NCJ Number
174470
Journal
Howard Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 36 Issue: 1 Dated: February 1997 Pages: 14-27
Date Published
1997
Length
14 pages
Annotation
The effects of prison management on drug trafficking in prison were studied using survey data from North Carolina inmates, including 172 inmates in 1 prison and 229 offenders in another prison with a similar custody level.
Abstract
The restrictiveness of the prison regime was represented by a survey scale that included wing or cell searches, personal searches, questioning by officers, tense supervision during visits, unfair bunk restrictions, shakedowns and lockdowns, and other indicators. Inmate-custodian relations were represented by a survey scale that included officers not listening to problems, staff not listening to problems, difficulty in resolving grievances, and other factors. Results rejected the hypothesis that a restrictive prison regime with formal inmate-custodian relations has greater control over drug trafficking in prison than does a less restrictive regime with informal inmate-custodian relations. Results revealed that more authoritarian supervision produced more disciplinary actions than did less supervised, close inmate-custodian settings. One reason for these findings is that correctional staff are also affected by prison regimes. Findings also revealed that convicted drug smugglers implicated correctional staff rather than correctional officers as drug traffickers. Findings indicated the need for more research on enforcement and nurturing perspectives. Tables and 31 references (Author abstract modified)