Prison Life in the 21st Century

At the end of 2008, there were some 7.3 million men and women under correctional supervision in the United States of which 70 percent (5.1 million) were supervised in the community via probation or parole and 30 percent (2.2 million) who were in prisons or jails (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2009). The correctional population increased by 0.5 percent during 2008 and while this was the smallest increase in prison and jail population since 2000, prison life in the United States has changed dramatically in recent decades. One of the major changes is that prisons are still overpopulated and have in many instances become the locus of gang activities which make these compounds dangerous enclaves in which the potential for violence is omnipresent (Vuolo & Kruttschnitt, 2008). Developing policies to address these issues as well as inmate needs is therefore an imperative.

Before considering specific changes in prison life, necessary policies at the state and federal level, and inmate needs, some discussion of criminological theory is needed. As noted by Lilly, Cullen, and Ball (2007), efforts to identify the reasons why a person becomes a criminal have been ongoing for centuries. Theories ranging from biological and genetic predispositions to social disadvantages, social strain and anomie, labeling, and conflict theory have all been offered. In essence, the most satisfying explanations of why individuals adopt deviant or criminal lifestyles are individualized reflecting t

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return to society. Psychologically, being deprived of mobility and freedom of choice is devastating. At the same time, adhering to rigid behavioral norms and expectations while coping with demands placed on prisoners by other prisoners and prisoner gangs can be overwhelming (Haney, 2001). The abandonment of rehabilitation has resulted in an erosion of protective norms against cruelty toward prisoners and many corrections officials have become less inclined to address prison disturbances, tensions between prison groups and factions, and disciplinary infractions in general. Haney (2001) points out that prisoner needs for drug or psychological treatment have been likely to be addressed due to the emphasis on the punitive and stigmatizing aspects of incarceration. It is certainly true that inmates need respect, hope for a better future, and freedom from violence. However, the Commission on Safety and Abuse in America's Prisons (CSA) (2006) take the position that inadequate attention is given to such needs and that jail and prison administrators everywhere must confront prisoner rape, gang violence, the use of excessive force by officers, contagious diseases, and a very real lack of substantive rehabilitation programs incl

Category: Government - P