the treatment of prisoners by prison officials

The Treatment of Prisoners By Prison Officials

2005

Abstract

The correctional facility environment can be considered a form of isolated community where all inmates , both prisoners and officers alike interact in such a way that impacts the positive or negative atmosphere of the prison . The hypothesis behind this research assignment is that in situations where prison officers treat their charges in a negative or abusive manner , that the rehabilitative nature of the facility is undermined and the rate of recidivism is higher , than in those facilities where officers and inmates

alike conduct themselves in a more respectful manner

Whilst this concentrates on a literature review of issues surrounding this , the information included here will show that in at least two situations (Ohio and California ) the brutal treatment of inmates by prison officials has negatively impacted the effectiveness of the prison system overall and that the rates of recidivism have increased accordingly . This information substantiates the idea that a more formal study on the issue would support the hypothesis mentioned here , and could form the basis of an extended study on this issue

Introduction

It is the very nature of a correctional facility that supports the idea that such a place can be considered an isolated community within any geographical area . While it is true that members of the prison community do interact with the outside ' through trade , services and supply activities for the most part the actions that occur behind barbed wire fences have little impact on the outlying general community

Despite the isolated nature of a prison community prisoners are granted certain rights under the Constitution , although not as many as those individuals in the general community . These rights include the right to due process , which gives prisoners the right to appeal their sentence and a right to apply for parole after a defined period of time Prisoners are entitled to be protected against negative treatment inflicted on them by those who do not agree with this individual 's gender , race , religion or ethnicity (Cornell Law , n .d . [online] However , the Cornell Law website also notes that while prisoners are granted these rights by Congress , and that while the prisons are generally under the administration of the Federal Bureau of Prisons complaints by prisoners about harsh treatment inflicted by prison officials are subject to the lowest level of judicial scrutiny (Cornell Law , n .d . [online]

It is the purpose of this to suggest a causal link between prison officer treatment of inmates and the level of recidivism by prisoners After a general discussion on treatment of prisoners by officials the will then briefly look at two different case studies (Ohio and California ) to highlight the hypothesized link between negative treatment of prisoners and their rate of recidivism . It is anticipated that rather than encourage prisoners to remain straight after negative treatment suffered whilst in prison , that the negative behavior of officials against inmates actually serves to decrease the effectiveness of any rehabilitative programs available in...