DO NOT COPY, ©SAGE POST, PUBLICATIONS OR DISTRIBUTE THE INMATES’ WORLD: The “Keepers” and the “Kept” LEARNING OBJECTIVES As a result of reading this chapter, the student will be able to: Describe how prisons and jails are perilous places, and 1 some tips for determining when trouble is brewing DO Review the general duties of prison corrections officers 2 and jail employees Explain how jails are different from prisons in terms of NOT 3 purpose and environment List the deprivations of prison life that constitute the 4 “pains” of imprisonment COPY, 5 Explain what is meant by prisonization ©SAGE Review what is meant by the “hands off” era of prison 6 administration Explain several major federal court decisions that greatly 7 expanded prisoners’ rights POST,Discuss the unique challenges posed by women, gang 8 members, senior citizens, and mentally ill persons who are PUBLICATIONSin prison Review the basic responsibilities in carrying out 9 executions Discuss the nature and extent of litigation by prison and 10 jail inmates OR 11 Describe the general problem of drug abuse in prisons, and methods of interdiction DISTRIBUTE CHAPTER 13 308 PART IV • Corrections [Correctional administrators] undoubtedly must take into account the very real threat unrest presents to inmates and officials alike, in addition to the possible harm to inmates. To resolve a disturbance . we Whitley v. Albers think the question whether the measure taken inflicted unnecessary DO and wanton pain and suffering ultimately turns on whether force was applied in a good-faith effort to maintain or restore discipline or mali- ciously and sadistically for the very purpose of causing harm. NOT —Whitley v. Albers (1986)1 Boredom is beautiful. —Former Nevada prison warden COPY,INTRODUCTION ©SAGEWhat is it like to live and work in a prison? How are gangs, drugs, and cap- Author Introduction: ital punishment dealt with administratively? What constitutional rights do Chapter 13 inmates possess? This chapter will address those questions as it attempts to “lay bare” the lives of those Americans who spend their time in what might be termed a very restrictive environment. Presented first is a look at the perilous nature of these jails and prisons, which can be “meanPOST, and brutish” places. Next is a look at the local jails: their purpose, environment, and personnel. Following that is a discussion of the role of prisonPUBLICATIONS correctional officers, and next are reviews of several challenges to prison administrators, including inmate litigation and drug use, special needs inmates—women, mentally ill, gangs—and administering capital pun- ishment. Then an examination of prison life is presented, followed by a review of prisoners’ constitutional rights based on selected federal court decisions. The chapter concludes with a summary,OR key terms and concepts, review ques- tions, and several scenarios and activities that provide opportunities for you to “learn by doing.” DISTRIBUTE ASSESS YOUR AWARENESS: Test your knowledge of prison inmates and employees by first reading and responding to the following seven true-false items; check your answers after reading this chapter’s materials. 1. Under our system of justice, it may be said that Constitution and the prisons—that is, inmates incarcerated persons are not to suffer pains have no rights. beyond the deprivation of liberty; confinement itself is the punishment. 5. Federal legislation has greatly reduced litigation by inmates. 2. The warden’s philosophies regarding security and treatment will have a major impact on both 6. “Prisonization,” a process whereby an inmate the prison inmates and staff. takes on the value system of the prison and its culture, actually helps toward rehabilitating the 3. Today the courts generally follow a “hands off” offender. policy regarding prison and jail administration, allowing them to run their institutions as they 7. As with the police, prisons subscribe to the see fit. paramilitary system, having ranks, division of labor, and so on. 4. Supreme Court decisions support the notion that there exists an “iron curtain” between the U.S. Answers can be found on page 401. The Inmates’ World: The “Keepers” and the “Kept” • CHAPTER 13 309 When examining what corrections personnel do, it would be good to remember two basic principles put forth by prison expert John DiIulio Jr.: First, incarcerated persons are not to suffer pains beyond the deprivation of liberty; confinement itself is the punishment. Second, regardless of the crime, even the most heinous offender is to be treated with respect and dignity.2 The analysis DOof correctional institutions that follows is predicated on these two principles. PLACES OF PERIL It is probablyNOT a tribute and great credit to both prison and jail administrators and staff across the nation that so few institutional riots and other serious incidents occur in the United States, especially when one considers that staff are so outnumbered. Following are some noteworthy incidents where inmates have taken