NCJ Number
77011
Date Published
1980
Length
240 pages
Annotation
This book is a personal account by the warden of the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Fort Worth, Tex.; the cocorrectional facility, which opened in 1971, offers intensive programs for inmates with drug and alcohol abuse problems.
Abstract
The work describes the people, programs, and events which comprised the warden's experience from 1971 through 1975. Many of the characters and events depicted are composites. In some cases, actual events are reported. The Federal Bureau of Prisons took over the facility at Fort Worth in October 1971. Three weeks later, FCI received its first male inmates, who were former residents of the drug addiction treatment unit at La Tuna, Tex. Shortly thereafter, 45 women who had been involved in a disruptive incident at the women's prison in Alderson, W. Va. arrived. Neither the social structure typical of men's prisons nor that typical of women's prisons applied to FCI. However, inmates were being influenced by circumstances to make basic positive changes. They were forced to develop relationships with each other that were neither sexual nor exploitative. A dimension of the destructiveness of conventional imprisonment was thus revealed. Having men and women prisoners together was seen by the inmates as a trust gesture of startling persuasiveness. The basis of the inmate social structure at FCI was the walk partnership system. In addition, the varied social activites at FCI offered the opportunity for even the shyest men to associate with women in a wholesome way. There was an astonishingly low incidence of violations of the explicit rule against sexual contact. Offenders selected for the facility had to have a resonable expectation of release within 2 years and had to have records free of seriously assaultive behavior. In contrast to the situation in many other prisons, religion in its most inclusive and positive sense had a great impact on the life of FCI residents. Work release and substance abuse rehabilitation programs were prominent factors in the total program. The book concludes that, despite problems in co-corrections, the FCI experience during the early years was instructive and positive, and that such institutions have a place in the future of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. An index is provided.