CJ
Chapter 14
Behind Bars:
The Life of an
Inmate
© 2011 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcomes
LO1: Indicate some of the reasons for violent
behavior in prisons.
LO2: List and briefly explain the six general job
categories among correctional officers.
LO3: Contrast probation, parole, mandatory
release, pardon, and furlough.
LO4: Describe typical conditions of parole.
LO5: Explain the goal of prisoner reentry
programs.
© 2011 Cengage Learning
LO 1
Indicate some of the reasons
for violent behavior in
prisons.
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Learning Outcome 1
Prison cultures are unique because they
are total institutions that encompass
every aspect of an inmate’s life.
© 2011 Cengage Learning
© 2011 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 1
• The aging prison population
– The majority of inmates are under the age of 34,
but the older inmate population is growing
– There are a number of explanations for this
upsurge, including mandatory sentencing
• Contributing factors:
–
–
–
–
“Get tough on crime” measures
High rates of recidivism
Higher levels of crime by older offenders
Aging of the U.S. population as a whole
© 2011 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 1
Adapting to Prison Culture:
• Doing time
• Jailing
• Gleaning
• Disorganized criminals
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Learning Outcome 1
Violence in prison exists because:
• It provides a deterrent against being
victimized
• It enhances self-image
• In the case of rape, it gives sexual
relief
• It is a means of acquiring material
goods
© 2011 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 1
The deprivation model
• The stressful and oppressive
conditions of prison life lead to
aggressive behavior on the part of
the intimates.
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Learning Outcome 1
Riots:
• Relative deprivation
– Focuses on the gap between what is
expected in a situation and what is
achieved.
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Learning Outcome 1
The role of race and ethnicity:
• Separate worlds
• Prison segregation
Prison Gangs and Security Threat
Groups (STGs)
• The prevalence of prison gangs
• Combating prison gangs
© 2011 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 1
Characteristics of Female Inmates:
• A history of abuse
• Mental disorders and post-traumatic
stress disorder
• The motherhood problem
– Seven out of ten women in prison have at least
one child
• Violence
© 2011 Cengage Learning
LO 2
List and briefly explain the six
general job categories among
correctional officers.
© 2011 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 2
Rank and duties of correctional officers
• Block officers
• Work detail officers
• Industrial shop and school officers
• Yard officers
• Tower guards
• Administrative building assignments
© 2011 Cengage Learning
CAREERPREP
Correctional Officer
Job Description:
• Ensure the safety of inmates and other employees of the correctional
facility. This includes escorting inmates from their cells to other areas of
the prison, standing guard over inmates after they have been removed
from their cells, searching inmates for forbidden items, and patrolling the
prison grounds.
• Build and maintain rapport with inmates to defuse disruptive behavior and
prevent potential inmate problems such as suicide, intoxication, drug use,
and violent behavior.
What Kind of Training Is Required?
• At the state level, a high school diploma. At the federal level, a bachelor’s
degree or three years of full-time experience counseling and supervising
individuals.
• Written, physical, and psychological examinations and a training period
that lasts from one to six months, depending on the size of the
correctional facility.
Annual Salary Range?
$23,600–$60,000
For additional information, visit: www.aca.org.
© 2011 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 2
Discipline
• Legitimate security interests
–
–
–
–
–
Acting in self-defense
Acting to defend safety of a third person
Upholding the rules of the institution
Preventing a crime
Preventing an escape effort
• The “malicious and sadistic” standard
© 2011 Cengage Learning
LO 3
Contrast probation, parole,
mandatory release, pardon
and furlough.
© 2011 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 3
Parole:
• Conditional release
• Based on:
– Grace
– Contract of consent
– Custody
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Mastering
Concepts
Probation versus
Parole
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Learning Outcome 3
Other forms of Release:
• Mandatory release
• Pardon
• furlough
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Learning Outcome 3
• Parole is not a right but a privilege.
• Greenholtz v. Inmates of the Nebraska
Penal and Correctional Complex (1979) –
inmates do not have constitutional right to
parole.
© 2011 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 3
Basic Roles of the Parole Board:
• To decide which inmates should be given
parole
• To determine the conditions of parole
• To discharge the offender when the
conditions of parole have been met
• To determine whether or not parole
privileges should be revoked when a
violation occurs.
© 2011 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 3
The Parole Hearing
• Participants include the judge,
attorneys, the offender, law
enforcement officers, and the victim
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LO 4
Describe typical conditions to
parole.
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Learning Outcome 4
Parole Supervision:
• Conditions of parole
• Parole contracts
– Sets out the agreement between the
state and the paroled offender
• Parole Officers
• Parole Revocation
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© 2011 Cengage Learning
LO 5
Explain the goal of prisoner
reentry programs.
© 2011 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 5
Prisoner reentry:
• “all activities and programming
conducted to prepare ex-convicts to
return safely to the community and to
live as law abiding citizens.”
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Learning Outcome 5
Barriers to Reentry:
• Life behind bars is very different than
life outside
• Prison environment insulates inmates
• Difficult to get housing and
employment
© 2011 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 5
Positive Reinforcement on Parole
• Work release programs
• Halfway houses
© 2011 Cengage Learning
CAREERPREP
Halfway House Program Manager
Job Description:
• Coordinate recreational, educational, and vocational counseling,
and other programs for residents. Also, maintain the security of the
house and the residents.
• Serve as a mediator between the residents and the community and
as an advocate for the halfway house with community groups.
What Kind of Training Is Required?
• A bachelor’s degree or master’s degree in social work, career
counseling, criminal justice, or psychology.
• Also helpful are internships, volunteer work with a halfway house,
or community service work through an agency.
Annual Salary Range?
$29,390–$45,550.
For additional information, visit: www.michigan.gov/careers/0,1607,7170-46398-64300--,00.html.
© 2011 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 5
Sex Offender Notification Laws:
• Megan’s Law
• Active notification
• Passive notification
© 2011 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcome 5
Conditions of release:
• No contact with children under 16
• Continued psychiatric treatment
• Permission to change residences
• Stay a certain distance from
schools/parks
• Cannot own toys that could lure
children
• Cannot have job that involves
interacting with children
© 2011 Cengage Learning