NCJ Number
114741
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 50 Issue: 7 Dated: (December 1988) Pages: 77-84
Date Published
1988
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This interview with Jennie Lancaster, who was warden of the North Carolina Correctional Center for Women when Velma Barfield was executed in 1984, focuses on the stress impacting the correctional staff because of the execution and the need for formal preparation of staff for such events.
Abstract
In the period before and after the execution, correctional staff had to deal with their own feelings about the execution, heightened media attention, inmates' reactions, Barfield's feelings and funeral plans, and the reactions of her family. The prison staff had received no formal training for dealing with these factors prior to the events. Lancaster and her staff managed the situation effectively by bringing issues into the open, discussing them, and adopting policies designed to relieve stress and enhance the competent performance of staff duties attending the execution. The night of the execution, at least two treatment staff were assigned to each prison dorm to provide emotional and psychological support for correctional staff. Inmates were permitted to follow the events on television the night of the execution. Overall, prison staff, inmates, Barfield, and her family were encouraged to express their feelings about what was happening, and every effort was made to help them cope with their stress and adopt responsible behaviors. Lancaster advises that correctional staff should receive formal training for dealing with all issues pertaining to executions.