Phyllis Young

BCJ 2002, Theory and Practices of Corrections 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit IV Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

1. Define terms related to corrections. 1.1 Define important key terms that relate to prisons.

3. Trace the historical evolution of corrections.

3.1 Examine how these concepts are applied in corrections today.

5. Examine the challenges faced by the correctional system. 5.1 Examine the challenges posed by gender, race, and age of the

correctional population. 5.2 Identify the challenges of the inmate classification system.

Unit Lesson Prisons have deep historical roots in American society. The development of the penitentiary was based on the belief that other forms of punishment that had previously been used were less humane. In part, two styles of incarceration developed and became known as the Pennsylvania and Auburn systems. The Pennsylvania system was developed by the Quakers and was based on the concept of solitary confinement. The belief was that if you had time away from society, you would be able to reflect on your wrongdoing and reform your ways. This is also the first time an inmate was allowed to work. In this system, the inmates would work in their cells at jobs such as shoe making, weaving, and tailoring. This method was used in the Walnut Street Jail and is still commonly used today. Some of the issues with this concept were that it was expensive and that inmates were frequently driven insane. The Auburn system was developed in response to the Pennsylvania system’s issues and problems. This form of confinement used military-style drill, congregate working conditions, uniformed appearance, work as a form of rehabilitation, and no talking unless it was required. The Auburn System was also the genesis of private business contracting with the government to defray the cost of the institution. The debate between which system worked the best started in the 1800s and went on for over 100 years. In that time, the entire world took notice of the American system of punishment and implemented some of these practices in Europe and South America. What is interesting is that both of these styles are used in prisons to this day. While some methods of housing have changed drastically, as we have seen in the last unit that discussed jail and prison housing design, solitary confinement is still used today as a tool to modify behavior of inmates. Ironically, the debate over solitary confinement has heated up again among civil rights groups and legislature. Currently the state of Colorado has been in the news as one of the first states to review the laws on solitary confinement. Should we place mentally ill inmates in solitary confinement? How much time in solitary confinement is too much? The Pennsylvania System

Reading Assignment Chapter 7: Prisons Today: Change Stations or Warehouses?

Suggested Reading See information below.

Learning Activities (Non-Graded) See information below.

Key Terms 1. Auburn system 2. Classification 3. Contract system 4. Convict lease system 5. Federal Prison

Industries (FPI) 6. Internal classification 7. Justice reinvestment 8. Operational capacity 9. Penitentiary

10. Pennsylvania system 11. Principle of least

eligibility 12. UNICOR

UNIT IV STUDY GUIDE

Prisons

BCJ 2002, Theory and Practices of Corrections 2

advocated that an inmate spend his or her entire time behind bars in solitary confinement. Can an inmate who is sentenced to 10 years of incarceration be brought back into society and be productive if he or she spent five years of that time in solitary confinement? What about inmates that are so dangerous that solitary confinement is the only option? If you have an inmate attempting to radicalize other inmates, is it possible he or she may never be suitable for general population based on the security risk posed to the institution, the officers, and the public? Should there be a cap on solitary confinement, or should it be up to the individual institution? These are all questions you should be asking yourself as you think about the Pennsylvania system of punishment. Next, let’s examine the Auburn system of punishment. This is the root of shock incarceration/boot camp, prison work and education programs, and contracts within the prison industry. Do boot camps work? Do they work for juveniles and/or adults? The state of Florida has shut down its juvenile boot camps as a result of a death of a juvenile while he was attending this program. There have been many debates as to whether or not prison industries take jobs away from the public. Do you think this is the case? It has been proven that inmates that develop skills and trades while incarcerated have a better chance at not returning to prison in the long run. In World War II, inmates contributed to the war effort, and later, during Desert Storm, they also contributed to the war effort. Educational programs also have their roots in the Auburn system; however, as society has evolved, so has the level of education available to the inmate population. Recently the debate on allowing inmates access to the Pell Grant program as well as student loans has resurfaced. One of the key concepts of this debate is, “Should negative behavior be rewarded by society by giving an inmate access to free money and government backed loans while being punished for committing a crime?” The Auburn system is actually the genesis of many of the programs we see today in the prison system. Prison populations are becoming more varied as we move further into the 21st century. Trends that we are beginning to see include more women, more juveniles, and more veterans in the correctional system. The topic of veterans in the correctional system has been briefly discussed in a previous unit, however, more detail will discussed in this section. Historically, Vietnam produced the largest number of veterans to enter the criminal justice system in the history of the United States of America. Statistics indicate that 70% of all Vietnam veterans have been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (Schmalleger & Smykla, 2015). Of those veterans, 25% have been involved with the criminal justice system and formally charged with committing a crime. If those numbers are compared to the number of returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan, this means that the court system nationwide could see 375,000 new criminal cases involving veterans (Gover, 2008). We have already discussed some of the officer safety issues as they relate to encountering veterans both on the street and in the institution. We now need to focus on understanding their needs from a correctional standpoint and how to fix some of the issues that brought them to the point of incarceration. There are multiple sides to this complex issue. Some say that once a person crosses the line of criminal behavior, he or she should be treated like any other person going through the correctional system. Others argue that based on unique circumstances and skill sets that it may very well be possible to rehabilitate veterans to reenter society and become as productive as civilians as they once were as members of the military. Today, there are approximately 100 veterans courts in America specifically designed to deal with veterans and criminal behavior. As a result, many states and counties across the country are also heading in the same direction. Programs for incarcerated veterans exist today in Florida, Georgia, and Virginia. One of the most successful county

