Punish or Reform? Predicting Prison Staff Punitiveness

Abstract

Public views regarding the punishment of offenders have been extensively examined. Yet, the opinions of prison staff have been relatively less well documented, despite the clear implications of such views in officers' use of personal discretion on the job. The aim of the study was to assess the nature and sources of punitive attitudes among prison staff from a maximum-security prison, using surveys. It was found that the most punitive staff members had less experience and minimal contact with prisoners. The least punitive staff were those with many years of service and whose work involved direct engagement in aspects of prisoner care and rehabilitation. The implications of these findings for the recruitment and training of prison staff are discussed.

The Mechanics of Reform: Implementing Correctional Programmes in English Prisons

“…For NBH5: ‘if staff didn't think it was a positive programme then they wouldn't promote it and if [people] ask them about it they would say, “No I wouldn't do that, it's rubbish, it's not going to, you know, you need to do something else”’. An overriding issue is that prison staff have more or less positive views about the role of rehabilitative programmes in prison (Farkas ; Kelly ; Liebling ). Indeed, studies have demonstrated that staff in prisons can be cynical about the role of offender reform (Clarke, Simmonds and Wydall ; Hamm and Schrink ; Lin ).…”

To Punish or Not to Punish—That Is the Question

“…Another possible explanation concerns the relationship between punitive attitudes and the level or nature of contact with offenders. Both the students who were not employed by the CJS and the police officers had very limited, if any, face-to-face interaction with offenders, unlike the correctional officers who were responsible for the daily operation of prison routines and therefore experienced such interactions on a regular basis (Kelly, 2014). It seems that the more contact correctional officers have with inmates, the less punitive they become, possibly because the intimate interaction humanizes the prisoners.…”

“…Numerous criminologists and social scientists have recognized the importance and the complexity of research on the punitive attitudes of the public in general and criminal justice professionals, in particular (Kelly, 2014; Unnever & Cullen, 2009). Gideon and Sherman-Oren (2014) found these attitudes to have an “illuminating and predictive effect on criminal justice policies” (p. 1).…”

“…A considerable number of recent studies have examined attitudes toward punishment and their impact on penal policies (Applegate, Cullen, & Fisher, 2002; Kelly, 2014; Kutateladze & Crossman, 2009; Payne, Tewksbury, & Mustaine, 2010). In this rapidly growing body of literature, researchers have identified five major factors concerning public support of or opposition to the harsh treatment of offenders: socio-demographic variables (King & Maruna, 2008; Maruna & King, 2009), organizational issues (Drake, 2007), instrumental (crime-related) aspects (King & Maruna, 2008), expressive features (Kelly, 2014), and educational factors (Elffers, De Keijser, Van Koppen, & Van Haeringen, 2007; Young, Antonio, & Wingeard, 2009).…”

The Challenge of Redefining the Imprisoned Self as an Artist: The Pedagogical Rituals of a Prison Arts Instructor

“…From a philosophical standpoint, penal systems have long been plagued by tensions between the contradictory objectives of punishment versus rehabilitation (Hutchinson ; Kelly ; Nagin, Cullen and Jonson ; Válková ). These tensions extend further to competing views about correctional programming, such as the degree to which educational and vocational training should be provided (Elliott ), as well as treatment and therapeutic programmes (Daniel ).…”