NCJ Number
141115
Date Published
Unknown
Length
11 pages
Annotation
Studies on prison riots have identified several variables associated with such disturbances: maximum security classification, prison overcrowding, age of the facility, a low amount of contact time between warden and inmates, absence of meaningful and productive job programs, inadequate recreational facilities, and use of administrative/punitive segregation facilities.
Abstract
Prison designs incorporating privacy, color, lighting, acoustics, aesthetics, and landscaping could lessen the risk of rioting by improving the inmates' perception of their environment. Another useful tool in preventing prison riots is the use of an effective inmate grievance process; grievances could be handled by an ombudsman, who can hear the complaints and has the authority to stimulate change and ameliorate problem situations. Some correctional institutions have established inmate councils to allow the inmates a channel to voice their concerns without resorting to violence. Some futuristic technologies that might be used to quell prison riots include robots, ultrasound, subliminal messages, suspended animation, brain peptides and chemicals, undersea prisons, symbiosis, and genetic engineering. 8 references