industry has commonly been viewed as peripheral to penal policy, it is in fact a key issue. The barriers to a rational solution to this problem are not impenetrable; effective political intervention is possible.

The Anatomy of Another Prison Riot

Abstract: rectional Science Program, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan. One sunny Spring morning in 1981, there was trouble at the 5,500inmate institution of the State Prison of Southern Michigan (SPSM). Hundreds of officials and employees rushed to the prison that Friday before Memorial Day. They were too late. By late in the morning of May ~’2, 1981, mattresses and deaks were burning, and hundreds of prisoners were in the central yard. Guards against supelvisors, then prisoners against guards, had erupted w ithin the concrete recesses where some of Michigan’s dangelous offenders are shut away. Inmate uprising, apparently unplanned and leaderless, destruction, and violence swept thlough the State’s three largest and toughest prisons during the subsequent five days. News of the distulbance at SPSM reached

Women in Prison: A Profile:

Abstract: indicate that female arrest rates, gravity of offense, and convictions and incarcerations have exhibited greater percentage increases than have those associated with male offenders (lacovetta, 1975:129-130; Lewis, 1974:74). From 1974 to 1982, the proportion of female inmates increased from 3.5 percent to 4.4 percent of the total state and federal prison inmate population in the United States (U.S. Department of Justice, 1982:3). The number of women in prison grew by more than 2,000 to 17,649 during 1982, a 14 percent increase over the previous year (U.S. Department of Justice, 1982, 1983). In spite of these increases, the female prison inmate has continued to maintain a low profile in the criminal justice field and has been-referred toas &dquo;the forgotten offender&dquo; by those who wish tocall attention to her plight and to bring about change in her situation. Several explanations have been offered for the lack of interest in women inmates. Their crimes inconvenience society less than do those of men. Most women prisoners have not been involved with organized crime, with crime involving high losses of property, or with crimes that have endangered large numbers of people. Furthermore, women represent a small proportion of the total inmate population and draw comparatively little attention to themselves in terms of prison disruption and violence (Simon, 1975:64). The purpose of this paper is to describe women inmates in state prisons in the United States. This study provides a profile constructed from information on a random sample of inmates housed in state penal institutions in 1979 and includes information on personal characteristics; current offense and sentence, including parole hearings and anticipated release; probation and incarceration history; conformity to prison rules; prison recreation and work activities; and interaction with family members and friends outside of prison. Previous profiles of female inmates are more narrow in scope in terms of both the population studied and the variables analyzed (Texas Correction Department, 1971; Hendrix, 1972; Kratcoski and Scheurman, 1974; Lewis, 1974; Gattone, et. al., 1976; Foster, 1977; French, 1977; Glick and