NCJ Number
159781
Date Published
1983
Length
0 pages
Annotation
Based on comments by inmates and staff in Pennsylvania's Bucks County and Graterford correctional facilities, this video portrays personal reactions to and perspectives on prison conditions and their consequences.
Abstract
Inmates and staff apparently agree that jails and prisons are dangerous places governed by fear and intimidation, where few people feel that anyone cares about what is happening to them. Comments by various correctional staff show that they do not believe that prison changes inmates for the better. Instead, they believe that prison only ensures the continuation of criminal behavior after release, because little has happened in prison to change the circumstances and behaviors that brought them there. A mental health professional notes that prison is not a therapeutic environment; the interactions and environmental conditions tend to aggravate the emotional needs and deviant behaviors that prevent positive adjustment in society. Another corrections professional argues that imprisonment is based on the simplistic perception held by the public and many politicians that punishing and abusing criminals solves the crime problem. The video emphasizes the actual impact of prison conditions; it is not intended to provide guidelines for how these conditions can be changed.