Chapter 9Jails and Prisons

Chapter Outline

I. Development of American Jails and Prisons

Early Jail Conditions

Reform at Last: The Walnut Street Jail

Bigger Is Better: Eastern State Penitentiary

The Auburn System

Southern Penal Systems

II. Contemporary Jails and Prisons

The Rising Cost of Incarceration

III. Jails

Native American County Jails

Federal Jails

City and County Jails

Municipal Jails

IV. State Prisons

Prisoner Classification

Special Prison Populations

Institutional Racism and Incarceration

V. Federal Prisons

The Federal Bureau of Prisons

Federal Correctional Facilities

VI. Privatization

VII. Prison Life

Sexual Violence in Prisons

Prison Gangs

Physical Health in Prisons

Mental Health in Prisons

Prison Violence

Prisons—The Human Cage

Learning Objectives

After completion of this chapter, students should be able to:

1. Describe the conditions of early colonial jails

2. Explain both the purpose and types of jails

3. Know the purpose behind classification systems

4. Detail the operations of the Federal Bureau of Prisons

5. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of prison privatization

Key Terms

Chain gang (p. 159) in the southern penal system, a group of convicts chained together during outside labor

Civil Death (p. 161) was the legal philosophy that barred any prison inmate from bringing a lawsuit in a civil court related to their treatment while incarcerated or conditions of incarceration

Congregate work system (p. 158) the practice of moving inmates from sleeping cells to other areas of the prison for work and meals

Contraband (p. 175) smuggled goods, such as drugs, cigarettes, money, or pornography

Convict lease system (p. 158) in Southern penal systems, leasing prisoners to work for private contractors.

Correctional officer (p. 171) uniformed jail or prison employee whose primary job is the security and movement of inmates

County department of corrections (p. 163) when the sheriff does not supervise the country jail, it is administered by an independent country department

Deinstitutionalization (p. 178) moving mentally ill people from long-term hospitalization to community-based care

Disproportionate confinement (p. 170) refers to the non-random distribution of persons by race in correctional institutions. If the prison population reflected the same demographic as the general population confinement would not reflect racial bias

General prison population (p. 168) is the non-restricted population of prison inmates who have access to prison services, programs and recreations

HIV/AIDS (p. 177) Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is caused by a virus called Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV). The disease is a deficiency of the body’s immune system. A person can be HIV positive but not have AIDS

Incarceration (p. 156) the bodily confinement of a person in a jail or prison

Initial placement (p. 166) the first institution and security level of the convicted defendant

Inside cell block (p. 157) prison construction in which individual cells are stacked back to back in tiers in the center of a secure building

Jails (p. 162) short term, multipurpose holding facilities that serve as the gateway for the criminal justice system

Lombroso based correctional philosophies (p. 160) divided persons into two distinct types: criminal and non-criminal. Non-criminals were biologically determined and therefore not amenable to rehabilitation or reform

Municipal jail (p. 164) city administered jails for the incarceration of offenders who are convicted of violating city ordinance in a municipal court

Native American jails (p. 163) are short term incarceration facilities on Native American land that are under the sovereign control of the Native American tribe

Penitentiary (p. 157) a correctional institution based on the concept that inmates can change their criminality through reflection and penitence

Prison code (p. 179) is the informal rules and expected behavior established by inmates. Often the prison code is contrary to the official rules and policies of the prison. Violation of the prison code can be punished by use of violence or even death

Prison consultants (p. 166) are private persons, who provide convicted defendants advice and counsel on how best to present themselves during classification and how to behave in prison

Prison economy (p. 169) refers to the exchange of goods, services and contraband by prisoners in the place of money

Prison farm system (p. 159) in the Southern penal systems, the use of inmate labor to maintain large, profit-making prison farms or plantations

Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (p. 174) required the Bureau of Justice statistics to survey jails and prisons, to determine the prevalence of sexual violence within correctional facilities

Prisoner classification (p. 165) the reception and diagnosis of an inmate to decide the appropriate security level in which to place the prisoner and the services of placement

Section 1983 lawsuits (p. 176) are civil lawsuits filed in federal court alleging that the government has violated a constitutional right of the inmate

Security Risk Groups (p. 175) groups that raise special threats, such as prison gangs

Silent system (p. 157) correctional practice of prohibiting inmates from talking to other inmates

Solitary confinement (p. 158) practice of confining an inmate such that there is no contact with other people

State prisons (p. 165) correctional facilities for prisoners convicted of state crimes

Supermax prison (p. 173) is the highest security level of prison operated by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. Supermax prisons are considered “escape-proof” regardless of the resources of the inmate

Total Institutions (p. 178) institutions that meet the inmate’s basic needs, discourage individuality, punish dissent, and segregate those who do not follow the rules.

Tuberculosis (p. 177) or TB is a contagious infectious disease caused by a bacterial infection that primarily affects the lungs

Warren Court (p. 161) the U.S. Supreme Court years (1953–1969) during which Chief Justice Earl Warren issued many landmark decisions greatly expanding the constitutional right of inmates and defendants

Chapter Summary

Historically speaking, the Pennsylvania Walnut Street Jail and Eastern State Penitentiary and New York’s Auburn State Prison established distinctively American correctional models. Early American jails and prisons had rehabilitation as a goal. Prison labor was exploited, especially in colonies with indentured servitude and in southern penal systems, which operated the convict lease system. Prison reforms came about during the Warren Court era, with rulings that inmates had the right to sue the government over prison conditions and civil rights violations. Jails are short-term multipurpose facilities that serve as a gateway to the criminal justice system. Federal jails are operated through the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. County jails are maintained by the sheriffs’ departments, and municipal jails by local police departments. State prisons house only convicted felony offenders. States run reception and diagnosis centers to classify incoming inmates and place them in appropriate facilities, minimum, medium, or maximum-security prisons. Supermax prisons hold the most violent inmates in a highly secured lockdown structure. Prison populations include men, youths, the elderly, women, gang members, inmates living with AIDS, and persons with other health problems or mental illnesses, and these populations challenge the correctional system. Federal prisons such as Alcatraz were built during the prohibition era and are run by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The federal prison system parallels the state prison systems in classification and administration, but federal prisons have higher standards for employment. Private jails and prisons were sought as a solution to prison overcrowding and the high cost of building and staffing correctional, but have been plagued with problems pertaining to professionalism

Media to ExploreGo to www.gangsorus.com to view the Web site “Gangs or Us,” which provides information on street and prison gangs.

Visit the Federal Bureau of Prisons at www.bop.gov.

Visit the City of New York Department of Corrections Web site at www.nyc.gov/html/doc/html/home/home.shtml.

Visit the Web site of Los Angeles County’s Twin Towers Correctional Facility at www.lasd.org/division/custody/twintowers/index.html.

Visit the Web site of the Southern Center for Human Rights at www.schr.org.

Eastern State Penitentiary is now a tourist attraction. You can visit the Web site of Eastern State Penitentiary at www.easternstate.org.

There are a number of Web sites that facilitate public-inmate pen pal correspondence. To view one such Web site, go to http://writeaprisoner.com.