PRISON REFORM AND STATE ELITES

• NCJ Number: 40017
• Author(s): R A BERK; P H ROSSI
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 223 pages
• Sale Source: Ballinger Publishing Co
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THIS BOOK COMPARES PRISON REFORM EFFORTS IN FLORIDA, ILLINOIS, AND WASHINGTON TO PROVIDE PROPONENTS OF REFORM WITH STRATEGIES TO DETERMINE AREAS AND STRENGTHS OF OPPOSITION AND SUPPORT FOR THEIR PROGRAMS.

Abstract

THE AUTHORS DEMONSTRATE THAT IT IS POSSIBLE TO DISCOVER THE COMPOSITION OF AMORPHOUS DECISIONMAKING ELITES AND THAT IT IS POSSIBLE TO LOCATE WITHIN THESE ELITES POTENTIAL SUPPORT FOR REFORM AS WELL AS PRIMARY OPPONENTS OF CHANGE. AMONG THE MAJOR FINDINGS OF THE ANALYSIS IS THAT MOST ELITE MEMBERS PERCEIVE MORE OPPOSITION TO CHANGE AMONG THEIR FELLOWS THAN ACTUALLY EXISTS, AN EXAMPLE OF THE PHENOMENON IN WHICH MEMBERS OF A SOCIAL SYSTEM MIS-ESTIMATE THE COLLECTIVE VIEWS OF ITS MEMBERS. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)...EB