NCJ Number
191349
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 63 Issue: 3 Dated: June 2001 Pages: 108-111
Editor(s)
Susan L. Clayton
Date Published
2001
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article examines popular perceptions of corrections and discusses ways to counter those perceptions.
Abstract
Popular culture focuses on maximum-security prisons and creates two negative prison stereotypes. The first defines prison as a concrete and steel jungle in which helpless, often likable, inmates endure extreme hardships created by stupid correctional officers. The second negative stereotype, usually presented by elected officials advocating a “get tough on crime” agenda via legislation, is subtler. The theme is one of incorrigible offenders being pampered through access to a wide range of recreational activities, steak and lobster meals, cable television and conjugal visits. The negative public perception of corrections has serious consequences. Public disapproval assaults the self-esteem of corrections professionals and limits the ability of corrections to attract the best and brightest in the field. The author gives testimony to the impact of popular culture on the career decisions of college students. Few express interest in working in a correctional facility. There is a rich sociological history documenting the history of American corrections. For more than 100 years, scholarly books and articles have documented the operation of prisons from the inmate perspective. The result has been an emphasis on the negative impact of incarceration on inmates. The news media and Hollywood have also reinforced the negative aspects of corrections. Current employee misconduct, however, is the ultimate reinforcer of negative stereotypes. It validates the worst images Hollywood has edited from the sociological literature. Although it is only a minority of correctional employees who engage in destructive behavior, all ethical employees are tarred with the same brush. Community education can change attitudes about correctional employees. References