AJ 50 – Introduction to Administration of Justice

Chapter 12 -

Prison Life

Research on Prisons

Prisons have been the focus of sociological research and media attention for decades

Total Institutions– Enclosed facilities– Physically & socially separated from society – Inhabitants share all aspects of daily lives

Prison Subculture

Values and patterns of behavior that characterize prison inmates– Very consistent across the country

Prisonization– Process by which new inmates accept prison

lifestyle and criminal values

The Prison Code

Common rules identified by prison researchers in 1960

– Don’t interfere/never rat– Do your own time– Be right– Be a man/don’t whine– Don’t trust the guards/staff

Prison Lifestyle & Inmate Types

Violent– Survival of the toughest

Hedonist– Living for the present

Opportunist– Take full advantage

Retreatist– Psychological retreat

Legalist– Jailhouse lawyer

Radical– “Political” prisoner

Colonizer– Comfort zone inside

Religious– Coping mechanism

Gangbanger– Defense, protection

Realist– Doing their time

Sexual Victimization

Welcome committee for new arrivals– Fight, pay, or serve

General conclusions of research…– Most sexual aggressors do not consider themselves as

homosexuals– Sexual release is not primary motivation– Aggressors may continue to participate in gang rapes

to avoid victimization– Aggressors may have suffered damage to masculinity

in the past

Female Inmates

112,000 female prison inmates in 2007 Most are in for non-violent crimes

– Drugs and property crimes most common

Many share a background of victimization– Physical, sexual abuse

80% have substance-abuse problems

Female-Inmate Considerations

US Prisons are traditionally male-dominated– Inmates, structure, staffing

Responding to gender needs…– Separate structure for female inmates– Target females’ pathways to criminality and

effective intervention programs– Recognize low-risk of typical female offender– Consider females’ role in family and community

during sentencing

Corrections Staff

Approximately 748,000 corrections employees in US

– 62% state – 33% local– 5% federal

Socialization process similar to that for inmates

Professionalism – Education & Training standards on the rise– Code of Ethics

Riots

Turbulent period during 1970’s What Causes Riots?

– Administration’s ignoring prisoner demands– Inmates’ violent nature– Poor living conditions inside prison– Power struggles between inmate groups

Security Threat Group = Group, gang, or organization of inmates who

– Pose a threat to staff safety– Prey on other inmates– Threaten orderly operation of facility

Riot Control

Most riots are spontaneous, unplanned

Five typical phases– Explosion– Organization into inmate-led groups– Confrontation with authority– Termination through negotiation or

confrontation– Reaction, investigation, and explanation

Prisoners’ Rights

Hands-Off Doctrine– Until the 1960’s, US courts tended to stay

uninvolved in prison management

Pell v Procunier (1974)– Inmates retain 1st Amendment rights that are not

inconsistent with status as prisoner

Balancing Test– Weighs individual rights against restricting

authority

Prisoners’ Rights (continued)

Communications and Visitation Religious Freedom Access to Courts/Legal Assistance Medical Care Protection from Harm Institutional Punishment & Discipline

Prisoners With Special Needs

AIDS– 20,450 state & federal inmates infected

Geriatrics– 76,500 state & federal inmates over age 55

Mental Illness– 283,800 mentally-ill inmates in prisons and jails

Terrorism– Active recruiting among certain populations