Correctional Management

The operations of correctional facilities differ, based on the type of correctional facility, and the services which the facility offers. In this case, this section will basically look at the differences between a jail and a prison.

A jail and a prison are different, in the sense that they offer services which are somehow similar, but they are not similar (Stohr, Walsh & Hemmens, 2009). A jail is a facility which is used to detain suspects, or those who have committed short-term offenses. On the other hand, a prison is a facility which is used to hold criminals who have committed serious crimes, for long-term sentences (Carlson & Garrett, 2013).

Prisons are supposed to have prison wardens, who should be well trained, in order to deal with a huge number of prisoners (Hanser, 2012). Prisoners mainly house a minimum of 10,000 inmates, who work under the watchful eyes of prison wardens. Prison wardens are supposed to be trained, on how to read and interpret prisoner’s psychology, thus understanding their behaviour, and non-verbal cues. In addition, they need also be well trained on how to handle violent criminals, and this can be through playing mind games (Carlson & Garrett, 2013). For instance, a prisoner warden may act as a friend to an inmate, whereby he would then use the relationship as a means of spying on what the prisoners are planning. Secondly, prison wardens are supposed to have attained a bachelor’s degree, in either social work, or a bachelor of administration justice. Having a degree in these courses, allows a prison warden to have the knowledge of dealing with criminals (Lavigne et al, 2010).

When it comes to jails, they hold small numbers of prisoners, with a maximum of 5,000 inmates. Jail wardens are not required to be highly learned, and for one to become a jail warden, then he or she must be a holder of a high school certificate (Carlson & Garrett, 2013). In addition, a jail warden may not be required to have psychological knowledge on how to handle the inmates. Due to the low number of inmates which a jail holds, it may not be required of a jail warden to have high educational knowledge (Lavigne et al, 2010).

In prisons, prison wardens are supposed to constantly monitor and check the operations of the inmates (Stohr, Walsh & Hemmens, 2009). They are also supposed to oversee support staffs which is associated with prison programs such as, education work, infirmary, and mental health. Similarly, wardens are also supposed to check if all prison materials are in good condition, and in case of any breakages, they should inform the prison administrator (Lavigne et al, 2010). In addition, they are also supposed to participate in budget setting, where all wardens are supposed to review the expenditures and evaluate the successes and necessity of prison programs (Hanser, 2012).

In jails, jail wardens are supposed to monitor the activities of the jail, however, they do not participate in setting the budget (Carlson & Garrett, 2013). Their main job is to offer maximum security in the jail, and to also oversee the transportation of inmates to other facilities. They also protect the wellbeing of other staff members in the facility, from any forms of attack, through ensuring maximum security (Stohr, Walsh & Hemmens, 2009).         

Prisons need to work with other organization, in order to ensure prisoners are well rehabilitated. This therefore requires different organizations which include health organizations, educational organizations, religious organizations, and non-governmental organizations to work closely with prisons (Lavigne et al, 2010). These organizations work hand in hand with prisons, thus allowing prisoners to change their behaviour. For instance, educational organizations may include State Universities, whose main aim might be to provide educational aid to the prisoners. Prisoners therefore undertake courses in the prison, which are provided by the university (Carlson & Garrett, 2013). The university provides lecturers, who will be responsible for teaching the inmates. This consequently allows prison to be able to offer different courses, whereby prisoners can easily continue with their studies without any problems whatsoever (Hanser, 2012).    

Medical institutions, may also partner with the prison, thus providing medical assistance to the prisoners. In case of any health crisis in the prison, medical institutions may send in nurses to offer support to the inmates (Hanser, 2012). In addition, a doctor from a medical institution may be sent after a certain period of time, to check on how the inmates are faring, and if their medical condition is also good. Religious organizations also work hand in hand with the prison, to ensure that prisoners are taught on how to lead religious lives (Carlson & Garrett, 2013). Most prisoners tend to change their behaviour, hence most of them end up being saved into Christianity or Islam, depending on their religions. Religious institutions provide Godly teachings to the inmates, making them to feel loved, hence inspiring them to change their behaviours. Finally, non-governmental organizations may offer assistance such as physical training to the prisoners in order to keep their bodies fit. It is therefore essential for a prison facility to work hand in hand with these organizations, in order to ensure the inmates are well rehabilitated (Stohr, Walsh & Hemmens, 2009).

