A
prison (from
Old FrenchOld French was the Romance dialect continuum spoken in territories which span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from around 900 to 1300...
prisoun) is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal
freedomsPolitical freedom is the absence of interference with the sovereignty of an individual by the use of coercion or aggression.The opposite of a free society is a totalitarian state, which highly restricts political freedom in order to regulate almost every aspect of behavior...
. Other terms are
penitentiary,
correctional facility, and
jail (or
gaol), although in the United States "
jailA jail is a short-term detention facility in the United States.Jail may also refer to:*Prison or jail, a place for confinement*Jail , a program resources sandbox mechanism*Jail , a 2009 Bollywood movie...
" and "prison" refer to different subtypes of correctional facility. Prisons are conventionally
institutionInstitutions are structures and mechanisms of social order and cooperation governing the behavior of a set of individuals within a given human collectivity. Institutions are identified with a social purpose and permanence, transcending individual human lives and intentions, and with the making and...
s which form part of the
criminal justiceCriminal justice is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, and sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts....
system of a country, such that
imprisonment or
incarceration is a legal
penaltyPunishment is the practice of imposing something unpleasant or aversive on a person or animal, usually in response to disobedience, defiance, or behavior deemed morally wrong by individual, governmental, or religious principles.-Etymology:...
that may be imposed by the
stateState has several meanings in law:# in private international law and conflict of laws, State can refer to a well-defined jurisdiction, with its own set of laws and courts...
for the commission of a
crimeCrime is the breach of one or more rules or laws for which some governing authority, via mechanisms such as police power, may ultimately prescribe a conviction...
.
A criminal
suspectIn the parlance of criminal justice, a suspect is a known person suspected of committing a crime.Police and reporters often incorrectly use the word the suspect when referring to the actor, or perpetrator of the offense . The perpetrator is the robber, assailant, counterfeiter, etc. -the person who...
who has been charged with or is likely to be charged with criminal
offenseIn law, an offence is a violation of the penal law. An offence can range from a simple misdemeanour to a felony...
may be held
on remandDetention of suspects is the process of keeping a person who has been arrested in a police-cell, prison or other detention centre before trial or sentencing.-Detention before charge:...
in prison if he is denied or unable to meet conditions of
bailTraditionally, bail is some form of property deposited or pledged to a court to persuade it to release a suspect from jail, on the understanding that the suspect will return for trial or forfeit the bail...
, or is unable or unwilling to post bail. A criminal
defendantA defendant or defender is any party who is required to answer the complaint of a plaintiff or pursuer in a civil lawsuit before a court, or any party who has been formally charged or accused of violating a criminal statute....
may also be held in prison while awaiting
trialIn law, a trial is when parties to a dispute come together to present information in a formal setting, usually a court, before a judge, jury, or other designated finder of fact, in order to achieve a resolution to their dispute....
or a trial
verdictIn law, a verdict is the formal finding of fact made by a jury on matters or questions submitted to the jury by a judge. In law, a verdict is the formal finding of fact made by a jury on matters or questions submitted to the jury by a judge. In law, a verdict is the formal finding of fact made by a...
. If found guilty, a defendant will be convicted and may receive a custodial
sentenceIn law, a sentence forms the final act of a judge-ruled process, and also the symbolic principal act connected to his function. The sentence generally involves a decree of imprisonment, a fine and/or other punishments against a defendant convicted of a crime...
requiring imprisonment.
As well as convicted or suspected criminals, prisons may be used for
internmentInternment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of ‘interning’; confinement within the limits of a country or place"...
of those not charged with a crime. Prisons may also be used as a tool of
political repressionPolitical repression is the persecution of an individual or group for political reasons, particularly for the purpose of restricting or preventing their ability to take part in the political life of society....
to detain
political prisonerA political prisoner is someone held in prison or otherwise detained, perhaps under house arrest, for his or her involvement in political activity.-"Political" prisoner:...
s,
prisoners of consciencePrisoner of conscience is a term coined by the human rights group Amnesty International in the early 1960s. It can refer to anyone imprisoned because of their race, religion, color, language, sexual orientation, belief, or lifestyle so long as they have not used or advocated violence...
, and "
enemies of the stateAn enemy of the state is a person accused of certain crimes against the state, such as treason. Describing individuals in this way is sometimes a manifestation of political repression. For example, an authoritarian regime may purport to maintain national security by describing social or political...
