The Two Cultures

Abstract

This chapter assesses how correctional officers exercise their authority over inmates. How officers influence prison climates is discussed in conjunction with their roles in impeding or facilitating the goals of confinement, and in particular their impact on a climate supportive of offender change. The authors draw from ethnography on prisons across the United Kingdom to explain some correctional officers’ distrust of managers, their cynicism toward correctional reform, and their alienation from liberal humanitarian goals. Examples of officer “cultures,” informal rules of conduct, and the origins of cultural values are identified toward the end of discussing how such values might shape inmates’ attitudes toward legal authority. An important question is whether the origins of these cultural values are structural and inherent in the prison, or whether these cultures differ so greatly across prisons that other explanations must play a part.

Captives of the “Society of Captives”: Working in Solitary Confinement

“…Fourth, there is a need for more research on staff experiences (see, e.g., Rudes et al, 2022). Ideally, future studies will rely on objective measures of correctional personnel emotional well-being, performance, and culture, examining the relationship of these dimensions to work in solitary and other types of confinement (see, generally, Bennett et al, 2008;Grossi et al, 1996;Liebling & Kant, 2018;Sundt, 2017). Studies also should rely on qualitative methods to identify complexities in the nature of contemporary staff experiences (Copes & Miller, 2015).…”

“…A similar process unfolded in the analyses, which entailed identification of themes in the focus group and interview responses (Lofland et al, 2005). One researcher coded responses into themes that indicated particular deprivations; a second then reviewed every original typed observation from the focus groups and interviews, examining how its links to a given theme.…”

The security mindset: Corrections officer workplace culture in late mass incarceration

“…Indeed, contemporary prison workplace culture is more professionalized than earlier periods and, at least up through 2010, less violent (Carroll et al, 2018). Further, we recognize that in rare circumstances prison managers have created “a positive and effective social environment” (Liebling et al, 2019: 105), where officers balance “authority, compassion, and respect for prisoners’ moral agency” (Liebling et al, 2019: 120).…”

“…Drawing on extensive research on prisons in England and Wales, Liebling (2004Liebling ( , 2011 conceptualizes prisons' "moral performance" as three components of prison officers' culture: orientation to relationships, use of authority, and extent of professionalism (see also Crewe and Liebling, 2017;Crew et al, 2015;Liebling, 2000). Measures of these components point to a range of officer culture from "traditional-resistant" (the negative "us versus them" culture), to "traditional-relational" where officers use positive interactions with prisoners to create safety and order (Liebling and Kant, 2018; see also Crewe et al, 2011Crewe et al, , 2015.…”

“Invisible Deaths”: A Critical Analysis of the Study of Prison Homicide

“…The prison administration utilizes mechanisms to shape behavior, most often through punishment and rewards (Reisig, 2002). The ways individuals are treated by correctional staff, and the way prisons are governed are related to prison misconduct and violence (Liebling & Kant, 2018). In terms of victimization, correctional officers play an integral role in institutional culture as they make decisions about what rules to enforce and how to enforce these rules (Bottoms, 1999;Hepburn, 1985;Irwin, 1980;Liebling, 2004;Lombardo, 1989;Sparks et al, 1996;Steiner & Wooldredge, 2015).…”