Gender Comparison of Prisoner Selection for Job Assignments While Incarcerated

• NCJ Number: 202071
• Journal: Journal of Crime & Justice Volume: 26 Issue: 1 Dated: 2003 Pages: 95-116
• Author(s): Leanne Fiftal Alarid
• Date Published: 2003
• Length: 22 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined inmate rankings of what men and women thought to be the best jobs in prison.

Abstract

The study focused on what male and female inmates perceive to be the best job in prison, whether inmates still believe that race is an issue in inmate job selection, and whether inmates believe that the official method of inmate job assignment depends on merit or other traits (such as race, age, current offense). The research questions were based on data collected in 1996 in various prison units in a Southern State. Inmates classified at a high security level or inmates who were medically or physically unable to work were not included in the analysis. The sample consisted of 509 work-capable inmates in the general population; 326 (64 percent) were women, and 183 (36 percent) were men. The dependent variable was measured by the job each inmate held at the time of the survey and the level of desirability of that job. The purpose of the analysis was to determine whether inmates were selected for jobs in a fair manner that they deemed desirable. The job rankings by female inmates were as follows: clerk, kitchen, hall janitor, outside unsupervised, specialty, laundry, hoe squad, on-site industry, utility, shower/gum, and off-site warehouse. The job ranks for male inmates were specialty outside unsupervised, off-site construction, hall janitor, clerk, kitchen, on-site industry, education/law aide, laundry, hoe squad, utility, and showers/gym. The findings indicate that male inmates were more likely than female inmates, particularly men who were African-American to believe that race was a factor over merit in inmate work assignments. The regression analysis found that male inmates were selected by corrections officials most often according to custody/security level; and women who had served more time earned the best jobs. In either case, the study concluded that inmates generally believed that job assignments were assigned according to earned status or seniority, rather than according to extra-legal factors. 5 tables and 34 references