NCJ Number
213014
Journal
Criminal Justice Review Volume: 30 Issue: 2 Dated: September 2005 Pages: 174-188
Date Published
September 2005
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This study obtained the views of Kentucky correctional staff (n=554) on 26 prison amenities and assessed any link between these views and staff characteristics.
Abstract
Of the 26 amenities staff members assessed on the questionnaire, correctional staff members favored retaining most of them. Only four amenities received less than 20-percent support for retention: boxing and martial arts, conjugal visits, pornography, and condoms. Two additional amenities received more than one-third but less than one-half of the sample's support for retention: cable TV and R-rated movies. For the remaining amenities, at least a majority of the staff members supported their retention; 12 of the amenities received support by at least 90 percent of the sample. Administrators and program staff were more accepting of many amenities than correctional officers. Differences in staff views were related to length of time on the job, suggesting that experience on the job changed staff views about what made the prison experience beneficial for inmates and staff. Staff members with higher educational attainment tended to support the retention of law books and legal libraries, condoms, and boxing and martial arts. Data were obtained through surveys administered to all staff working at 6 of the 14 Kentucky prisons during the spring of 2003. Although the response rate was 34.9 percent, respondents fairly accurately reflected the sex and race characteristics of the State's correctional staff. Pearson's chi-square statistic was used to assess any differences in the relationship between staff characteristics and their views on particular correctional amenities. 5 tables, 6 notes, and 14 references