NCJ Number
110461
Journal
Health Volume: 4 Issue: 2 Dated: (January 12, 1988) Pages: 12-17
Date Published
1988
Length
6 pages
Annotation
The prison hostage crisis at Federal prisons in Louisiana and Georgia in 1987 showed that the most effective weapon in hostage negotiations is psychology rather than guns.
Abstract
More than a dozen hostages were chained to propane tanks, which Cuban prisoners threatened to blow up. Threats were also directed against other hostages. From the start of the crisis, J. Michael Quinlan, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, recognized the crucial role that mental health professionals would play in the crisis. He instructed them to do whatever was necessary to help the hostages and their families. As a result, psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers took part in every phase of the crisis. They served on the negotiating teams, conducted impromptu therapy sessions, and debriefed the hostages when they were released. Their efforts reflected the recognition that, in a sense, everyone involved in the crisis is held hostage. A central factor in the government's negotiating strategy was to identify the leaders among the Cuban factions who were most likely to reach an agreement with Federal officials. In addition, no false promises were made. Details of each stage in the crisis, discussion of the crisis's effects on the hostages' families, and photographs.