Chapter Twelve Incarceration of Women

1. Chapter TwelveIncarceration of Women

2. Learning Objectives • Explain why women prisoners are called the “forgotten offenders.” • Be familiar with the history of the incarceration of women. • Explain how interpersonal relationships in women’s prisons differ from those in men’s prisons. • Be familiar with the special issues that incarcerated women face. • Discuss the problems women face when they are released to the community.

3. Learning Objective 1 • Learning objective 1: Explain why women prisoners are called the “forgotten offenders.”

4. Forgotten Offenders • Institutionalized sexism: • Women’s prisons generally located farther from friends and families • Small number of women in prison and jail is used to “justify” lack of diverse educational, vocational, and other programs available to incarcerated women. • Small number used to “justify” low levels of specialization in treatment and failure to segregate the more-serious and mentally ill offenders from the less-serious offenders.

5. Forgotten Offenders • Women make up 6.8% of federal and state prison population • More than 114,000 females incarcerated • Women account for 24.2% of all arrests for serious crimes: • 68% for arrests for prostitution and commercialized vice • 44.1% arrested for fraud • 38% arrested for forgery

6. Learning Objective 2 • Learning objective 2: Be familiar with the history of the incarceration of women.

7. History • Early 1800s, separate facilities from men proposed • Late 1800s reform: • Separation of women prisoners from men • Provision of differential care • Management of women’s prison by female staff • Reform movement ran its course by 1935 • No distinctive model since 1940s • 1970s-1980s, women issue deferred by concern over rising male prison population

8. Learning Objective 3 • Learning objective 3: Explain how interpersonal relationships in women’s prisons differ from those in men’s prisons.

9. Relationships • Sexual relationships more voluntary than in men’s prisons • Female inmates tend to form pseudofamilies: • Father • Mother • Daughter • Sister • Prisons less violent, less gang activity, and do not have same racial tension. • Women’s interpersonal relationships were less stable and less familial in the past. • Higher levels of mistrust and greater economic manipulation.

10. Relationships • Informal social structure of female prison is collectivist. • Characterized by warmth and mutual aid extended to family and kinship members: • Male prisoners adapt by self-sufficiency, a convict code, and solidarity with other inmates.

11. Learning Objective 4 • Learning objective 4: Be familiar with the special issues that incarcerated women face.

12. Special Issues • Sexual misconduct: • Any behavior that is sexual in nature that is directed toward an inmate by an employee, official visitor, or agency representative. • Include: • Touching genitalia, breast, or buttocks in a way that is intended to arouse, abuse, or gratify sexual desire • Using threats or making requests for sexual acts • Indecent exposure and staff voyeurism for sexual gratification

13. Special Issues • Educational and Vocational programs: • Glover v. Johnson • Most female offenders undereducated and unskilled • Women not being prepared for jobs • Medical services: • Women usually have more serious health problems • Gynecological problems

14. Special Issues • Higher percentage of female than male state prison inmates reported a medical problem since admission such as: • Arthritis • Asthma • Cancer • Heart problems • Liver problems • Hepatitis • Sexually transmitted disease

15. Special Issues • Mothers and their children: • Over 60% of female inmates in state prisons are mothers of minor children. • Nearly 58% do not see their children during their sentence. • Birth in prison • 90% of states offer parenting classes • 75% provide special visiting areas • 28% overnight visits • 7% nurseries

16. Learning Objective 5 • Learning objective 5: Discuss the problems women face when they are released to the community.

17. Problems Upon Release • Most are poor • Have lost custody of their children • Have serious health care needs • Have extensive substance abuse histories • 60 to 70% have nowhere to go and have to find a place to live

18. Chapter ThirteenInstitutional Management

19. Learning Objectives • Be familiar with the principles used to organize the functioning of prisons. • Discuss the importance of prison governance. • Discuss the different job assignments that correctional officers are given. • Understand the negative consequences of boundary violations and job stress among prison staff.

20. Learning Objective 1 • Learning objective 1: Be familiar with the principles used to organize the functioning of prisons.

21. Concepts of Organization • Unity of command: • Subordinate should report to only one supervisor • Chain of command: • A series of organizational positions in order of authority, with each person receiving orders from the one immediately above and issuing orders to the one(s) immediately below. • Span of control: • A supervisor can effectively oversee only a limited number of subordinates.

