Some Suggested Innovative Programs for Long Term Inmates

• NCJ Number: 75256
• Author(s): L A Bennett
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 31 pages
• Corporate Author: Southern Illinois University Ctr for the Study of Crime, Delinquency, and Corrections
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Paper for presentation at Seminar on Effects of Long Term Incarceration sponsored by International Center for Comparative Criminology, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, June 9-11, 1977

Annotation

Existing programs to counteract the devastating effects of long-term incarceration are discussed and ways of modifying current approaches or developing new ones are suggested.

Abstract

Surprisingly few prisons have special programs for those inmates serving unusually long sentences. Often, prison officials assume that these individuals will gradually become junior or paraprofessional staff members. Lifer's clubs have been organized to provide counseling and social activities within prison, and some institutions send selected inmates to schools as 'prison preventors' to emphasize the unglamorous aspects of criminal life. Many existing programs could be modified to better serve the needs of long-term inmates. Alternative approaches to the prison preventor concept include bringing juveniles into the prison and developing audiovisual presentations. Long-term inmates could be given specialized training and assume supervisory positions in prison industries. The stimulating value of education could be expanded by requiring that as students progress, they are required to bring along another inmate at a lower academic level. Long-termers would have a sense of involvement and improve educational opportunities within prison. Cautionary measures to assure that these programs do not degenerate into the old 'con boss' system which victimizes other inmates would be needed. From an innovative viewpoint, prison officials could use long-term inmates as consultants to arbitrate disputes between prisoners and staff, evaluate programs, and counsel peers. Family visits are particularly important for this group, as exemplified in the California program. The intelligence, creativity, and inventiveness of inmates could be harnessed for the betterment of society by appealing to the deep-seated sense of guilt that many carry in order to organize small think-tank groups. With technical advice from outside sources, these groups could address pollution, energy, and ecology problems. Methods of allocating profits from any successful ventures are suggested. A bibliography of 16 references is included.