BCJ 2002, Theory and Practices of Corrections 3

programs exists in a rural area of western Pennsylvania in Butler County (Wolfe, 2013). Typically these programs have a point in the veteran’s incarceration where they become eligible to enter a veterans only dormitory. This tends to be around the time they have three to five years left on their sentence. The states that have these programs recognize the value of separating veterans from the rest of the general population, and replacing some of the requirements of inmates incarcerated with military style living. This starts with simple requirements like being required to make their bunk and keeping their cell/dorm clean to military standards. The living conditions typically have freshly painted living areas that reflect a somewhat patriotic theme. Military emblems and symbols are painted on the walls, and inmates have their name, branch of service, and rank posted and visible. Veterans in these programs are also held to a higher standard of behavior than other general population inmates. They usually receive one warning for unacceptable behavior, then they are kicked out of the program. Most of these programs report a very low percentage of veterans that are kicked out of these programs. One other common denominator that all of these programs have is that all line officers working in this program volunteer for the assignment, and they are all military veterans themselves. What significant advantage is there to having correctional officers with military experience here, as opposed to corrections officers with no military experience? Programs for veterans that are incarcerated cannot simply address the criminal behavior. These programs must go the extra step and seek to get to the root of the problem of the inmate. Veterans involved in these programs also attend Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. They receive specialized counseling for issues like PTSD, both individually and in group formats. They attend classes in job interviewing and resume writing as well as life skills and communication. The program requirements upon release from prison tend to be more rigorous and involved than a regular person. This seems to have a positive effect on veterans who appreciate the structure they are being released back into as they reenter society. The theory behind this is that incarceration is only putting a band-aid on the immediate issue, not fixing the underlying cause of the problem. There are several different special populations of inmates in prisons. Each of them has their own specific set of needs. Some of those populations include elderly inmates that are serving life sentences and nearing the end of their lives. Women in prison typically have various needs as they relate to child care and relationship building while incarcerated and upon release. The discussion of veterans incarcerated is meant to bring your attention to an issue that will not be going away. As more veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq return home or transition out of the military, the public needs to understand their needs at all levels, including incarceration. Understanding these needs even at the level of incarceration will help give America’s fighting force a fighting chance to reenter society as the productive members they once were in the military.

References

Gover, E., (2008). Iraq as a psychological quagmire: The implications of post- traumatic stress disorder as a defense for Iraq war veterans. Pace Law Review, 28(3), 561-587. Retrieved from http://digitalcommons.pace.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1102&context=plr

Schmalleger, F., & Smykla, J. O. (2015). Corrections in the 21st century (7th ed.).

New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.

BCJ 2002, Theory and Practices of Corrections 4

Wolfe, M. (2013, July 28) From PTSD to prison: Why veterans become criminals. The Daily Beast. Retrieved from http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/07/28/from-ptsd-to-prison-why- veterans-become-criminals.html

Suggested Reading Gover, E., (2008). Iraq as a psychological quagmire: The implications of post-

traumatic stress disorder as a defense for Iraq war veterans. Pace Law Review, 28(3), 561-587. Retrieved from http://digitalcommons.pace.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1102&context=plr

Wolfe, M. (2013, July 28). From PTSD to prison: Why veterans become criminals. The

Daily Beast. Retrieved from http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/07/28/from-ptsd-to-prison-why- veterans-become-criminals.html

Learning Activities (Non-Graded) Flash Cards For a review of the Key Terms of the unit, click here to access the interactive Unit IV Flash Cards in PowerPoint form. (Click here to access a PDF version.) Non-graded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in their course of study. You do not have to submit them. If you have questions, contact your instructor for further guidance and information.