", particularly by
authoritarianAuthoritarianism describes a form of government characterized by an emphasis on the authority of state in a republic or union. It is a political system controlled by typically non-elected rulers who usually permit some degree of individual freedom....
regimes. In times of
warWar is a reciprocated, armed conflict, between two or more non-congruous entities, aimed at reorganising a subjectively designed, geo-politically desired result...
or conflict,
prisoners of warA prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a combatant who is held in continuing custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
may also be detained in prisons. A
prison system is the organizational arrangement of the provision and operation of prisons, and depending on their nature, may invoke a
correctionsIn the theory of criminal law, correctional system refers to a network of governmental agencies that administer a jurisdiction's prisons and parole system Black's Law Dictionary. The components of the criminal justice system that serve to punish criminal offenders involve the deprivation of life,...
system. Although people have been imprisoned throughout history, they have also regularly been able to perform
prison escapeA prison escape or prison break is the act of an inmate leaving prison through unofficial or illegal ways. Normally, when this occurs, an effort is made on the part of authorities to recapture them and return them to their original detainers...
s.
History
For most of history, imprisoning has not been a punishment in itself, but rather a way to confine criminals until
corporalCorporal punishment is the deliberate infliction of pain as retribution for an offence, or for the purpose of disciplining or reforming a wrongdoer, or to change an undesirable attitude or behaviour...
or
capital punishmentCapital punishment or the death penalty, is the execution of a person by judicial process as a punishment for an offense. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences....
was administered. There were prisons used for detention in
JerusalemJerusalem is the capital of Israel and its largest city in both population and area, with a population of 747,600 residents over an area of if disputed East Jerusalem is included...
in
Old TestamentIn Christianity, the Old Testament is the collection of books that form the first of the two-part Christian Biblical canon. These works correspond to the Hebrew Bible , with some variations and additions. In the Eastern Orthodox Church the comparable texts are known as the Septuagint, from the...
times.
DungeonA dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably belongs more to the Renaissance period. An oubliette is a form of dungeon which was accessible only from a hatch...
s were used to hold prisoners; those who were not killed or left to die there often became
galley slaveA galley slave was a slave rowing in a galley. The expression has two distinct meanings: it can refer either to a convicted criminal sentenced to work at the oar , or to a kind of human chattel, often a prisoner of war, assigned to his duty of rowing.- Convicts :Contrary to the popular image of the...
s or faced
penal transportationTransportation or penal transportation is the deporting of convicted criminals to a penal colony. Examples include transportation by France to Devil's Island and by the UK to its colonies in the Americas, from the 1610s through the American Revolution in the 1770s, and then to Australia between...
s. In other cases
debtorA debtor is an entity that owes a debt to someone else. The entity may be an individual, a firm, a government, a company or other legal person. The counterparty is called a creditor...
s were often thrown into
debtor's prisonA debtors' prison is a prison for those who are unable to pay a debt.Prior to the mid 19th century debtors' prisons were a common way to deal with unpaid debt...
s, until they paid their jailers enough money in exchange for a limited degree of freedom.
Only in the 19th century, beginning in Britain, did prisons as we know them today become commonplace. The modern prisons system was born in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
, as a result of the views of
Jeremy BenthamJeremy Bentham was an English jurist, philosopher, and legal and social reformer. He was the brother of Samuel Bentham. He was a political radical, and a leading theorist in Anglo-American philosophy of law...
. The notion of prisoners being incarcerated as part of their punishment, and not simply as a holding state till trial or hanging, was at the time revolutionary.
BritainThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name and the state form of the United Kingdom from 1 January 1801 until 12 April 1927...
practiced
penal transportationTransportation or penal transportation is the deporting of convicted criminals to a penal colony. Examples include transportation by France to Devil's Island and by the UK to its colonies in the Americas, from the 1610s through the American Revolution in the 1770s, and then to Australia between...
of
convictA convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison", sometimes referred to in slang as simply a "con". After a conviction, convicts often become prisoners. Persons convicted and sentenced to non-custodial sentences often are not termed...
ed criminals to penal colony in the British colonies in the Americas, from the 1610s through the
American RevolutionThe American Revolution is the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America at first rejected the governance of the Parliament of Great Britain, and later the British monarchy itself, to become the sovereign United States of...
in the 1770s, and to penal colonies in
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
between 1788 and 1868.
