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CHAPTER 11
INCARCERATION AND PRISON SOCIETY
Learning Objectives
2. Identify the three models of incarceration that have predominated since the 1940s.
4. Explain how a prison is governed.
6. List the characteristics of the incarcerated population.
8. List some of the programs and services available to prisoners.
9. Describe the nature of prison violence.
Lesson Plan
Correlated to PowerPoints
I. The modern prison: Legacy of the past
Learning Objective 1: Describe how contemporary institutions differ from the old– –
Maximum security prisons prior to the 1950s was a massive wall institution
In the South the massive wall were less common as prisoners worked outside on large
farms
Since the 1970s minority representation has increased and gangs have raised the level
of violence in prisons
Class Discussion/Activity
Discuss the historical development of prisons in the U.S. What were
prisons like in the 1940s and 1950s? 1960s and early 1970s? What has
occurred in the last thirty years in the prison environment?
What If Scenario
What if you travelled back in time and viewed prisons in the 1940s and 1950s?
How would you describe the prisons of today versus those from these post-World
War II times?
See Assignment 6
PPT 4-6
102
II. Goals of incarceration
Learning Objective 2: Identify the three models of incarceration that have predominated since
the 1940s.
A. Three models of incarceration have predominated since the early 1940s
1. Custodial model
Emphasizes security, discipline, and order
2. Rehabilitation model
3. Reintegration model
method of reform
III. Prison organization
Learning Objective 3: Describe the organization of prisons and their staffs.
A. Prison managers have some unique characteristics:
They cannot select their clients
Have no control over release of clients who are there against their will
Must rely on unpaid clients to do most of the daily work
Media Tool
what crimes they are incarcerated for.
IV. Governing a society of captives
Learning Objectives 4: Explain how a prison is governed.
Order: absence of misconduct that threatens the safety of others
Amenities: anything that enhances the comfort of the inmates
Service: programs designed to improve the lives of inmates
A. The defects of total power
PPT 7-8
PPT 9
PPT 10-
14
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Not possible given that the public expects prisons to be run humanely
B. Rewards and punishments
Used to gain cooperation by officers
The greater the reward, such as work release, the greater the incentive to obey
C. Gaining cooperation: Exchange relationships
V. Correctional officers: The linchpins of management
Learning Objective 5: Summarize the roles of correctional officers in a prison.
Officers are expected to counsel, supervise and protect inmates while keeping an
impersonal relationship
B. Recruitment of officers
Salaries vary considerably between states and jurisdictions
Thirty percent of correctional officers are minorities and 23 percent are women
Formal officer basic training varies greatly between states
C. Use of force
Five situations in which the use of force is legally acceptable:
2. Defense of third persons
4. Prevention of a crime
5. Prevention of escape
What If Scenario
What if you were a correctional officer? What types of responsibilities would you
have?
VI. Who is in prison?
Learning Objective 6: List the characteristics of the incarcerated population.
A. Elderly prisoners
In the past decade populations of inmates over the age of 55 increased sharply
See Assignments 1, 4
See Assignment 4
Learning Objective 5
PPT 15
PPT 16-
17
PPT 18
PPT 19,
21
–
25
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B. Prisoners with HIV/AIDS
The true percentage of infected inmates is not known
AIDS is the third largest single cause of inmate deaths
C. Mentally ill prisoners
More mentally ill live in prisons than in state hospitals
D. Long-term prisoners
Of all inmates, 10 percent are serving life without parole
Class Discussion/Activity
Have the class discuss the challenges of a steadily growing elderly inmate
VII. The convict world
Learning Objective 7: Compare the prison cultures for men and for women.
Prisoners form society with its own traditions, norms, and leadership structure
system
A. Adaptive roles
Most male inmates use one of four basic role orientations in adapt to prison:
2. Gleaning
4. Disorganized criminal
B. The prison economy
Prisoners lack everything but bare necessities yet want goods and services
Prisons have commissaries that sell some amenities to prisoners
Prisoners receive some funds from family and through prison work programs
Currency is not allowed in most prisons so cigarettes and other items of value are
used
What If Scenario
What if you were heading to prison? What coping strategies would you likely
employ during your time there?
See Assignment 4
See Assignment 2
PPT 26-
28
PPT 29
105
VIII. Women in prison
Learning Objective 7: Compare the prison cultures for men and for women.
Women constitute about seven percent of the entire prison population
Women tend to develop stronger interpersonal relationships through
pseudofamilies
B. Male vs. Female Subcultures
Over half of male inmates but only a third of female inmates are serving time for
violent offenses
There is less violence in prisons for women than in prisons for men
C. Issues in the incarceration of women
1. Sexual misconduct
3. Medical services
4. Mothers and their children
Sixty-five percent of women are mother with dependent aged children
Media Tool
VIII. Prison programs
Learning Objective 8: List some of the programs and services available to prisoners.