22. Concepts of Organization • Line personnel: • Employees who are directly concerned with furthering the institution’s goals and who are in direct contact with clients. • Custody force • Industry and agricultural supervisors • Counselors • Medical technicians • Majority of personnel • Organized along military lines

23. Concepts of Organization • Staff personnel: • Employees who provide services in support of line personnel; examples of staff personnel including training officers and accountants. • Usually work under the deputy warden for management

24. Concepts of Organization • Warden • Chief executive of institution • Institution’s main contact with the outside world

25. Concepts of Organization

26. Learning Objective 2 • Learning objective 2: Discuss the importance of prison governance.

27. Governing Prisons • Inmate balance theory: • For a prison system to operate effectively, officials must tolerate minor infractions, relax security measures, and allow inmate leaders to keep order. • Administrative control theory: • Prison disorder results from unstable, divided, or otherwise weak management.

28. Governing Prisons • Effects of administrative breakdown: • Inmates believe their conditions of confinement are not only bad, but unjust. • Officials become indifferent to routine security measures and day-to-day tasks of prison management. • Permits gangs and other illicit groups to flourish, may help mobilize disturbances.

29. Governing Prisons • Most important factor in governing prisons: • Sound and firm management of inmates and staff. • Order • Absence of individual or group misconduct threatening the safety of others. • Amenity • Anything that enhances the inmates’ creature comforts. • Service • Programs designed to improve the life prospects of inmates.

30. Governing Prisons • Four factors that make governing prisons different from administering other public institutions: • Defects of total power • Limited rewards and punishment • Co-optation of correctional officers • Strength of inmate leadership

31. Governing Prisons • Accommodative relationships between officers and inmates: • Negotiations are central to prisoner control, correctional officers cannot have total control over inmates. • Once an officer defines a set of informal rules with prisoners, the rules must be respected by all parties. • Some rule violations are “normal” and consequently do not merit officers’ attention or sanctioning.

32. Governing Prisons • Management is successful when prison directors: • Are in office long enough to learn the job, make plans, and implement them. • Project an appealing image to a wide range of people, both inside and outside of the organization. • Are dedicated and loyal to the department, seeing themselves as engaged in a noble and challenging profession. • Are highly hands-on and proactive.

33. Learning Objective 3 • Learning objective 3: Discuss the different job assignments that correctional officers are given

34. Correctional Officers • Block officer: • Closest contact with prisoners • Oversee unit maintenance • Watch for potential breaches of security • Handle inmates’ personal problems and answer questions • Enforce rules • Inmate safety • Carry out orders of warden

35. Correctional Officers • Work detail supervisors: • Supervise various work details connected with inmate labor. • Inmate-officer relationship can be analogous to worker and foreman in a factory. • Industrial shop and school officers • Maintenance and security responsibilities • Work alongside civilians, shop supervisors, teachers, and counselors. • Keep attendance

36. Correctional Officers • Yard officers: • Yard most unstructured environment in the prison • Supervising inmates • Administration building assignments: • Very little contact with inmates • Interact with administrators, commissioner’s office, and civilians

37. Correctional Officers • Wall posts: • Towers • Generally no contact with inmates • Solitary and boring • Typically new recruits • Relief officers: • Variety of tasks, fill in vacancies of other positions

38. Learning Objective 4 • Learning objective 4: Understand the negative consequences of boundary violations and job stress among prison staff.

39. Boundary Violations • Behavior than blurs, minimizes, or disrupts the social distance between prison staff and inmates, resulting in violations of departmental policy. • One study found: • 80% of violations involved dual-relationships, consensual • 8 %, general boundary violations • 12% staff-inmate sexual contact

40. Boundary Violations • Violations contribute to: • Disorder • Potentially jeopardize officers’ safety • Costly lawsuits

41. Job Stress • Factors: • Relationships with co-workers • Departmental policies • Length of time on job • Consequences: • More sick time • More problems at home • Heart disease • Eating disorders • Substance abuse

42. Job Stress • Advantages of reducing stress and burnout: • Financial savings • Fewer resources expended • Overtime • Hiring • Safety levels • Staff morale