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
sent criminals to tropical penal colonies including
LouisianaThe State of Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state divided into parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
in the early eighteenth century. Penal colonies in
French GuianaFrench Guiana is an overseas department of France, located on the northern coast of South America. It has borders with two nations, Brazil and Suriname. Like the other DOMs, French Guiana is also an overseas region of France, one of the 26 regions of France. Its currency is the euro...
operated until 1951 (in particular, infamous
Île du Diable (
Devil's IslandDevil's Island is the smallest and northernmost island of the three Îles du Salut located about off the coast of French Guiana. It has an area of 14 ha . It was a small part of the notorious French penal colony in French Guiana until 1952.-Use as penal colony:The rocky, palm-covered island...
)).
KatorgaKatorga was a system of penal servitude of the prison farm type in Imperial Russia. Prisoners were sent to remote camps in vast uninhabited areas of Siberia—where voluntary labourers were never available in satisfactory numbers—and forced to perform hard labour...
prisons were established in the 17th century in
Tsardom of RussiaThe Tsardom of Rus was the official type of government and name for the Russian state between Ivan IV's assumption of the title of Tsar in 1547 and Peter the Great's foundation of the Russian Empire in 1721....
in underpopulated areas of
SiberiaSiberia , is the vast region constituting almost all of Northern Asia and for the most part currently serving as the massive central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, having served in the same capacity previously for the USSR from its beginning, and the Russian Empire beginning in the...
and the
Russian Far EastRussian Far East is a term that refers to the Russian part of the Far East, i.e., extreme east parts of Russia, between Siberia and the Pacific Ocean...
that had few towns or food sources. Since these times, Siberia gained its fearful connotation of punishment.
The first "modern" prisons of the early 19th Century were sometimes known by the term "penitentiary" (a term still used by some prisons in the USA today or the Dutch "Penitentiare Inrichting/Institution): as the name suggests, the goal of these facilities was that of
penancePenance is repentance of sins as well as the proper name of the Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Orthodox Christian Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation/Confession. It also plays a part in the Lutheran Divine Service...
by the prisoners, through a regimen of strict disciplines, silent reflections, and perhaps forced and deliberately pointless labor on
treadwheelA treadwheel is a form of animal engine typically powered by humans. It may resemble a water wheel in appearance, and can be worked either by a human treading paddles set into its circumference , or by a human or animal standing inside it .Uses of treadwheels included raising water, to power...
s and the like. This "
Auburn systemThe Auburn system is a penal method of the 19th century in which persons worked during the day in groups and were kept in solitary confinement at night, with enforced silence at all times...
" prisoner management was often reinforced by elaborate prison architectures, such as the
separate systemThe Separate system is a form of prison management, its principle being to hold prisoners in solitary confinement. When first introduced in the early 19th Century, the objective of such a prison or "penitentiary" was that of penance by the prisoners through silent reflection, as much as that of...
and the
panopticonThe Panopticon is a type of prison building designed by English philosopher and social theorist Jeremy Bentham in 1785. The concept of the design is to allow an observer to observe all prisoners without the prisoners being able to tell whether they are being watched, thereby conveying what one...
. It was not until the late 19th Century that rehabilitation through education and skilled labor became the standard goal of prisons.
Design and facilities
Male and female prisoners are typically kept in separate locations or separate prisons altogether. Prison accommodation, especially modern prisons in the developed world, are often divided into wings. A building holding more than one wing is known as a "hall".
Amongst the facilities that prisons may have are:
- A main entrance, which may be known as the 'gatelodge' or 'sally port' (stemming from old castle
A castle is a defensive structure seen as one of the main symbols of the Middle Ages. The term has a history of scholarly debate surrounding its exact meaning, but it is usually regarded as being distinct from the general terms fort or fortress, in that it describes a residence of a monarch or...
nomenclature)
- A chapel
A chapel is a building used as a place for fellowship and of worship for Christians. It may be attached to an institution such as a large church, a college, a hospital, a palace, a prison or a cemetery, or may be an entirely free-standing building, sometimes with its own grounds...
