NCJ Number
2358
Date Published
1961
Length
392 pages
Annotation
A SOCIOLOGICAL READER ON THE SOCIAL ORGANIZATION OF THE PRISON COMMUNITY, ITS CLIENTS, ADMINISTRATION, GOALS AND POTENTIAL FOR CHANGE.
Abstract
TO A DEGREE, THIS REPRESENTS AN ATTEMPT TO EXPAND UPON AN EARLIER STUDY OF THE PRISON COMMUNITY BY CLEMMER IN THE 1930'S. THE STUDIES BY INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTORS ARE PRIMARILY MEANT TO ADD TO ORGANIZATIONAL THEORY IN GENERAL WHILE VIEWING PRISON AS A MICROCOSM OF THE LARGER SOCIETY FROM WHICH IT WAS CREATED AND IS MAINTAINED. THE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONING OF THE INFORMAL ORGANIZATION IS GIVEN EMPHASIS IN THE AUTHOR'S ANALYSIS, WHICH HOLDS THAT THESE ARE THE MOST SIGNIFICANT ASPECTS IN THE SOCIAL ORGANIZATION OF INMATES AND STAFF. THE MAJOR QUESTIONS WHICH ARE APPROACHED FROM THIS CONCEPTUAL BASE INVOLVE THE FACTORS WHICH GENERATE AN INFORMAL ORGANIZATION AND THE EFFECTS IT HAS ON THE BEHAVIOR OF STAFF AND INMATES. THE VOLUME CONFRONTS THE PRISON COMMUNITY FROM A DYNAMIC SYSTEMS PERSPECTIVE AND MAINTAINS THROUGHOUT THAT THE ORGANIZATION, OPERATION, MAINTENANCE, TASK ACCOMPLISHMENT AND PERSPECTIVE CHANGE IS DETERMINED IN MOST PART BY THE PSYCHO-SOCIAL MOTIVATIONS OF ITS HUMAN ENTERPRISE. FOR ARTICLES ON STRESS FROM THIS VOLUME, SEE NCJ 06957 AND 06961.