Organizational and Racial Conflict in Maximum-Security Prisons

• NCJ Number: 82983
• Author(s): J G Fox
• Date Published: 1982
• Length: 197 pages
• Grant Number(s): 78-NI-AX-0033
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Justice (NIJ); US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Sale Source: D C Heath and Co
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examines the attitudes of prison administrators, guards, and inmates in five State maximum-security prisons, emphasizing the nature and scope of organizational and racial conflicts.

Abstract

An overview of problems facing prison administrators addresses the trend toward longer sentences, overcrowding, disparities between black and white incarceration rates, and the unique features of coercive organizations. The 55 prison officials interviewed are predominantly white, middle-aged males who have worked in corrections for many years. Questionnaires and interviews from more than 900 guards document their view of their positions as well as concerns about power, safety, and communications; resistance to change; and racist and sexist attitudes. The study summarizes demographic characteristics of 757 prisoners who completed questionnaires and 125 interviewees. It examines the degree of prisonization, radicalization, and criminalization, and the presence of racist and sexist attitudes, emphasizing differences between male and female inmates and racial groups. The study also traces the evolution of inmates' ethnic, religious, self-help, and special interest organizations, noting that such organizations are not security risks and provide opportunities to channel prisoners' talents and productivity. Tables, footnotes, and an index are included. The appendixes discuss the survey's methodology.