, mosqueA mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. Muslims often refer to the mosque by its Arabic name, masjid, —...
or other religious facility, which will often house chaplainA chaplain is typically a priest, pastor, ordained deacon, rabbi, imam or other member of the clergy serving a group of people who are not organised as a mission or church, or who are unable to attend church for various reasons; such as health, confinement, or military or civil duties; lay...
cy offices and facilities for counsellingPsychotherapy or personal counseling with a psychotherapist, is an intentional interpersonal relationship used by trained psychotherapists to aid a client or patient in problems of living.It aims to increase the individual's sense of their own well-being...
of individuals or groups
- An 'education facility', often including a library
A library is a collection of sources, resources, and services, and the structure in which it is housed; it is organized for use and maintained by a public body, an institution, or a private individual. In the more traditional sense, a library is a collection of books. It can mean the collection,...
, providing adult educationAdult education is the practice of teaching and educating adults. This often happens in the workplace, through 'extension' or 'continuing education' courses at secondary schools, at a college or university. Other learning places include folk high schools, community colleges, and lifelong learning...
or continuing educationContinuing education is an all encompassing term within a broad spectrum of post-secondary learning activities and programs. The term is used mainly in the United States...
opportunities
- A gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
or an exercise yard, a fenced, usually open-air-area which prisoners may use for recreational and exercise purposes
- A healthcare facility or hospital
A hospital is an institution for health care providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment, and often but not always providing for longer-term patient stays....
- A segregation unit (also called a 'block' or 'isolation cell'), used to separate unruly, dangerous, or vulnerable prisoners from the general population, also sometimes used as punishment (see solitary confinement
Solitary confinement is a punishment or special form of imprisonment in which a prisoner is denied contact with any other persons, excluding members of prison staff. Usually cited as an additional measure of protection from the criminal, it has also been called a form of torture...
)
- A section of vulnerable prisoners (VPs), or protective custody (PC) units, used to accommodate prisoners classified as vulnerable, such as sex offenders, former police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force. Police officers are generally responsible for apprehending criminals, maintaining public order, and preventing and detecting crimes...
s, informants, and those that have gotten into debt or trouble with other prisoners
- A section of safe cells, used to keep prisoners under constant visual observation
Constant visual observation, often abbreviated to "constant visual", is a term used in various Mental Health Services, Prisons and Special Schools to describe the status of a prisoner or patient who poses a threat to himself or a third party, and must therefore be kept under constant...
, for example when considered at risk of suicideSuicide is the intentional killing of one's self. Many dictionaries also note the metaphorical sense of "willful destruction of one's self-interest"...
- A visiting area, where prisoners may be allowed restricted contact with relatives, friends, lawyers, or other people
- A death row in some prisons, a section for criminals awaiting execution
- A staff accommodation area, where staff and guards live in the prison, typical of historical prisons
- A service/facilities area housing support facilities like kitchen
A kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation.In the West, a modern kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water, a refrigerator and kitchen cabinets. Many households have a microwave oven, a dishwasher and other electric appliances...
s
- Industrial or agricultural plants operated with convict labor
- A recreational area containing a TV and pool table
- Increasingly prisons enforce a ban on tobacco smoking
Prisons are normally surrounded by fencing, walls, earthworks, geographical features, or other barriers to prevent escape. Multiple barriers,
concertina wireConcertina wire is a type of barbed wire or razor wire that is formed in large coils which can be expanded like a concertina. Each coil actually consists of two oppositely wound helices which support each other against crushing while allowing easy longitudinal movement. In conjunction with plain...
,
electrified fencingAn electric fence is a barrier that uses electric shocks to deter animals or people from crossing a boundary. The voltage of the shock may have effects ranging from uncomfortable, to painful or even lethal...
, secured and defensible main gates, armed guard towers, lighting, motion sensors,
dogsA police dog is a dog that is trained specifically to assist police and other law-enforcement personnel in their work. Police dogs are often referred to by the term "K9", which is a homophone of "canine", a word that generally refers to dogs and dog-like animals.In many jurisdictions the...
, and roving patrols may all also be present depending on the level of security. Remotely controlled doors,
CCTVClosed-circuit television is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors.It differs from broadcast television in that the signal is not openly transmitted, though it may employ point to point wireless links...
monitoring, alarms, cages, restraints, nonlethal and lethal weapons, riot-control gear and physical segregation of units and prisoners may all also be present within a prison to monitor and control the movement and activity of prisoners within the facility.
