Institutional Corrections

The Prison Experience

Norms and Values

The inmate code

▪ Don’t interfere with inmate interests

▪ Don’t quarrel with fellow inmates

▪ Don’t exploit inmates

▪ Don’t trust the guards or the things they stand for

Norms and Values Fish

Prisonization

Contemporary inmate society▪ Race

▪ Ethnicity

▪ Age

Prison Subculture: Deprivation or Importation?

Pains of imprisonment

▪ Deprivation of liberty, autonomy, security, goods and services, and heterosexual relationships

Three subcultures

▪ Convict, thief, “straight”

Adaptation

Adaptive Roles

▪ Doing time

▪ Gleaning

▪ Jailing

▪ Disorganized criminal

The Prison Economy Commissary ▪ Toiletries ▪ Tobacco▪ Snacks

Underground economy ▪ Food▪ Homemade wine▪ Drugs ▪ Sex

The Subculture of Women’s Prisons

Pseudofamilies

Homosexual roles

Less stable and less familial

than in the past

Male versus Female Subcultures Women less violent than men Women’s prisons less violent than men’s Women more responsive to prison programs than men

Women’s security levels mixed, men’s not Women less likely to segregate by race than men

Women form intimate relationships with staff

Sexual Misconduct Any behavior that is sexual in nature directed toward an inmate by an employee, official visitor, or agency representative

Includes

▪ Touching

▪ Threats

▪ Exposure

Sexual Misconduct Jeopardizes facility security

Creates stress and trauma for those involved

Exposes agency and staff to potential lawsuits

Creates a hostile work environment

Victimizes the vulnerable

Mothers and Their Children Over 60 percent of female inmates in state prisons are mothers of minor children

Lived with children prior to incarceration

Single parents

Prison nursery programs

Classification of Prisoners Treatment based on assessment of needs

Risk assessment

Treatment assessment

Predictive models

Equity based models

Educational and Vocational Programs

Educational programs

▪ Reading, English, math

▪ GED

▪ Practical problems

▪ Lack of basic skills

▪ Attitudes not conducive to learning

Educational and Vocational Programs Vocational programs▪ Job skills▪ Problems ▪ Less-desirable jobs▪ Obsolete or outdated equipment▪ Outdated skills ▪ Women’s programs “stereotypical” jobs▪ Lack of attitudes and habits necessary to keep a job▪ Barred by felony convictions

Prison Industries

Piece price system

Public account system

State-use system

Public works and ways system

Rehabilitative Programs Psychotherapy

Psychotropic medications

Reality therapy

Confrontation therapy

Transactional analysis

Cognitive skill building

Medical Services Inmates have right to medical

treatment while incarcerated

Hepatitis C

HIV

Poverty

Aging

Medical Services

Women inmates

▪ More serious medical problems

▪ Arthritis, asthma, cancer, heart problems, liver problems, hepatitis, and sexually transmitted disease

▪ Pregnancy

▪ High risk