NCJ Number
133712
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 53 Issue: 7 Dated: (December 1991) Pages: 72,74,75
Date Published
1991
Length
3 pages
Annotation
When corrections staff have an understanding of the various cultural factors that can affect inmate behavior, racial tensions are lowered, staff control increases, and reliance on disciplinary sanctions and physical force decreases.
Abstract
In order to select staff who are able to work with inmates from various background, administrators should rely upon an interview, physical examination, psychological test, drug test, and thorough background investigation. A stable employment history, ability to control one's emotions, good communications skills, and honesty are other traits of good officers. Officers must realize that inmates' value systems are a product of their cultural background and may be different from those of other inmates or staff. An understanding of different inmates' desocialization process as they enter jail, and the resocialization process as they move away from their familiar cultural groups, is essential. A successful staff training program will expose officers to as many cultural groups as possible focusing on language, intergroup relations, and the identification of subcultures within the prison population. Communications training, using extensive role playing to recognize cultural differences in verbal and nonverbal communication, is a key element of an overall staff training program.