NCJ Number
139659
Date Published
1992
Length
257 pages
Annotation
This book outlines the history of control strategies at the Penitentiary of New Mexico (PNM), a prison that reflects the current trend toward prison disorder in the United States.
Abstract
Four interconnected tendencies have disrupted prison organizations over the past 20 years: the lack of an effective legitimizing philosophy that gives direction to correctional policies; the increasing influence of politicians over correctional operations; the rapid turnover of top prison administrators who are unable to establish and implement a consistent policy for corrections before their dismissal by politically-appointed superiors; and the shift in control strategies over inmates. A sociological perspective which focuses on prison organization and the structural changes that have occurred offers the most coherent explanation for the present prison crisis. A change in relations among inmates emerges as the most immediate cause of prison disorder. To understand this change, it is necessary to examine the evolution of the organizational structure of prisons. Theoretical questions are explored through the concrete example of the organizational changes that occurred at the PNM. 213 references