AMERICAN CORRECTIONS
Twelfth Edition
Chapter 10
Incarceration
© 2019 Cengage. All rights reserved.
Learning Objectives
Explain how today’s prisons are linked to the past.
Discuss the goals of incarceration.
Explain the organization of incarceration.
Discuss the factors that influence the classification of
prisons.
5. Explain who is in prison.
1.
2.
3.
4.
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Links to the Past (1 of 2)
•
•
Oldest prison in America still houses prisoners (New
Jersey).
Elements of major reform movements still found in
prisons.
– During 1960s–70s when rehabilitation dominated, big
block prisons were converted into correctional
institutions.
– During this time frame, treatment programs became a big
part of prison life.
•
Number of African Americans and Hispanics in prison
has greatly increased.
© 2019 Cengage. All rights reserved.
Links to the Past (2 of 2)
•
More people in prison:
– Come from urban areas
– Were convicted of drug-related and violent offenses
•
•
•
Increased number of correctional officers joining public
employee unions
Focus of corrections has changed to crime control
Modern prison faces:
–
–
–
–
Racial conflicts
Legal issues
Limited resources
Growing population
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The Goals of Incarceration (1 of 2)
•
The Custodial Model:
– Emphasizes security, discipline, and order.
– Assumption is that people have been incarcerated for the
purpose of incapacitation, deterrence, or retribution.
•
The Rehabilitation Model:
– Emphasizes the provision of treatment programs
designed to reform the individual.
– Security and housekeeping are preconditions for
rehabilitative efforts.
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The Goals of Incarceration (2 of 2)
•
The Reintegration Model:
– Emphasizes maintenance of the individual’s ties to family
and the community as a method of reform, in recognition
of the fact that the individual will be returning to the
community.
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Discussion Question (1 of 3)
•
Which model of incarceration do you think is most
effective and why?
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Organization for Incarceration (1 of 3)
•
The Federal Bureau of Prisons:
– Created 1930

Responsible for “the safekeeping, care, protection,
instruction, and discipline of all persons charged or
convicted of offenses against the United States”
– Today:

Highly centralized:
o
o
o
o
o
Director (appointed by the president)
Six regional directors
Staff of over 40,000
Incarcerated population of more than 189,000
Has network of more than 100 institutions
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Organization for Incarceration (2 of 3)
•
Number of people convicted of drug offenses steadily
increasing.
–
•
•
•
Currently constitute over half the federal inmate population
Roughly 41,000 people in federal prison are citizens of other
countries.
Bureau provides a variety of self-improvement programs
including vocational education, anger management, and life
skills training.
Operate 122 institutions:
–
–
Five security levels from minimum to high
One super-max in Florence, CO
© 2019 Cengage. All rights reserved.
Figure 10.1 Who Is in Federal Prison?
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Organization for Incarceration (3 of 3)
•
State Prison Systems:
–
–
–
–
Executive branch administers prisons.
Prisons administered by a warden or superintendent.
Approximately 390,000 people work in state institutions.
States vary in number, size, type, and location of
correctional facilities.
– The number of people in each state’s system relates to a
variety of factors including sentencing practices,
legislation, and politics.
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The Design and Classification of Prisons
(1 of 6)
•
A variety of prison designs exist, including:
–
–
–
–
The radial design
The telephone-pole design
The courtyard style
The campus style
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The Design and Classification of Prisons
(2 of 6)
•
The Classification of Prisons:
– The Maximum-Security Prison: Designed and organized
to minimize the possibility of escapes and violence; to
that end, it imposes strict limitations on the freedom of
incarcerated individuals and visitors.




355 facilities in United States that house 38 percent of
state prison residents
Strict routines
Headcounts are frequent
Structures are built to last and tend to be older
© 2019 Cengage. All rights reserved.
The Design and Classification of Prisons
(3 of 6)
•
The Classification of Prisons:
– The Medium-Security Prison: Designed and organized to
prevent escapes and violence, but restrictions on
incarcerated individuals and visitors are less rigid than in
maximum-security facilities.





438 in the United States holding 43 percent of state prison
residents
Resemble maximum security, organized differently
More privileges and contact with outside world
Campus or courtyard style
Razor-wire, guard towers remain
© 2019 Cengage. All rights reserved.
The Design and Classification of Prisons
(4 of 6)
•
The Classification of Prisons:
– The Minimum-Security Prison: Designed and organized
to permit incarcerated individuals and visitors as much
freedom as is consistent with the concept of
incarceration.





926 facilities housing 19 percent of state prison residents
Lacks guard towers and walls
Residents live in dormitories or small private rooms
More personal freedom
Still a prison
© 2019 Cengage. All rights reserved.
The Design and Classification of Prisons
(5 of 6)
•
Private Prisons:
– Taxpayers spend billions of dollars annually on prisons:



Resident medical care
Feeding residents
Utilities
– By end of 2015, private facilities housed 126,272
incarcerated individuals
– CoreCivic (formerly Corrections Corporation of America)
dominates the private prison system

Manages 89 correctional centers offering all levels of
security
© 2019 Cengage. All rights reserved.
The Design and Classification of Prisons
(6 of 6)
•
A variety of ethical and legal issues exist with regard to
private prisons.
– Difference in programming



Work
Education
Counseling
– Costs
– Accountability
– Legal issues
© 2019 Cengage. All rights reserved.
Discussion Question (2 of 3)
•
Do you think the costs of private prisons outweigh the
benefits? What do you think could be done to improve
private prisons?
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Who Is in Prison? (1 of 4)
•
•
•
•
•
Majority are men
Members of minority groups
More than half convicted of violent crimes
25 percent of parolees return to prison
Four factors affect correctional operations
–
–
–
–
Increased number of elderly prisoners
Many prisoners with HIV/AIDS
High number of mentally ill prisoners
Increase in long-term prisoners
© 2019 Cengage. All rights reserved.
Figure 10.5 Who Is in State Prison?
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Who Is in Prison? (2 of 4)
•
The Elderly:
– Housing

Need special accommodations
– Medical Care

–
More likely to develop chronic illnesses
Programs

Must be tailored to fit abilities of elderly
– Release

Requires special efforts
© 2019 Cengage. All rights reserved.
Who Is in Prison? (3 of 4)
•
People with Mental Illnesses:
– The incarceration rate of people with mental illnesses is
considerably higher than that of the general population.
– Pose particular challenges for correctional professionals
– More often charged with rule violations
– Confinement can deepen depression, intensify delusions,
or lead to mental breakdown
– Some commit suicide
© 2019 Cengage. All rights reserved.
Who Is in Prison? (4 of 4)
•
Individuals Serving Long-Term Sentences:
–
–
–
–
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Product of “get-tough” sentencing policies
10,000 lifers were convicted of nonviolent crimes
Often suffer from emotional stress
Not seen as control problems
Administrators face challenge of making life bearable for
such individuals
© 2019 Cengage. All rights reserved.
Discussion Question (3 of 3)
•
How do you think prison administrators should address
the issues with individuals serving long-term
sentences? What ways do you think prisons could
improve the quality of life for those sentenced to very
lengthy or life sentences?
© 2019 Cengage. All rights reserved.