leness and lack of programs (Goodgame, 1985; Mahan, 1985). Also related to overcrowding is a breakdown of the classification system, depletion of resources, lack of space for classrooms or recreation, and a general buildup of tension in prisons (American Correctional Association [ACA], 1990). Many prisons in the United States far exceed their capacities, and inmates are very often double or triple celled or living in open dormitories. Irrespective of other factors and despite the range of negative consequences from overcrowding, riots are not everyday occurrences in U.S. prisons. Researchers must look to other conditions for a better explanation of riot preconditions (Eckland-Olson, 1986).
From an organizational perspective, DiIulio (1987) found that prison riots were a response to control: usually not too much control but a dangerous lack of it. He described a conflict between the punitive ideology, which encourages tight controls with the viewpoint that prisons are deterrents and necessary for the protection of society, and the radical ideology, which encou
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