Showing papers on "Prison published in 1998"

In the Mix: Struggle and Survival in a Women's Prison

Abstract: Barbara Owen’s “In the Mix” Struggle and Survival in a Women’s Prison will appeal to anyone with an interest in corrections, gender, and criminality. The book is a descriptive study par excellence. It is a rich compilation of accounts and experiences in the lives of women at the nation’s largest prison for women, the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF). As part of her 3-year study, Owen interviewed some 294 women prisoners as well as many staff members and administrators and spent countless hours observing or “hanging around.” In chapter 2, she characterizes her research as “quasi-ethnography,” recognizing that there were many barriers to full immersion into the prison setting, including restricted access to the private areas of the prison and limitations on the amount of time spent as an “outsider” and not a participant. She also incorporated a feminist perspective in her research, conceptualizing female criminal behavior as an expression of economic and social marginalization and patriarchy. The introductory chapter discusses the classic works on women in prison. The pioneer studies of Ward and Kassenbaum (1965), Giallombardo (1966), and Heffernan (1972) are used to provide a foundation for her exploration of the lives of the women in her study. Owen found that the profile of women prisoners at CCWF has changed very little from that of women incarcerated decades ago. They are still impoverished, unemployed or underemployed, and undereducated, with a history of sexual, emotional, and/or physical abuse. They are also more likely to be incarcerated for a nonviolent offense and for it to be a first offense. The only difference may be the increasing numbers of drug offenders in contemporary times. Owen also discovered that women’s prison culture has changed very little from the culture of Ward and Kassenbaum’s (1965) Frontera, Giallombardo’s (1966) Alderson, and Heffernan’s (1972) Occaquan. Interpersonal relationships are still the anchors of prison culture, and social roles and family structures have changed little. Chapter 5 describes the relationships that define and reflect prison culture: relationships with children and family on the outside, relationships with other female prisoners, and relationships with prison staff members.

Women in Prison: Approaches in the Treatment of Our Most Invisible Population

Abstract: The issues and needs of addicted women are for the most part invisible in the criminal justice system. Historically, treatment, research and recovery have been based on men's lives, often neglecting women's experience. While statistics indicate that for women there is a high correlation between drug abuse and incarceration and parole/probation violations, a comprehensive continuum of care is missing. This article presents a relational model of treatment which incorporates the multiple issues in women's recovery and is based on the integration of three theoretical perspectives–addiction, trauma and women's psychological development. The strengths and limitations of Twelve Step programs for women are also discussed.

The Oxford history of the prison : the practice of punishment in Western society

Abstract: In The Oxford History of the Prison, a team of distinguished scholars offers a vivid account of the rise and development of this critical institution. The authors trace the persistent tension between the desire to punish and the hope for rehabilitation, recounting the institution's evolution from the rowdy and squalid English jails of the 1700s, in which prisoners and visitors ate and drank together; to the sober and stark nineteenth-century penitentiaries, whose inmates were forbidden to speak or even to see one another; and finally to the "big houses" of the current American prison system, in which prisoners are as overwhelmed by intense boredom as by the threat of violence. The text also provides a gripping and personal look at the social world of prisoners and their keepers over the centuries. In addition, thematic chapters explore in-depth a variety of special institutions and other important aspects of prison history, including the jail, the reform school, the women's prison, political imprisonment, and prison and literature.

The Past and Future of U.S. Prison Policy Twenty-Five Years After the Stanford Prison Experiment

Abstract: In this article, the authors reflect on the lessons of their Stanford Prison Experiment, some 25 years after conducting it. They review the quarter century of change in criminal justice and correctional policies that has transpired since the Stanford Prison Experiment and then develop a series of reform-oriented proposals drawn from this and related studies on the power of social situations and institutional settings that can be applied to the current crisis in American corrections.

Religion in Prison: 'Equal Rites' in a Multi-Faith Society

Abstract: 1. Equal opportunities and multiculturalism in prisons 2. Chaplaincy, chaplains, chapels and other faiths 3. Church of England prison chaplains 4. Visiting ministers of other faiths 5. 'Facilitation' or 'dependence'? 6. Inclusion and exclusion 7. US prison chaplaincy 8. Conclusions: state, church and diversity.

