POLITICAL PRISONERS AND TERRORISTS IN AMERICAN CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS (FROM TERRORISM AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE - AN INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE, 1978 BY RONALD D CRELINSTEN ET AL - SEE NCJ-47357)

• NCJ Number: 47363
• Author(s): E FLYNN
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 6 pages
• Corporate Author: Lexington Books
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THE USE OF INSTITUTIONALIZATION AS A MEANS OF COPING WITH POLITICAL PRISONERS AND TERRORISTS IS EXPLORED.

Abstract

THE FOLLOWING ISSUES ARE ADDRESSED: (1) THE PREVALENCE OF POLITICAL PRISONERS IN THE AMERICAN CORRECTIONAL SYSTEM; (2) AN ANALYSIS OF THE SPECIAL PROBLEMS RELATED TO THE POLITICAL PRISONER'S PRESENCE IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM; AND (3) SOME POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEMS OF INSTITUTIONAL MANAGEMENT OF POLITICAL PRISONERS AND POLITICAL TERRORISTS. THE PROBLEM OF THE POLITICAL PRISONER IN THE UNITED STATES IS DIFFERENT FROM THE PROBLEMS IN OTHER COUNTRIES. POLITICAL CRIME HAS NO REAL MEANING IN AMERICAN CRIMINAL LAW. THERE IS NO STATISTICAL EVIDENCE RELATING TO THE NUMBER OF POLITICAL PRISONERS IN AMERICAN JAILS. PURELY POLITICAL CRIMES, TREASON AND ESPIONAGE, OCCUR INFREQUENTLY. MIXED POLITICAL CRIMES, FOR EXAMPLE THE BOMBING OF A GOVERNMENT BUILDING AS AN EXPRESSION OF POLITICAL PROTEST, OCCUR MORE FREQUENTLY. CORRECTIONS OFFICIALS FIND THAT POLITICAL PRISONERS ARE MORE ACTIVE IN INCITING PRISON DISTURBANCES. PRISON MANAGEMENT IS NOT VERY EFFECTIVE IN CONTROLLING THIS TYPE OF ACTIVITY. VIOLENCE IS ONE OF THE MAJOR PROBLEMS RELATED TO THE PRESENCE OF POLITICAL PRISONERS IN AMERICAN PRISONS. CORRECTIONAL ADMINISTRATORS SPECULATE THAT VIOLENCE MAY BE TRANSFERRED BETWEEN THE COMMUNITY AND THE PRISON BY GROUPS WHICH ADVOCATE VIOLENT SOLUTIONS TO SOCIAL PROBLEMS. MEASURES DEALING WITH THE INSTITUTIONAL MANAGEMENT OF POLITICAL PRISONERS ARE DESIGNED TO REDUCE CONFLICT AND VIOLENCE AND ARE APPLICABLE TO ANY PRISON OR JAIL SETTING. THE CAUSES FOR DISSENT WITHIN THE SYSTEM MUST BE ELIMINATED. ALL PRISON WORKERS SHOULD BE TRAINED SO THAT A SOUND AND HUMANE PRISON CAN BE CREATED. THE PRISON SUBCULTURE SHOULD BE CHANGED, WHICH WOULD INCLUDE THE REDUCTION IN SIZE OF CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS. THE CORRECTIONAL SYSTEM SHOULD BE REVISED TO ELIMINATE INJUSTICES AND INEQUITIES. SECURITY AND REPRESSIVE MEASURES SHOULD BE USED WITH RESTRAINT. CONSIDERING THE APPARENTLY REPRESSIVE TREND IN U.S. CORRECTIONS, IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THESE WARNINGS WILL PROBABLY NOT BE HEEDED.