Modern prison designs have sought to increasingly restrict and control the movement of prisoners throughout the facility while permitting a maximal degree of direct monitoring by a smaller corrections staff. As compared to traditional large landing-cellblock designs which were inherited from the 19th century and which permitted only intermittent observation of prisoners, many newer prisons are designed in a decentralized "podular" layout. Smaller, separate and self-contained housing units known as "pods" or "modules" are designed to hold between sixteen and fifty prisoners each, and are arranged around exercise yards or support facilities in a decentralized "campus" pattern. A small number of corrections officers, sometimes a single officer, is assigned to supervise each pod. The pods contain tiers of cells arranged around a central control station or desk from which a single officer can monitor all of the cells and the entire pod, control cell doors, and communicate with the rest of the prison. Pods may be designed for high-security "indirect-supervision", in which officers in segregated and sealed control booths monitor smaller numbers of prisoners confined to their cells. An alternative is "direct-supervision", in which officers work within the pod and directly interact with and supervise prisoners, who may spend the day outside their cells in a central "dayroom" on the floor of the pod. Movement in or out of the pod to and from exercise yards, work assignments or medical appointments can be restricted to individual pods at designated times, and is generally centrally controlled. Goods and services, such as meals, laundry, commissary, educational materials, religious services and medical care can increasingly be brought to individual pods or cells as well.
Despite these design innovations, overcrowding at many prisons, particularly in the U.S., has resulted in a contrary trend, as many prisons are forced to house large numbers of prisoners, often hundreds at a time, in gymnasiums or other large buildings that have been converted into massive open dormitories.
Lower-security prisons are often designed with less restrictive features, confining prisoners at night in smaller locked dormitories or even cottage or cabin-like housing while permitting them freer movement around the grounds to work or activities during the day.
See
PanopticonThe Panopticon is a type of prison building designed by English philosopher and social theorist Jeremy Bentham in 1785. The concept of the design is to allow an observer to observe all prisoners without the prisoners being able to tell whether they are being watched, thereby conveying what one...
for a historical prison design that has influenced modern designs.
Security levels
Maximum. A custody level in which both design and construction as well as inmate classification reflect the need to provide maximum external and internal control and supervision of inmates primarily through the use of high security parameters and extensive use of internal physical barriers and check points. Inmates accorded this status present serious escape risks or pose serious threats to themselves, to other inmates, to staff, or the orderly running of the institution. Supervision of inmates is direct and constant.
Medium. A custody level in which design and construction as well as inmate classification reflect the need to provide maximum external and internal control and supervision of inmates. Inmates accorded to this status may present an escape risk or pose a threat to other inmates, staff, or the orderly running of the institution. Supervision remains constant and direct. Through an inmate's willingness to comply with institutional rules and regulations, increased job and program opportunities exist.
Minimum. A custody level in which both the design and construction as well as inmate classification reflect the goal of returning to the inmate a greater sense of personal responsibility and autonomy while still providing for supervision and monitoring of behavior and activity. Inmates within this security level are not considered a serious risk to the safety of staff, inmates or to the public. Program participation is mandated and geared toward their potential reintegration into the community. Additional access to the community is limited and under constant direct staff supervision.
Pre-Release. A custody level in which both design and construction as well as inmate classification reflect the goal of restoring to the inmate maximum responsibility and control of their own behavior and actions prior to their release. Direct supervision of these inmates is not required, but intermittent observation may be appropriate under certain conditions. Inmates within this level may be permitted to access the community unescorted to participate in programming to include, but not limited to, work release or educational release.
Types
Juvenile
Prisons for
juvenileJuvenile or The Juvenile may refer to:*Juvenile or minor*Juvenile , American musician*Juvenile *Juvenile , a Japanese movie*"The Juvenile", a song by Jonas Berggren...
s (people under 17 or 18, depending on the jurisdiction) are known as young offender institutes or similar designation and hold minors who have been remanded into custody or serving sentence. Many countries have their own age of criminal responsibility in which children are deemed legally responsible for their actions for a crime. Countries such as Canada may try and sentence a juvenile as an adult, but have them serve their sentence in a juvenile facility until they reach the age of majority, at which time they would be transferred to an adult facility.