            The main objective of a prison is to rehabilitate a prisoner, however, other key functions need to be performed, to ensure prisoners serve their term (Lavigne et al, 2010). This includes: provision of medical care, education, food and a place to sleep, and basic training areas. Prisoners, as people also need to be fed, and this requires a prison to have a kitchen (Carlson & Garrett, 2013). In the kitchen, food can be prepared for the prisoners. However, the facility does not need to hire professional cooks, since the wardens can pick professional cooks among the inmates, who will be tasked with the mandate of cooking.

            A dispensary within the prison will also be required, since most inmates end up in fights which results in huge injuries (Stohr, Walsh & Hemmens, 2009). In addition, in case of a disease outbreak, the treatment would be administered within the prison. The dispensary will therefore require professional nurses, and they may be four or five in number. Similarly, a place to sleep would also be necessary, and this therefore leads to the creation of cells of two, where prisoners are supposed to sleep (Lavigne et al, 2010). The cells should be equipped with beds and beddings. This ensures the inmates do not form a group, whereby they can plan and execute any forms of attacks.

            Finally, prisons need to have training areas, where they can be trained on how to do different tasks, and this may include carpentry, mechanical engineering and drawing. These form of training is usually offered to the prisoners, to allow them to change their behaviour (Carlson & Garrett, 2013). In addition, they are also required to gain such skills from the prison, so that when they move out of prison, they can be able to use such skills to earn a living. The prison need therefore be equipped with facilities which can be used to train the prisoners on how to do such things effectively (Stohr, Walsh & Hemmens, 2009).          

Prison management is not an easy task, since it involves a lot of supervisory challenges (Lavigne et al, 2010). Due to the high numbers of inmates in the prison, the wardens may not be able to handle them easily. Most inmates understand the advantage which they have is in numbers only, hence they may use their numbers as a means of disrupting the plans of the prison. When assigned tasks such as cleaning a certain section, they may not clean the section, and instead from groups where they can plan on how to sneak out of the prison. In addition, the prisoners may attempt or even attack the wardens, hence hurting them seriously. Most prisoners particularly the hard-core prisoners may threaten the wardens, thus instilling fear in them (Stohr, Walsh & Hemmens, 2009).

In order to deal with these issues, it will be necessary for the prison management to separate the inmates, in such a way that they cannot form groups. In addition, the activities of the prisoners should also be monitored, and this can be done through mounting cameras in the prison cells, thus capturing the activities which are taking place (Carlson & Garrett, 2013). Moreover, prisoners should not be allowed to walk in groups, and the management of the prison should also create enmity between the prisoners, making it hard for them to collaborate and execute an attack. Finally, the management of the prison should also invest in new ways of protecting and preventing prisoners from coming up with new plans (Stohr, Walsh & Hemmens, 2009). The activities can be monitored through looking for small pieces of papers either in dustbins, whereby the wardens can look for information concerning prisoners, and the plans which they may be planning to execute.

Reference

Carlson, P. M., & Garrett, J. S. (2013). Prison and Jail Administration. Sudbury: Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC.

Stohr, M. K., Walsh, A., & Hemmens, C. (2009). Corrections: A text/reader. Los Angeles: Sage.

Lavigne, D., Janiyan, S., Straraap, S., & Erenkov, A. (2010). The definitive guide to PC-BSD. Berkeley, Calif.: Apress.

Hanser, R. D. (2012). Introduction to corrections. London: SAGE.

Cullen, F. T., Jonson, C. L., & Stohr, M. K. (2014). The American prison: Imagining a different future.