Women Offenders: Programming Needs and Promising Approaches

Abstract: Discussed in this Brief: Results of an NIJ-sponsored survey of State- level correctional administrators, prison and jail administrators, and program administrators to deter- mine the special needs of incarcer- ated women in the areas of management, screening, assess- ment, and programming. The sur- vey also sought information on innovative correctional program- ming for women and specific program elements conducive to success. Key issues: Women offenders have needs different from those of men, stemming in part from their disproportionate victimization from sexual or physical abuse and their responsibility for children. They are also more likely to be addicted to drugs and to have mental illnesses. Many States and jail jurisdictions, particularly those with small female offender populations, have little special provision, either in manage- ment or programming, for meeting the needs of women. Key findings: Survey respondents

Prevalence of DSM-IV substance abuse and dependence disorders among prison inmates.

Abstract: The study examined the 30-day and lifetime prevalence of DSM-IV alcohol and drug disorders among state prison inmates. A sample of 400 inmates consecutively admitted to a state prison reception cen...

A Qualitative Assessment of the Pains Experienced on Electronic Monitoring

Abstract: In response to prison overcrowding, new methods for punishing offenders evolved in the early 1980s. Although on the surface these new methods may seem less punitive to some, studies show that many convicted offenders prefer jail or prison to many of the newer intermediate sanctions. However, these studies have relied primarily on the perceptions of prisoners to gauge the severity of the different punishments. The focus of this article is on the way 27 participants on electronic monitoring in the past year in Norfolk, Virginia, experienced pains of imprisonment similar to those described by Gresham Sykes in The Society of Captives. Results suggest that those on electronic monitoring experience the sanction in ways similar, yet qualitatively different, from those sentenced to jail or prison. Implications for research and policy are provided.

Inventing the Savage: The Social Construction of Native American Criminality

Abstract: Luana Ross writes, Native Americans disappear into Euro-American institutions of confinement at alarming rates. People from my reservation appeared to simply vanish and magically return. As a child I did not realize what a 'real' prison was and did not give it any thought. I imagined this as normal; that all families had relatives who went away and then returned. In this pathfinding study, Ross draws upon the life histories of imprisoned Native American women to demonstrate how race/ethnicity, gender, and class contribute to the criminalizing of various behaviors and subsequent incarceration rates. Drawing on the Native women's own words, she reveals the violence in their lives prior to incarceration, their respective responses to it, and how those responses affect their eventual criminalization and imprisonment. Comparisons with the experiences of white women in the same prison underline the significant role of race in determining women's experiences within the criminal justice system.

Rates of Disorder in Higher-Custody State Prisons: A Comparative Analysis of Managerial Practices

Abstract: Despite the rise of the prison management movement, little research has been conducted assessing the outcomes associated with different managerial practices in American prisons. One factor that has slowed the development of research in this area is the challenge of operationalizing the interrelated administrative components that guide prison operations. Using past research as a conceptual base, this study evaluates the performance of managerial practices by conducting a series of post hoc comparisons of subjective levels of disorder. The findings do not support the hypothesis that prisons that adhere to highly formalized managerial practices are most effective at combating disorder.

Doing Porridge Food and Social Relations in a Male Prison

Abstract: This article explores the meanings and use of food in the institutional setting of a male prison. In an environment where men have limited access to money or material goods, food assumes immense va...

A Sin Against the Future: Imprisonment in the World

Abstract: Vivien Stern contends that prisons, a mainstay of punishment, are an anachronistic and probably counterproductive system for dealing with rising crime rates. Arguing that inherent flaws in the institution of prison threaten democratic values and fail to meet the needs of modern society, she makes a powerful case for implementing radical change. Stern first discusses the evolution of imprisonment and then explores how different areas of the world approach and use incarceration as a punitive measure. She looks at life in prison across regions and across cultural traditions, describing the personal and very disturbing experiences of prisoners as well as the treatment of minorities, women, and juveniles. According to Stern, prison is a deformed society, a place of violence, corruption, and gross human rights abuses. The author considers the many courageous efforts being made around the world to improve prisons and mitigate their built-in destructiveness, and she advocates searching for a better solution to control criminal offenses in an increasingly divided and dangerous society. Instead of locking up yet more people, she calls for a practical and positive system that reconciles and heals the breaches caused by crime. This hard-hitting, comparative study of imprisonment exposes the waste, the horror, and the heroism of the growing worldwide business of incarceration.