Military
Prisons form part of military systems, and are used variously to house prisoners of war,
unlawful combatantAn unlawful combatant or unprivileged combatant/belligerent is a civilian who directly engages in armed conflict in violation of International Humanitarian Law and may be detained or prosecuted under the domestic law of the detaining state for such action.-Introduction:The Geneva Conventions apply...
s, those whose freedom is deemed a national security risk by military or civilian authorities, and members of the
militaryA military is an organization authorized by its nation to use force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. As an adjective the term "military" is also used to refer to any property or aspect of a military...
found guilty of a serious crime.
Political
Certain countries maintain or have in the past had a system of political prisons; arguably the
gulagThe Gulag or GULAG was the government agency that administered the penal labor camps of the Soviet Union. The term is infamous for its association with remote places where prisoners were kept and sometimes disappeared...
s associated with
StalinismStalinism was the political system and ideology of the Soviet Union under the leadership of Joseph Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union from 1928–1953...
are best known. The definition of what is and is not a
political crimeIn criminology, a political crime is one involving overt acts or omissions , which prejudice the interests of the state, its government or the political system...
and a political prison is, of course, highly controversial.
Psychiatric
Some
psychiatricPsychiatry is a medical specialty officially devoted to the treatment and study of mental disorders. The term was first coined by the German physician Johann Christian Reil in 1808....
facilities have characteristics of prisons, especially when confining patients who have committed a crime and are considered dangerous. In addition, many prisons have psychiatric units dedicated to housing offenders diagnosed with a wide variety of mental disorders.
Rehabilitation
Meta-analysis of previous studies shows that prison sentences do not reduce future offenses, when compared to non-residential sanctions. This meta-analysis of one hundred separate studies found that post-release offenses were around 7% higher after imprisonment compared with non-residential sanctions, at statistically significant levels. Another meta-analysis of 101 separate tests of the impact of prison on crime found a 3% increase in offending after imprisonment. Longer periods of time in prison make outcomes worse, not better; offending increases by around 3% as prison sentences increase in length.
Effective rehabilitation programs reduce the likelihood of re-offense and
recidivismRecidivism is the act of a person repeating an undesirable behavior after they have either experienced negative consequences of that behavior, or have been treated or trained to extinguish that behavior...
. Effective programs are characterised by three things: first, they provide more hours for people with known offense risk factors (the Risk Principle); secondly, they address problems and needs that have a proven causal link to offending (the Needs Principle); and thirdly, they use cognitive-behavioural approaches (the Responsivity Principle). Providing rehabilitation to people at lower risk of reoffending results in a 3% reduction in reoffending, while providing rehabilitation to people with a high risk of reoffending is three times as effective, resulting in a 10% reduction in subsequent offending. Risk factors for reoffending are: age at first offense, number of prior offenses, level of family and personal problems in childhood and other historical factors, along with level of current needs related to offending. Those individuals who had many personal and family problems in childhood (particularly 19 or more), started offending before puberty, and have committed multiple priors are more likely to reoffend in future, according to longitudinal studies internationally.
In support of the Needs Principle:
Programs that specifically target criminogenic needs (causal needs and problems), see a 19% reduction in reoffending.
In support of the Responsivity Principle:
There is a 23% reduction in reoffending after participating in programs that use cognitive-behavioural methods to bring about changes in behaviour, thinking, and relationships.
When all three of these principles are effectively applied, the impact on offending is a 26–32% reduction. This is in comparison to a 3–7% increase in offending that is found with imprisonment alone.
Residential approaches—whether in prison or some other live-in option—tend to be less effective than non-residential approaches. These researchers found that effective programs delivered in the community were followed by a 35% reduction in reoffending, whereas effective programs delivered in residential settings (such as prisons and halfway houses) were followed by a 17% reduction in reoffending. One very likely reason for this is that for teens and adults, mixing with antisocial peers increases the risk of offending. In prison or residences inmates spend a great deal of time with other people immersed in criminal pursuits and beliefs, whereas in community-based programs there is more opportunity to mix with people involved in constructive, law-abiding activities. Antisocial peers in prisons and residences can form a very powerful pressure group, subtly and not so subtly influencing the behavior of other inmates.
Resocialization
Resocialization is a
sociologicalSociology is the scientific or systematic study of human societies. It is a branch of social science that uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop and refine a body of knowledge about human social structure and activity, often with the goal of applying such...
concept dealing with the process of mentally and emotionally "re-training" a person so that he or she can operate in an environment other than that which he or she is accustomed to.
