NCJ Number
76437
Date Published
1980
Length
238 pages
Annotation
The activities of the May Committee - formed to investigate the status of the British penal system - are reviewed, and alternate suggestions for changing the structure and focus of the system are given.
Abstract
The May Committee was formed during a period of increasing industrial action among British corrections officers. Before the investigation began, the committee's mandate was expanded to include an overall examination of the prison system's status. The text examines the rehabilitative process in prisons and suggests an alternative approach - humane containment in which the major emphasis would be placed on efforts to make prisons less crowded and more habitable. The question of prison population policy is considered, population forecasts are discussed, and a committee for determining prison population size and composition is recommended. The text also discusses the use of minimum security procedures and recommends a new method for classifying prisoners as security risks. Testimony on the conditions of prisons and on the need for the normalization of prison conditions to maintain inmates' contacts with society is presented. The status and concerns of prison staff, a central focus of the committee investigation, are considered. It is suggested that the traditional correctional officer discipline has broken down. A return to disciplinary codes and to strengthening the role of the prison administration is recommended. A final chapter considers system success in providing order and physical safety for inmates, in ensuring internal justice for prisoners, and in providing for inmates' mental health, and describes standards for ensuring that objectives in these areas are met. An index and about 130 references are provided.