ASSAULT IN PRISON: The 'Victim's' Contribution

Abstract: Assaults in prison occur for diverse reasons. Understanding the role of the victim can help to explain the assault. In this article, concepts developed to analyse the victim's contribution to crimes outside prison are applied to interpersonal violence within penal institutions. A close examination of 96 prison assaults showed how activities which are considered routine in custody increased the risk of assault. Victims contributed to their victimization through facilitation or precipitation, by gaining a reputation for vulnerability, and by increasing the aggressor's sense of impunity. The participants' interpretations of events showed that there may be good reasons for an inmate deliberately putting himself at risk of being attacked

In Whose Best Interest? the Impact of Changing Public Policy on Relatives Caring for Children with Incarcerated Parents

Abstract: Changes in criminal justice policy have resulted in the incarceration of an unprecedented number of parents. Consequently, more children than ever before are living with grandparents and other relatives while their parents are imprisoned. Historically, child welfare and criminal justice policy have been treated as distinct and unrelated areas of policy. This article discusses the interdependence of criminal justice policy, welfare reform legislation, and kinship foster care, and the impact of this interdependence on children whose parents are in jail or in prison.

Girl Scouts Beyond Bars: Facilitating Parent-Child Contact in Correctional Settings.

Abstract: Distant prison locations, inconvenient visiting schedules, and the negative effects of a mother's imprisonment on her children often complicate the child welfare professional's work with the children of incarcerated mothers. Enhanced prison visiting programs offer a mechanism to support the mother-child relationship, facilitate reunification efforts, and assist with permanency planning. The article discusses one such program, Girl Scouts Beyond Bars, in relation to the problem of mother-child separation via imprisonment; traditional visiting practices; and the issues confronting child welfare professionals serving the children of imprisoned mothers.

Measurement of psychopathy in a uk prison population referred for long-term psychotherapy

Abstract: The Hare Psychopathy Checklist Revised (PCL-R) is becoming increasingly recognized as a valid and reliable method for assessing psychopathy in male forensic populations. Previous research has supported the view that the scale has good psychometric properties, however, most work to date has been conducted with North American samples. In the present study the PCL-R was administered to 104 inmates admitted to Grendon thereapeutic prison for long-term psychotherapy. Measures of internal consistency and inter-item reliability were in the range of acceptable to good. Factor analysis using oblique rotation identified two main factors which were similar to the two-factor model proposed by Hare. Factor congruence coefficients indicated that the factors extracted were almost identical to those obtained in North American samples. Twenty six per cent of the sample were classified as psychopaths, which is close to the levels reported in North American prison settings, but considerably higher than previous research involving UK samples. This is consistent with the selection criteria for Grendon which emphasize the presence of 'personality disorder' or 'psychopathy ' as a prerequisite. Overall, the results can be viewed as offering further support to the growing literature attesting to the reliability and factor structure of the PCL-R. The classification of psychopaths in the British prison system has wide potential benefits in terms of predicting behaviour both in custody and after release and for the management and treatment of prisoners while still incarcerated. Once incarcerated, psychopaths (as measured by the Hare Psychopathy Checklist, Hare 1991) display more violent and aggressive behaviour (Hare and McPherson 1984) and are more frequently segregated from other prisoners or referred for treatment (McCord 1982). Additionally, the ability of psychopaths to lie, deceive and con is as great in prison as outside (Hare et al. 1989) and this obviously has implications for management and release. Psychopaths are often seen to work the system to their own advantage and are exceptionally skilled at securing conditional release from prison, despite their lengthy criminal histories and sometimes a history of previously violating conditions of release.

Substance misusers remanded to prison--a treatment opportunity?

