Prison violence
This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
Prison violence is a daily occurrence due to the diversity of inmates with varied
Acts of violence
Prison
- Instrumental violence is premeditated; it is planned out, calculated, and then implemented. More commonly executed by males,[1] this act typically establishes power and is, “…justified and rationalized by the inmate population by creating peer admiration, fear, protection…”.[1] Typically, surviving in prison involves establishing strength and power, which is why instrumental violence is so commonly used.
- Expressive violence is a spontaneous attack typically carried out by women.[1] In this tactic, the attacker lashes out suddenly due to intense feelings of danger, fear, anger or resentment, resulting in the sudden jump into action. It can be concluded that expressive violence is a more responsive attack that occurs when the perpetrator feels provoked or threatened, whereas instrumental violence is carefully planned out and driven by vengeance.
- mental disorders such as depression and anxiety, and need psychiatric attention.[2] Due to influences such as their surroundings, the harsh treatment they receive from officers and inmates, and their sentencing time, self-harm and suicide rates are believed to be higher in prison populations than any non-incarcerated population.[2]
Causes of violence
The perpetrators of violent attacks are convicted criminals, some of whom are in prison for committing crimes that have left multiple people severely injured or dead. As such, many of these individuals are accustomed to using violence. Inmates may settle disputes and seek power by physically harming or threatening other inmates.[1] An environment where violence is already preexisting and widely prevalent is undoubtedly a considerable factor as to why prison violence occurs, but the physical design of the prison can also positively or negatively affect this issue. A prison can either have indirect or direct supervision. Both types of supervision have strengths and weaknesses.[1]
Indirect supervision
Indirect supervision is when a correctional officer is placed in an enclosed booth and must constantly watch over the inmates through a
Direct supervision
Direct supervision is a more personal type of design because officers are assigned a cell block to patrol. Through this layout, the guards actually speak to cellmates one-on-one. The minor altercations that take place throughout the day is directly handled by the patrol officer, but this single officer cannot prevent a violent attack from happening. As soon as their back is turned or their attention is focused on someone else, the perpetrator can still commit violence.[1] In this form of supervision officers are left more vulnerable, but it also leads to, “…decreased tension and stress of staff and inmates…”.[1] Direct supervision is more of a hands-on form of management, where “…major incidents are not as numerous and minor incidents result in higher numbers…”.[1]
Overcrowding
Staffing levels
Prison violence and
Mark Day of the Prison Reform Trust spoke of a “hidden emergency unfolding in our prison system” and said increasing prison violence should not become the new normal the lives of people living and working in prisons depended on that. Frances Crook, of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said:
Cutting staff and prison budgets while allowing the number of people behind bars to grow unchecked has created a toxic mix of violence, death and human misery … Today’s figures show that we cannot wait for legislation – bold and radical action is needed now to stop the death toll rising further.[4]
Weapons used
Most inmates look to get into an altercation armed with some sort of homemade weapon. The weapons they use to attack their victims are made to be very destructive and can easily be both hidden and accessed. They use objects such as shanks,
Weapon creation
The prison store, supplies provided by prisons, and objects visitors bring
Security threat groups
Officers call prison gangs STGs, or security threat groups. These groups are highly dangerous and take part in a huge majority of attacks that occur in prisons.[1] Originally, "The early formation of STGs was based on racial/ethnic ideologies and protection from other groups. Later they developed the intent to commit acts of violence and form crime syndicates."[1] These gangs' sole purpose is to have control and dominance, which is gained through violent attacks. Often, these attacks are committed onto rivals and people issued in the Bad News List. The Bad News List can be presumed as a factor for prison violence. This list is circulated among a gang and once a name is found on this list, it is inevitable that they will be attacked. A person is typically place on the Bad News List if they, "…stole from an affiliate on the outside, or because you failed to repay a drug debt, or because you're suspected of ratting someone out."[10]
The people on the list will be attacked on sight, but once their debts are paid, they are immediately removed from the Bad News List.[10] Most, if not all, gang prison violence is instrumental and is very intricately planned out. Gang members will often send out or receive encoded, in depth letters on violent attacks that are ordered to take place, other times, "…gang members used the drainage pipes of their in-cell toilets to communicate clandestinely across cellblocks…".[10] It has become clear that, "Extensive communication systems coordinated between inmates, criminal activity, and street gangs are common",[10] and a vast majority of the prison violence that occurs begins with these communication systems. Security threat groups are at the heart of many of the altercations that take place within prison walls and they remorselessly commit these vicious acts simply because they are ordered to do so.
Violence against prison guards
Inmates often feel animosity and a sense of hatred towards prison guards due to the treatment they receive and the power the guards have over them. In 1999, more than 2,400 correctional officers required medical attention after being assaulted by an inmate, and according to a 2002-2003 study, most guards were assaulted through the use of clubs.[9] Along with these clubs, inmates tend to use weapons of opportunity when attacking an officer. A weapon of opportunity is any typical, everyday object that is not considered a weapon until used in a destructive way.[9] The reason for this hostility, and ultimately inmate attacks on guards can be placed onto the way the incarcerated are treated.