A. Classification of prisoners
See Assignment 2
PPT 20,
PPT 32-
PPT 34-
38
The process of assigning an inmate to a category for security, treatment, work
B. Educational programs
C. Vocational training
Widespread and popular
Many programs, however, teach skills that are not truly marketable
D. Prison industries
Prisoners make or assemble products that are used throughout the system
Teaches work skills and discipline
Quality of the product may suffer due to high turnover
E. Rehabilitative programs
Most corrections system still offer a range of psychological, behavioral, and
social science programs
F. Medical services
health care
Class Discussion/Activity
Since the 1980s, a national trend in American prisons is to reduce
educational programs for inmates and replace them with work
it rationale?
IX. Violence in prison
Learning Objective 9: Describe the nature of prison violence.
A. Assaultive behavior and inmate characteristics
Three characteristics tend to underlie assaultive behavior factors:
2. Mental illness
3. Race
B. Prisoner-prisoner violence
1. Prison gangs
2. Prison rape
See Assignment 5
PPT 39
PPT 40-
41
PPT 42
PPT 43
3. Protective custody
C. Prisoner-officer violence
D. Officer-prisoner violence
E. Decreasing prison violence
1. Five factors contribute to prison violence:
a. inadequate supervision by staff members
e. a general high level of tension produced by close quarters
2. The effect of Architecture and size
3. The role of management
Class Discussion/Activity
The textbook discusses the 2004 Prison Rape Elimination Act that
established zero tolerance standards for incidence of rape in prison. Ask
Class Discussion/Activity
Have students imagine that they are members of an advisory committee
that must quickly advise a new warden on steps to take to prevent a gang
war. The warden is responsible for a new maximum security prison that is
about to open. It is known that inmates being transferred to the prison
steps should the warden take to minimize the prospects for violence?
What If Scenario
What if your job was to address prison violence? Describe the context of prison
violence and how you would manage it.
Media Tool
PPT 44
107
Video from National Geographic Channel
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Assignment: View the video on prisons and prison gangs. Summarize the video
and determine how factual it is. Obviously, prison gangs are a problem for
problems could arise from this type of arrangement?
Lecture Notes
Since the 1940s, three models of incarceration have predominated in the United States: 1) the
custodial model, which emphasizes the maintenance of security; 2) the rehabilitation model, which views
security and housekeeping activities as mainly a framework for treatment efforts; and 3) the reintegration
model, which recognizes that prisoners must be prepared for their return to society. The popular belief
that the warden and officers have total power over the inmates is outdated and inaccurate. Good
management through effective leadership can maintain the quality of prison life as measured by levels of
order, amenities, and service. Because they are constantly in close contact with the prisoners, correctional
officers are the real linchpins in the prison system. The effectiveness of the institution lies heavily on their
shoulders. Since the 1960s, the prisoners’ rights movement, through lawsuits in the federal courts, has
brought many changes to the administration and conditions of American prisons.
In the United States, state and federal prisoners do not serve their time in isolation but are
members of a subculture with their own traditions, norms, and leadership structure. Inmates deal with the
stress of incarceration by assuming an adaptive role and lifestyle. Today, major problems in prison
Correctional populations have grown dramatically in the past twenty years. Some
agencies, such as the federal system, have quadrupled the inmate population. In addition to
problems and issues related to the sheer number increase, there are many peripheral issues such
as a growing percentage of elderly and women inmates. Each of these groups brings its own
unique challenges and many of the solutions are both problematic and costly.
See Assignments 3-4
Key Terms
classification – The process of assigning an inmate to a category specifying his or her needs for
security, treatment, education, work assignment, and readiness for release. (p. 385)
custodial model – A model of incarceration that emphasizes security, discipline, and order (p.
361)
inmate code –
Assignments
1. Research the topic of private prison corporations such as the Correctional Corporation of
America (CCA). Though not as widely popular as they once were, these companies are
still very active across the United States. What does your research tell you about success
rates and effectiveness of private prisons? What are some of the arguments against them?
2.
not faced i
3. How prevalent is violence perpetrated by prison gangs and other security threat groups?
4. Adams County Correctional Center in Mississippi recently lost one of their correctional
officers, Catlin Carithers, and had several injured after a prison riot. The riot began after
gang violence started out in the yard. What could have been done to prevent such a
tragedy? If you were a correctional administrator, what rules would you put in place for
inmates, staff, and supervisors? Why do many individuals seem to forget about the risk
5. What educational programs should be offered to inmates while they are awaiting their
release? Many institutions are eliminating programs due to budgetary restrictions. Will
this impact the day to day operations of the prison? Will it impact the inmate once they are
released? What is the maximum amount of education that an inmate should be able to
receive? Do those outside of the prison walls understand the role education programs have