Transcript Chapter 10: Corrections Organization and

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There are currently about 1.6 million people
either in jail or prison, or on probation or
parole.
There is also about 780,000 correctional
employees in the U.S., with the majority being
state employees in our prisons and the rest in
the local jails.
Costs nearly $50 billion per year for correctional
activities in the U.S. This can be compared to
$65 billion for the police functions and about 32
billion for the courts.
Corrections are big business in the U.S.
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The American war on drugs has resulted in many
individuals being sent to jail or prison simply for
having a drug addiction.
Truth in sentencing laws, passed by many states
after first being tried in 1984 in Washington State,
has prisoners spending more time in jail than in
the past
Research was completed by Robert Martinson that
indicated that almost nothing works in correctional
treatment programs
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Correctional organizations generally have to
subsystems within which to work, with one being
considered just managing the correctional system
employees and the other concerned with delivering
services to the inmate population.
Two basic philosophies that exist as to what a
correctional organization would be.
Custodial organization, which emphasizes the
caretaker functions of controlling and observing
inmates.
Second is a treatment organization, which
emphasizes rehabilitation of inmates.
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The typical correctional facility has a central
office that oversees the vast prison system.
Some of the people found in this office would
be the director, media affairs people, legislative
liaisons, legal advisors, legal division, and
internal affairs representatives.
The primary job of the central office is budget
development and new prison construction. The
central office will also have a division that
oversees the operation of correctional
programs, such as security, education, religious
services, mental health, and unit management.
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The central office is a division that oversees the
operation of correctional programs such as
security, education, religious services, mental
health, and unit management.
One of the primary problems today comes from
those who are in prison or our county jails with a
drug addiction issue.
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One of the more complicated and expensive
divisions in the correctional environment is the
health care system set up to manage and care for
the inmates.
Another challenging job is with the human
resources division, responsible for hiring, training,
evaluations, and retirement.
It is often just a challenge to find qualified people
willing to work for them, as typically the
correctional facilities pay very low.
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The correctional security department is normally the largest
department in a prison, with 50 to 70 percent of all staff.
The purpose of unit management is twofold: to decentralize
the administration of the prison and to enhance
communication among staff and between staff and inmates.
The education department operates the academic teaching,
vocational training, library services, and sometimes recreation
programs for inmates.
Prison industries are legislatively chartered as separate
government corporations and report directly to the warden
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There are currently 31 Supermax prisons in the
United States.
The issue of whether the conditions in
Supermax prisons constitute cruel and unusual
punishment has been tested in three cases.
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In the Cooper v. Pate decision the Supreme
Court made the decision that inmates could
bring lawsuits against prison authorities
under Title 42, Section 1983 of the Civil
Rights Act.
In 1974 in Wolff v. McDonnell the courts
gave inmates facing severe discipline due
process protections.
Bell v. Wolfish the court decided 6-3 that
jail management should be left to
corrections personnel.
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The volume of inmate litigation increased
significantly following the cooper vs. pate
decision in 1964.
Prisoner’s usually sued because they were either
unwilling to accept their conviction or wish to
harass their keepers.
Due to the excessive number of frivolous
lawsuits filed by inmates the news media began
to make public some of the frivolous lawsuits,
causing a public outcry to occur.
As a result in April of 1996 the prison litigation
reform act was passed in order to discourage
frivolous an abusive prison lawsuits.
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Across the United States, approximate 2850 local
jails are administered, which together will house
about 785,000 inmates per year.
The majority of the administrators here are
sheriffs.
In response to the many lawsuits that emerged
over the years many of these facilities have had to
improve conditions, and in many new facilities were
built.
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Four Recommended Goals:
◦ Purposeful intake and assessment on all new
admissions
◦ A sound inmate classification system and follow-up
housing unit assignment
◦ Meaningful jail treatment programs
◦ The jail environment
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Juvenile
Municipal
County
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State
State Combined
Federal
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Two Basic Models:
◦ 1. The independent model. A parole board is responsible for making
release (parole) determinations as well as supervising persons
released on parole (or good time). It is independent of any other state
agency and reports directly to the governor.
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2. The consolidated model. The parole board is a semiautonomous
agency within a large department that also administers correctional
institutions. Supervision of persons released on parole (or good time)
is under the direction of the commissioner of corrections, not the
parole board.
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Relieve
overcrowding
Save taxpayer
money
Relieve county of
liability
Boost local
economy-ad new
jobs
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Provide better care
for inmates
Provide better
classification and
evaluation
Provide better
rehabilitation
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Private companies
should not have
control of inmates.
Cost will be too
expensive for the
county.
Inmates will be abused.
Security risks may
occur.
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Governmental agencies
are more efficient and
effective.
Private companies are
only interested in
making money.
Danger exists of
company declaring
bankruptcy.