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


– view prison as brief, inevitable
break in one’s criminal career
– take advantage of prison
programs to improve future prospects
– withdraw from outside world
and construct new life within prison
– cannot adjust to prison life
(may develop emotional disorders, attempt
suicide, and violate prison rules)
 Psychological
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◦
◦
◦
issues
 Four
issues that would lead to hell
in a private prison:
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◦
◦
◦
 Formal
and informal orientations
◦ Prisoners here were warned about the
violence ahead of time…


◦ “It was greater than I ever saw anywhere in
the state system.” (Carceral 2006:46)

Rise of the “beat-down crews”
Free movement within the walls
 Guards enforced the “wrong” rules

◦
A lack of consistency with in-prison
punishments
 Rise in prisoner-on-prisoner theft

 Disciplinary
segregation
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◦
vs. Administrative



Help administrators deal with problem
of time on prisoners’ hands
◦ Committee evaluates inmate’s security
level, treatment needs, work assignment,
and readiness for release
◦ Often based on institution’s needs rather
than those of inmates
Many educational and treatment
programs accused of coddling inmates

Educational programs
◦
◦ Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1994
bans federal funding to prisoners for
postsecondary education
◦

Vocational education
◦
◦
◦
 Prison
◦
◦
◦
industries
 Rehabilitative
programs
◦ Seek to treat personal defects
thought to have brought about
inmate’s criminality
◦
 Medical
◦
◦
◦
services
HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, tuberculosis, and
venereal diseases overrepresented in
prison populations
 Raises concerns because

◦
◦
◦
HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, tuberculosis, and
venereal diseases overrepresented in
prison populations
 Raises concerns because
 Most inmates are asymptomatic
 Courts largely refuse to interfere with
segregation and testing policies

 Elderly
prisoners
◦ Increasing in number
◦ Have medical and security needs that
differ from those of average inmate
◦ More likely to develop chronic
illnesses (e.g., heart disease, stroke,
cancer)
◦ Costs of maintaining an elderly
inmate are triple the average cost
 Mentally
ill prisoners
◦ Community treatment works only if
they take their medication
◦ More mentally ill are in jail and
prison than in state hospitals
◦ Some inmates benefit from regular
medication in jail or prison, but
others suffer from stress of
confinement
Have “store” where inmates may
purchase items in exchange for
credits drawn on their “bank accounts”
 Number of items prisoners can
purchase/receive through legitimate
channels has increased
 Informal, underground economy also
exists
 Standard currency is usually:

Annually, about 27,000 assaults by
inmates and about 15,000 assaults
against staff take place
 Prison violence results from

◦
◦
◦
◦

Prison violence results from
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦

Factors that contribute to prison
violence
◦
◦
◦
◦

Factors that contribute to prison
violence
◦
◦
◦

Fights vs. Assaults
◦
◦
 Generally two-sided, blowing off steam,
racism, spur of the moment
◦ Assaults


 The choice for the victim
 Enterprise
had
◦
 Increases prisoner abuse
 Increased number of mistakes due
to inexperience
 Can make the corporation look
better

How staff inexperience leads to
violence
◦
◦
◦
◦

Division of violent offenders
◦
◦
◦

◦ Age
◦ Attitudes
◦ Race

How to stop the violence
◦ Provide the basic necessities required to
live in prison (see Carceral)



◦ Treat inmates like human beings

Stephen Donaldson
◦ Arrested for trespassing after participating in prayin at White House
◦ President of Stop Prisoner Rape


Prison Rape Elimination Act (2003)
◦ Provides for development of better information
about nature and incidence of rape and sexual
assault in prisons
◦ Provides funding to correctional authorities to
reduce and control sexual violence in prisons
Evidence regarding prevalence of sexual
assault remains mixed


Most prison violence occurs between
inmates
Prison gangs
◦
◦
◦

Protective custody
◦ May offer only way to escape further abuse

Prisoner-officer violence
◦ Occurs in specific situations against
certain individuals
◦ Officers do not carry weapons, but
prisoners manage to obtain them

Officer-prisoner violence
◦ Unauthorized physical violence by officers
against inmates
◦ Cannot always supervise officers’
interactions with inmates
◦ Prisoner complaints often ignored until
officer gains reputation for harshness