NCJ Number
195432
Journal
Corrections Compendium Volume: 27 Issue: 5 Dated: 05/2002 Pages: 1-5,24,25
Editor(s)
Susan L. Clayton
Date Published
2002
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article discusses the management of, and inmate living conditions at, a Taiwanese mega-prison.
Abstract
Mega-prisons account for 45 percent of all inmate beds in Taiwan. The author explores the mega-prison correctional approach through a case study of the management of Tainan, Taiwan’s smallest, but perhaps toughest, mega-prison. Tainan has a maximum population of 3,706 prisoners and houses offenders who are classified as reconvicted, recidivist and long-term offenders requiring a high-security placement. Tainan is a telephone-pole designed all-male facility built in 1983. The surveillance methods available to corrections officers are presented. The institutional features of Tainan including the use of four wardens, militaristic structure, the use of the so-called Texas control model, and the influence of the local culture are described. The daily routine of prisoners is also included in the article along with a discussion of living conditions, inmate food distribution, and costs, and the use of the four grade system in allocating prisoner privileges. The use and management of prison industry in Tainan and its similarity to the building-tender system described by DiIulio is discussed. 3 notes, 14 references