Abstract: Aims. To describe self-reported levels of substance misuse before arrest among remanded prisoners (unconvicted prisoners awaiting trial), to assess their degree of dependency on opiates and stimulants and to record their experiences of treatment in prison. Design. Random selection of subjects from prisons chosen to give a geographical spread across England and Wales; self-report at semi-structured interview, plus examination of the prison medical record. Setting. Thirteen male prisons, three Young Offenders' Institutions and three womens' prisons. Participants. Nine hundred and ninety-five consenting, unconvicted prisoners, randomly selected from all locations within the prisons: 750 men (9.4% sample) and 245 women (82.2% of all remanded women). Measurements. CAGE Questionnaire, Severity of Dependence Scales (SDS) for daily users of opiates and/or stimulants. Findings. Before arrest, 145 (19.3%) men and 72 (29.4%) women had been dependent on street drugs; 91 (12.1%) men and 16 (6.5%) women were solely dependent on alcohol. Seventeen (2.3%) men and four (1.6%) women reported injecting drugs during this imprisonment. Mean SDS scores were 10.6 for opiate and 7.7 for stimulant users. 244 (25%) of all subjects described withdrawal symptoms on reception into custody; 157 (16%) reported being prescribed some symptomatic relief; 235 (24%) requested treatment at interview. Conclusions. By extrapolation, 1905 people-23% of all unconvicted prisoners-want treatment for substance misuse. This apparent shortfall in provision must be addressed; the rapidity with which remanded prisoners return to the community dictates that prison and community services should be closely linked.

Immigration and Crime in the United States

Abstract: The authors investigate the relationship between immigration and crime in the United States with a focus on the turn of the century and on the end of the twentieth century. Aspects considered include a possible overreliance on prison statistics to assess crime among immigrants the extent to which immigrants are responsible for drug-related crime and differential treatment of immigrants in the criminal justice system. (ANNOTATION)

Counseling women in prison

Abstract: This volume presents a clear description of the problems of women offenders, a variety of treatment approaches and prospects for the future. Four chapters are devoted to the particular conditions of women's prisons, and the psychological effects on their inmates. The remaining chapters address clinical issues.

Victimization and Youthful Prison Inmates: An Empirical Analysis

Abstract: Prison violence researchers have traditionally studied older offenders housed in maximum-security institutions. The present study analyzes victimization data from a sample of young offenders in a m...

Prison Gang Members' Tattoos as Identity Work: The Visual Communication of Moral Careers

Abstract: The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how symbolic self-completion and moral careers are identity work by examining prison gang tattoos. Data were derived from one author's six-year full-member participation as a correctional officer in the California prison system. We examine tattoos specific to members of the Nuestra Familia, a California-based prison gang. Tattoos make an individual's self-definition more complete by visually communicating gang membership, status, rank, and personal accomplishments; they reflect a person's past career accomplishments and possible future career objectives. To analyze the moral careers communicated by these tattoos, we identify and elaborate upon five distinct phases in a prison gang moral career: pre-initiate, initiate, member, veteran, and superior. The article concludes with discussion of the importance of incorporating symbolic self-completion into an identity work perspective and consideration of some implications for future research on gang tattoos in particular and identity construction more generally.

Patterns of Rule-Violating Behaviors and Adjustment to Incarceration among Murderers

Abstract: The importation and deprivation models were used to examine the patterns of rule violation among groups of seldom studied, long-term inmates who have no hope of being granted parole, murderers sentenced to life without parole or death. Age and race were found to be consistent predictors of prison rule violations, with younger Black inmates being most likely to commit assaultive violations and to be among a group of high-rate offenders. During the first 10 years of their incarceration, these lifers and death-sentenced inmates exhibited a stable pattern of rule violating congruent with previous research on long-term inmate populations.

An Analysis of the Impact of Prison on Women Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse

Abstract: Summary The prevalence of child abuse histories among incarcerated women has fundamental implications for understanding women's well-being during incarceration. This review of the literature on child sexual abuse and women in prison suggests that incarcerated survivors are likely to be frequently reexposed to the powerful traumatizing processes associated with their early abuse, including traumatic sexualization, powerlessness, stigmatization, and betrayal (Finkelhor & Browne, 1985). Reexposure to these traumagenic dynamics has the potential to trigger traumatic reJivings of imprisoned survivors' pasts, to which survivors respond with a variety of coping strategies often seen in prison, including substance abuse, violence, self-injury, and suicide. The implications of these dynamics and women's responses to them for those who work with incarcerated women, for prison policy, and for research are discussed.

Provision of syringes: the cutting edge of harm reduction in prison?

