Lecture 5

– Managing the Prison

Punishment & Social Control 2019
Dr Claire Spivakovsky
Today’s lecture…

• The prison environment

• Examples: from US to Norway
• Changes in penal philosophy
• Contemporary policy & practice
• The future prison
The prison environment
‘The Society of Captives’ (Sykes 1958)
‘The pains of imprisonment’ (Sykes 1958)
• According to Sykes (1958) the ‘pains of imprisonment’ comprised five
‘deprivations’, i.e. being deprived of:
1. liberty and social acceptance
2. goods and services, or material possessions
3. heterosexual relationships
4. personal autonomy
5. personal security.
• Prisoners respond and adapt differently to these deprivations – adopt
different ways to survive – some maintain cohesion, others disrupt order
A pervasive sense of insecurity…

• ‘…however painful these frustrations or deprivations may be in the immediate

terms of thwarted goals, discomfort, boredom, and loneliness, they carry a more
profound hurt as a set of threats or attacks which are directed against the very
foundations of the prisoner’s being. The individual’s picture of himself as a
person of value—as a morally acceptable, adult male who can present some
claim to merit in his material achievements and his inner strength—begins to
waver and grow dim.’ (Sykes 1958: 79)
• Sykes posited that a man’s self-concept was tied to his sense of masculinity
which, in an all-male prison environment, was under constant challenge. A
prisoner’s manhood and self-concept and physical well-being hinged on his
reaction and ability to cope with this pervasive sense of insecurity. (p.78)
The ‘defects of total power’ (Sykes 1958)
• Sykes highlighted two aspects of maintaining order within a ‘captive society’:
1. Order is tenuous: ‘In the prison, power must be based on something other than
internalized morality and the custodians find themselves confronting men who
must be forced, bribed, or cajoled into compliance.’ (p.47)
2. Repressive power is limited: ‘[T]he ability of the officials to physically coerce
their captives into the paths of compliance is something of an illusion as far as
the day-to-day activities of the prison are concerned.’ (p.49)
• These ‘defects of total power’ mean maintaining order within prisoner society
= a delicate balance between guards and prisoners:
• ‘For order to prevail, guards must moderate their reliance on coercion and
inmates must actively cooperate in their own incarceration.’ (Western, 2007: xiv)
 Other realities of the prison environment…
https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/state/qld/2018/08/07/queensland-prison-violence-record-high-video/
Prisoners’ handmade weapons…
 The prison environment
• Prison – a violent and an ‘exceptionally inhumane’ place.
• To be effective, it needs to be ‘an exceptionally humane place’
(Professor Fonagy, Voices of Violence Part 2)
• The prison climate (i.e. culture & social environment) plays a
pivotal role in successful treatment and rehabilitation (Blagden
et al 2016: 373)
• How prisons are managed shapes the prison climate – and the
experience of imprisonment
Examples of two very different approaches…
Winn Correctional Centre,
Louisiana: Medium security
1500 men, 75% black
Average sentence: 19 years
Staff ratio = 1:176
Staff training: 4 weeks
• The head of Winn's Special Operations Response Team asks trainee prison
officers: “If an inmate was to spit in your face, what would you do?”

He tells them: "I don't care if the camera's rolling. If a inmate spit on me, he's
gonna have a very bad day...”

Bauer (2016) Chapter 1: “Inmates Run this Bitch”, Mother Jones

A prisoner comes out of the TV room to get a better look at a female trainee,
and she yells at him to go back in. He does.

“Thank you”, she says.

“Did she just say thank you?” A Correctional Officer (CO) asks. A bunch of COs
scoff.

“Don't ever say thank you”, a woman CO tells her. “That takes the power
away from it.”

Bauer (2016) Chapter 1: “Inmates Run this Bitch”, Mother Jones

 Halden Prison, Norway…
Maximum security
250 men imprisoned
340 staff

‘Radical humaneness’ (New York Times, 26 March 2015)

More than turnkeys…

…2 years training
Colour is used to create variety and stimulate
moods…
Preparing for freedom…
Emphasis on living together…
Explaining ‘Nordic exceptionalism’ (Pratt & Eriksson 2013)

• Nordic society characterised by ‘egalitarianism and inclusion…’ and

• ‘…high levels of informal social control that enforce these values, in
order to bring about conformity and uniformity, rather than
exclusion and division’ (Pratt & Eriksson 2013: 33)

How does this contrast with ‘Anglophone’ societal values?

