NCJ Number
85538
Date Published
1982
Length
241 pages
Annotation
This book highlights past and present prison developments through the struggle for power among often conflicting groups (prisoners, guards, wardens, governors and legislators, judges, outside community influences, professionals) and particularly through an intensive study of Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla.
Abstract
Historically, the penitentiary was conceived as the ultimate symbol of an orderly society. Offenders, through silent meditation and labor, were to repent their breach of the social contract and be restored to a state of civil grace. As penitentiary rule changed from benevolent despotism to polarization and suppressed warfare, an inmate counterculture developed, complete with a language and set of roles known as the 'convict code.' In the 1960's, a period of social ferment, many questioned the penitentiary's legitimacy, and the courts, community, and government closely scrutinized life there. As in Walla Walla, where inmate strikes and near riots led to limited self-government, correctional innovations found favor around the country. Prisoners' groups and organizations became politicized interest groups, and their conflicts led to fundamental changes in prison social structure, some of which persist. These reform policies ended as the conservative wave swept the country in the late 1970's. The concept of rehabilitation, now discredited, was replaced by the 'nothing works' school of thought, leading to a renewed emphasis on the custodial function. Federal courts, which had played an important role in maintaining order and minimum standards, edged away under pressure toward their former 'hands-off' doctrine. Correctional institutions remain overcrowded, understaffed, and underfinanced. Violent prisoners, such as the Bikers in Walla Walla, have filled the leadership vacuum left by removal of politically active prisoners. Future experiments in self-government should be based on integrated, cooperative relations between the prison administration and inmates, between inmates and guards, and between prisons and the larger community. Public policy must rely less on imprisonment, and courts must uphold constitutional standards. Finally, more open environments must be encouraged, attuning the prison regime to democratic values. The book includes an index, about 250 references, a list of relevant court cases, and chapter notes.