NCJ Number
235689
Journal
Criminology & Public Policy Volume: 10 Issue: 3 Dated: August 2011 Pages: 735-770
Date Published
August 2011
Length
36 pages
Annotation
This article examines how the growth of prison officer unions has obstructed efforts to reduce the problem of mass incarceration in the U.S. criminal justice system.
Abstract
This article examines recent trends in incarceration rates and discusses the prospects for enacting extensive, long-term sentencing and prison reforms to reduce mass imprisonment. Efforts to downsize prisons include not only reducing populations within correctional institutions but also shedding prisons and related carceral infrastructure, reducing correctional institution workforces, and significantly cutting spending. This article examines in detail efforts by prison officer unions to obstruct implementation of downsizing reforms. The analysis first examines the consequences of mass imprisonment and how its growth has led to the development of powerful prison officer unions. The rise of the California Correctional Peace Officers Association (CCPOA) is explored along with its efforts to block changes to California's sentencing laws and other downsizing reforms. The next section of the article details efforts by a prison officer union in New York, while less influential than the CCPOA, was still able to disrupt downsizing-oriented reforms. The final section of the article discusses four propositions that may assist policymakers who face resistance from prison officer unions in their efforts to downsize prison population rates and cut correctional spending. References