control of their institutions: • At the Morey UnitCOPY, of the Lewis Prison Complex in Buckeye, Arizona, two inmates ©SAGEtook two correctional officers hostage and seized the unit’s tower, triggering a 15-day standoff that remains the longest prison hostage situation in this nation’s history.3 • Approximately 450 prisoners at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facil- ity in Lucasville engaged in a riot, resulting in the deaths of nine inmates and one officer during the 10-day siege.4 POST, • Federal detainees in a Louisiana parish jail held hostage the warden and two correctional officers, demanding a helicopter to escape.5 • A sheriff’s negotiator won thePUBLICATIONS release of three employees before a SWAT team stormed the Bay County Jail in Florida. Inmates had threatened to rape and cut off the body parts of a fourth hostage, a nurse. They had taken over the jail’s infirmary, and one was holding a scalpel to the nurse’s neck when the SWAT team and armed correctional officers endedOR the 11-hour standoff.6 • At the U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta, Geor- gia, the U.S. Department of State reinstated an accord that permitted the repatriation of about DISTRIBUTE 2,500 Cuban nationals. Three days later, the detainees seized control of the penitentiary, demanding that they not be repatriated. The uprising lasted 11 days and involved more than 100 hostages.7 • Permanently seared in the annals of cor- rections rioting are the horrific incidents at the Attica Correctional Facility in New York in 1971 (39 inmates and employees killed) and at the New Mexico State Prison in Santa Fe in 1980 (33 inmates dead).8 As may be seen with these tragic events, jail and prison rioting and hostage taking are potentially explosive and perilous situations from beginning to end. Hostages always are directly in harm’s way, and their jeopardy is continuous and Prisons and jails must have a coordinated plan to address riot and uninterrupted until they are released and safely in hostage incidents, not only to keep a small disturbance from escalating the hands of authorities.9 Some inmate-involved into a full-fledged riot but also to protect staff and inmates from harm. This riots and hostage situations come as a complete Emergency Response Team from the Indiana Department of Corrections surprise, whereas others flow from a precipitat- at New Castle Correctional facility stands down following a riot. ing event or some type of a “spark.” 310 PART IV • Corrections Corrections hostage-taking events can involve any individuals, employ- ees, visitors, or prisoners held against their will by an inmate seeking to escape, gain concessions, or achieve other goals, such as publicizing a par- ticular cause. They can be planned or impulsive acts10 and can involve one hostage or hundreds.11 It is critical that both prisons and jails have a coordinated plan to address DO such incidents, not only to hopefully keep a small disturbance from escalating into a full-fledged riot but more importantly to determine whether someone 12 NOT lives or dies. JAIL PERSONNEL Jail employees, like other public servants, have serious responsibilities and must conduct themselves in an exemplary manner at all times while ensur- COPY,ing the care, custody, and control of inmates as per agency policies and Overcrowding procedures. ©SAGEToday about 750,000 adults are incarcerated in city and county jails in the United States, either awaiting trial or serving a sentence.13 Whereas prisons hold persons who have committed felonies and have been sentenced to at least one year of incarceration, as noted earlier, jails hold persons who are arrested and are waiting for a court appearance if they cannot arrange bail, as well as inmates who arePOST, serving sentences of up to one year for misdemeanors. Ongoing Training Jail administrators and employees need to be thoroughly trained in all aspects of their job. Jail workers have been criticized for being untrained and apathetic,PUBLICATIONS although most are highly effective and dedicated. One observer wrote that personnel is still the number one problem of jails. Start paying decent salaries and developing decent training and you can start to attract bright young people to jobs inOR jails. If you don’t do this, you’ll con- tinue to see the issue of personnel as the number one problem for the next 100 years.14 Training should be provided on the bookingDISTRIBUTE process, inmate manage- ment and security, general liability issues, policies related to AIDS, problems of inmates addicted to alcohol and other drugs, communication and secu- rity technology, and issues concerning suicide, mental health problems, and medication. PRISON CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS As with employees of local jails, prison correctional officers have serious responsibilities, must conduct themselves in an exemplary manner at all Job Satisfaction times, and ensure the care, custody, and control of inmates as per agency policies and procedures.