Inmates are often humiliated and have extreme force placed upon them. There are no excuses that can be made in an officer’s offense to defend these actions, unless their life was put into jeopardy. Implementing these uncalled for actions reasonably cause animosity between the inmates and guards. There are cases where if an inmate disobeys an order, “…groups of officers…approach his cell, dressed in protective gear and armed with shield, Tasers, and other weapons. If the inmate refuses to comply, the officers will flood his cell with chemical agents…they have reportedly thrown stinger grenades, which spray rubber pellets into a concentrated area…and violently subdue him”.[12] Correctional and Detention personnel use force as a last resort, in the above scenario; entry into an inmate's cell would need to be necessary before force could be justified. For example, if an inmate has a court hearing and has barricaded himself in his cell, refusing to come out or comply with the officials orders force might be used. Another instance would be if the inmate needed to be transferred to another facility and refuses to comply with the directives to move.
Violence prevention measures
Preventing all prison violence is an impossible task because it is impossible to be prepared for any and every situation. Nevertheless, prisons are taking measures to avoid, or at least limit, this violence.[1] They are doing things such as balancing the cells, reducing blind spots, and training officers. When prisons receive new inmates, they search the background of the individual; they look into things like any possible gang affiliation and any history of racism or anger issues. After piecing this information together, the officers will place them in a cell block that they feel is most appropriate and that will cause the least arousal between the new inmate and the ones already housed there. Reducing the blind spots is a difficult task to complete because it is impossible to watch every inch of the prison at once, but by watching over as much as possible at a time does reduce the chances of violence occurring. Training officers is the third measure being taken. If officers treat the inmates properly and not be rash and assert violence on them so quickly, the inmates may feel more respected and not look to retaliate. Also with the training, officers are learning how to deal with minor altercations more effectively, as in without force and violence unless necessary. Also, the correction officers are learning about the psychology of the inmates. These officers are becoming aware of the psychological differences and hardships the incarcerated tend to face and how to properly deal with them.[2] If all of these precautionary measures are taken, then prison violence rates can definitely lower, although completely vanishing is something not likely.
Supermax facilities
A supermax is a separate facility within a prison where inmates are placed: “…for violent/predatory behavior within other institutions. They may be identified as gang leaders, or considered high risk for escape. Inmates incarcerated in the supermax facility do not have the freedoms allowed inmates in general population because of their security status/institutional disciplinary record”.[1] These inmates are placed in a cell for twenty three hours a day and have more limitation than the typical convict possess. This prevention measure works because it takes the biggest threats and influences, such as gang members, out of the picture. An issue that arises with this is that: “…some prisoners subjected to isolation become so damaged that they pose a renewed threat to staff and inmates when they return to the general prison population”.[12] This means that the already dangerous and threatening inmates can return to the regular prison population with a new, stronger desire to retaliate and cause prison violence.[12] The supermax facility serves as a good method to eradicate the influence of the most dangerous of inmates, but risks the return of a vengeful inmate.
See also
- Prison riot
- Prison reform
- LGBT people in prison
- Prison gangs in the United States
- Prison rape in the United States
- Prison violence in Brazil
References
- ^ ISSN 1056-0319.
- ^ a b c d e f La Vigne, Nancy G.; Debus-Sherrill, Sara; Brazzell, Diana; Downey, P. Mitchell (December 2011). "Preventing Violence and sexual Assault in Jail: A situational Crime Prevention Approach" (PDF). Urban Institute. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 September 2018. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
- ^ Wainwright, Daniel (7 November 2016). "Are prisons becoming more dangerous places?". BBC News. Archived from the original on 18 June 2017.
- ^ a b Travis, Alan (27 October 2016). "Prison violence epidemic partly due to staff cuts, MoJ admits". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 13 March 2020.
- ^ Casciani, Dominic (27 October 2016). "Prison violence in England and Wales up yet again". BBC News. Archived from the original on 10 February 2019.
- ^ "Prison staff shortages leave jails facing 'bloodbaths' - union". BBC News. 2 November 2016. Archived from the original on 10 February 2019.
- ^ Casalicchio, Emilio (16 May 2016). "Ministry of Justice urged to "get a grip" on prison staffing amid rising violence". Civil Service World. Archived from the original on 29 November 2020.
- ^ Travis, Alan (3 November 2016). "Prisons in England and Wales to get 2,500 extra staff to tackle violence". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 1 May 2019.
- ^ PMID 16751452 – via ResearchGate.
- ^ a b c d e f Wood, Graeme (October 2014). "How Gangs Took Over Prisons". The Atlantic. Vol. 314, no. 3. Archived from the original on 25 April 2020. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
- ^ "What are the most dangerous makeshift prison weapons?". Corrections1. 28 July 2015. Archived from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2017.
- ^ a b c Jeffreys, Derek S. (13 June 2014). "Cruel but Not Unusual". Commonweal. Vol. 141, no. 11. pp. 20–23. Archived from the original on 14 August 2020. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
Further reading
- Goulette, Natalie; Denney, Andrew S.; Crow, Matthew S. (August 28, 2020). ""Anything Can Happen at Any Time": Perceived Causes of Correctional Officer Injuries". Criminal Justice Review. 47: 17–33. S2CID 225202329.
External links
Quotations related to Prison violence at Wikiquote