Abstract: When, in the summer of 1994, a pilot project on prevention of drug use and transmission of HIV was launched in Hindelbank, a Swiss prison for women, not many outsiders paid attention to it. Yet only a few months later, the prison director received repeated calls from television stations, newspapers, and drug experts asking how the project was developing. We describe how this high level of public interest in a small prison (around 85 inmates, 100 entries and releases per year) came about. ### Summary points The installation of six automatic dispensers for exchange of syringes attracted special attention. The dispensers are freely accessible but hidden from general view in different wings of the prison (fig 1). Clean injection equipment is dispensed only in exchange for another (used) syringe. The first exchange is by means of a dummy syringe that is given to all inmates when they enter the prison. To distribute equipment for illegal drug use in the framework of a penitentiary—and to provide inmates, many of whom have been sentenced for drug related crimes, with syringes—seemed paradoxical to many people. Fears abounded that inmates could misuse contaminated syringes as weapons against the prison's staff or that improper disposal of injection equipment would provoke injuries and thus cause infections with bloodborne viruses. There …

Crime, Policing and Punishment in England, 1750–1914

Abstract: Between 1750 and 1914 the English criminal justice system was transformed. George III's England was lightly policed, and order was maintained through a draconian system of punishment which prescribed the death penalty for over 200 offences. Trials, even for capital offences, were short. The gallows were the visible means of showing justice in action and were intended to create awe among the public witnessing the death throes of a felon. However, by the time of Queen Victoria's death, public executions had been abolished, and the death penalty was confined in practice to cases of murder. The prison, that most lasting legacy of Victorian England, was the dominant site of punishment, society was more heavily policed, and court procedures had become longer, more formal and more concerned with the rights of the defendant. This book offers a comprehensive and up-to-date account of these important developments. As well as looking at the underlying causes of change in the criminal justice system, the book concludes with a consideration of the ways in which the evolution of modern society has been shaped by the developments in the criminal justice system.

Guidelines for the control of tuberculosis in prisons.

Abstract: Tuberculosis (TB) is common in many prisons worldwide and treatment is often ill-informed and inadequate. In this perspective the WHO and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have joined forces to produce guidelines for the control of TB in prisons. This document presents the results of the collaborative effort of WHO and ICRC. The guidelines based on recent experience outline the many obstacles to effective diagnosis and treatment and it gives useful guidance as to how to overcome these obstacles. Outlined into three parts these guidelines are primarily for prison authorities policy- makers and decision-makers in relevant ministries nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and donor agencies and National TB Program staff. Part I provides background information on TB and prisons of particular relevance to prison authorities and decision-makers in relevant ministries. Part II provides guidelines for the control of TB in prisons of particular relevance to prison health staff. Finally Part III gives guidance to national prison authorities and NGOs on how to establish a prison TB control program.

The Evolution of a Multisite Sexual Offender Treatment Program

Abstract: In June 1991, the Home Secretary announced that Her Majesty’s Prison Service of England and Wales would introduce a national strategy for the treatment of imprisoned sexual offenders. Sexual offenders would be concentrated in a smaller number of prisons that would offer a unified group treatment program that would be designed in line with research about effective treatment for this type of offender, and the program would be centrally designed, monitored, evaluated, and refined (Grubin & Thornton, 1994; Thornton & Hogue, 1993). Since 1991, the Sex Offender Treatment Program (SOTP) has been established in 25 penal establishments, ranging from the highest security to the lowest, and is situated in every part of the country, from Northumbria to Devon.

The Collision of Confinement and Care: End-of-Life Care in Prisons and Jails

Abstract: In 1997, the United States incarcerated over 1.7 million persons in local jails and in state and federal prisons. These inmates are disproportionately poor and persons of color. Many lack adequate access to health care before incarceration and present to correctional services with major unaddressed medical problems. Convictions for drug possession and use have increased the number of injection drug users with HIV and AIDS in prisons. Determinate sentencing and “three strikes and you’re out” laws have increased the number of inmates who are aging and dying during their sentences. Their feelings reflect those of Larry Rideau, sentenced to life without parole and founder of The Angolite—an award-winning prison newspaper at Louisiana's Angola Prison—“The dream of getting out, you equate with heaven. Dying in prison you equate with hell.”