Changes in penal philosophy...
 Prison as punishment or for punishment?
Brief penal history…
• Medieval England: the ‘Bloody Code’
• 16thC: ‘houses of correction’ to control the poor, vagrant & idle
• Workhouses – principle of ‘less eligibility’
• 18thC: industrialisation, urbanisation, population growth
• Perceived rise in ‘crime’ & threat to order
• Fear of the ‘criminal’ or ‘dangerous classes’
• Belief that immorality caused crime
• Ideological commitment that prison could reform ‘offenders’
Contemporary penal policy and practice shaped by…
 Post-WW2: prisoners’ rights (shadow of totalitarianism)
 1960s: specialists (psychologists, social workers)
 1980s: managerialism
 1990s: risk-thinking
Prison management’s core business = security

1. Physical security – infrastructure, buildings, perimeters,

technologies, e.g. electronic devices
2. Procedural security – security checks, controls, routines
3. Dynamic security – professional, positive relationships between
staff and inmates key to maintaining safety & security
(Murdoch & Viricka 2016: 42)
Principles of dynamic security:
Prison officers interact and engage with prisoners during the course of
their work by…
• Talking to prisoners, gaining their trust, and building rapport
• Checking prisoners’ physical welfare during musters and head checks
• Maintaining a consistent approach to inappropriate behaviour
• Encouraging positive behaviour and addressing negative behaviour
• Engaging in case management process
• Following up on requests in a timely manner
• Remaining calm during incidents.

(Corrections Management Policy of the Australian Capital Territory Corrective Services, 2011 in
Murdoch & Viricka 2016: 43)
Inside Barwon prison…

https://youtu.be/7sYqSzBJLJs
(3m 50s)
How does this compare to the approach
at Halden Prison (Norway)?
https://youtu.be/4hNUtZRGlyk (6m 49s)
To sum up…
• The prison climate (i.e. culture & social environment) plays a
pivotal role in successful treatment and rehabilitation (Blagden,
Winder & Hames 2016: 373)

• A ‘good’ prison social climate is supportive, safe and provides

opportunities for growth and development.
• Key component = prisoner-staff relationships
• Role conflict remains a challenge
• One way to make prisons more effective: ‘Ask the prisoners for
ideas. They’ve got millions of them’ (in O’Brien & Robson 2016: 31)
References:
• Bauer, S ‘My Four Months as a Private Prison Guard’, Mother Jones, July-Aug 2016.
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/06/cca-private-prisons-corrections-corporation-inmates-
investigation-bauer
• Blagden, N, Winder, B & Hames, C (2016) ‘“They Treat Us Like Human Beings”– Experiencing a Therapeutic Sex
Offenders Prison: Impact on Prisoners and Staff and Implications for Treatment’, International Journal of
Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 60(4): 371-396
• Johns, D (2017) Being and Becoming an Ex-prisoner. Oxon/New York: Routledge.
• Kupers, T A (2005) ‘Toxic Masculinity as a Barrier to Mental Health Treatment in Prison’, Journal of Clinical
Psychology, 61(6): 713-724.
• Liebling, A. & Price, D. (2001) The Prison Officer. London: Waterside Press. pp. 75-112.
• Murdoch, J & Jiricka, V (2016) Combating Ill-Treatment in Prison. Strasbourg: Council of Europe.
• O’Brien, R & Robson, J (2016) The Future Prison: Scoping Paper, RSA UK, www.thersa.org.
• Pratt J and Eriksson A (2013) Contrasts in Punishment: An Explanation of Anglophone Excess and Nordic
Exceptionalism. Oxford: Routledge.
• Scott, D & Flynn, N (2014) Prisons & Punishment: The Essentials (2nd Ed). London: Sage Publications.
• Sykes, G (1958 [2007]) The Society of Captives. New Jersey: Princeton University Press.