MANAGING SERIOUS VIOLENT OFFENDERS IN SOUTH AUSTRALIAN PRISONS: CONTROL, CONSENSUS, OR RESPONSIBILITY (FROM SERIOUS VIOLENT OFFENDERS: SENTENCING, PSYCHIATRY, AND LAW REFORM, 1991, P 143-157, SALLY-ANNE GERULL AND WILLIAM LUCAS, EDS. - SEE NCJ-147734)

• NCJ Number: 147746
• Author(s): J Dawes
• Date Published: 1993
• Length: 15 pages
• Sale Source: Criminal Justice Press/Willow Tree Press
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: Australia

Annotation

A survey of inmates in South Australian prisons revealed that over half had shown violent behavior of such seriousness as to warrant a sentence of imprisonment. Minimizing further violence is of paramount importance to correctional administrators seeking to provide a safe and secure system of custody.

Abstract

The standard technique used to manage seriously violent offenders is to rely on assessment and classification as the basis for implementing a system of control, the primary objective of which is to minimize opportunities for the violent offender to cause trouble in prison. Three approaches to managing prisons have been suggested, referred to as the control, consensus, and responsibility models. The Special Care Unit in the Long Bay complex in Sydney, Australia, is described as an example of the responsibility model in a high security setting. The responsibility model can be viewed within a social context, which emphasizes accountability, responsibility, and a shifting public attitude toward all manifestations of violence. Programs for the seriously violent offender must consists of work, recreation and leisure, education, and health care components. 5 references