Resocialization into a total institution involves a complete change of personality. Key examples include the process of resocializing new recruits into the
militaryA military is an organization authorized by its nation to use force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. As an adjective the term "military" is also used to refer to any property or aspect of a military...
so that they can operate as soldiers (or, in other words, as members of a cohesive unit) and the reverse process, in which those who have become accustomed to such roles return to society after military.
Population statistics
As of 2006, it is estimated that at least 9.25 million people are currently imprisoned worldwide. It is believed that this number is likely to be much higher, in view of general under-reporting and a lack of data from various countries, especially
authoritarianAuthoritarianism describes a form of government characterized by an emphasis on the authority of state in a republic or union. It is a political system controlled by typically non-elected rulers who usually permit some degree of individual freedom....
regimes.
In absolute terms, the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
currently has the largest inmate population in the world, with more than 2½ million or more than one in a hundred adults in prison and jails. Although the United States represents less than 5% of the world's population, over 25% of the people incarcerated around the world are housed in the American prison system. Pulitzer Prize winning author Joseph T. Hallinan wrote in his book
Going Up the River: Travels in a Prison Nation, "so common is the prison experience that the federal government predicts one in eleven men will be incarcerated in his lifetime, one in four if he is black." In 2002, both
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and
ChinaThe People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the most populous in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately one-fifth of the world's population...
also had prison populations in excess of 1 million. By October 2006, the Russian prison population declined to 869,814 which translated into 611 prisoners per 100,000 population.
As a percentage of total population, the United States also has the largest imprisoned population, with 739 people per 100,000 serving time, awaiting trial or otherwise detained.
In March 2007, the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
had 80,000 inmates (up from 73,000 in 2003 and 44,000 in 1985) in its facilities, one of the highest rates among the western members of the
European Union (EU)The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 Member States, located primarily in Europe. Committed to regional integration, the EU was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993 upon the foundations of the pre-existing European Economic Community...
(a record formerly held by
PortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east...
). The highest imprisonment rates among the larger EU members include that of
PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, which in August 2007 had about 90,000 inmates, i.e. 234 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants, while the highest rates are in the Baltic states
EstoniaEstonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by the Russian Federation...
,
LatviaLatvia , officially the Republic of Latvia is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , and to the southeast by Belarus . Across the Baltic Sea to the west lies Sweden...
and
LithuaniaLithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the southernmost of the three Baltic states. Situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, it shares borders with Latvia to the north, Belarus to the southeast, Poland, and the Russian exclave of...
with estimated rates of 240, 292 and 333 respectively in 2006.
The high proportion of prisoners in some developed countries is from various causes, but the attitude toward drug-taking plays a considerable part. In undeveloped countries, rates of incarceration are often lower, though this is not a rule. In general, such societies have less goods to steal and a more community based social system, with less judicial law-enforcement. Also their economies may not support the high cost of incarceration.
Prison population per 100,000 inhabitants
United States
of America |
Russian
Federation |
New
Zealand |
United
Kingdom |
Netherlands |
Australia |
Canada |
Italy |
Germany |
Turkey |
France |
Sweden |
Denmark |
Japan |
Iceland |
India |
| 756 |
611 |
186 |
148 |
128 |
157 |
107 |
104 |
95 |
91 |
85 |
82 |
77 |
62 |
40 |
22 |
Australia
Many prisons in
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
were built by
convictA convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison", sometimes referred to in slang as simply a "con". After a conviction, convicts often become prisoners. Persons convicted and sentenced to non-custodial sentences often are not termed...
labour in the 1800s. During the 1990s, various state governments in Australia engaged private sector correctional corporations to build and operate prisons whilst several older government run institutions were decommissioned. Operation of Federal detention centres was also privatised at a time when a large influx of illegal immigrants began to arrive in Australia.
Canada
The 52 penitentiaries in
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
are operated by the federal government, and are for those who have been sentenced to serve more than 2 years of custody. The boundary of two years separating provincial and federal custody underlies the sentencing of some offenders to "two years less a day", so they can serve their sentences in provincial correctional institutions.
France
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
has 188 prisons in mainland and the overseas territories. Statistics showed around 50,000 places on July 1, 2005 for around 60,000 prisoners.
JM France
Germany
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
has 194 prisons (of which 19 are open institutions). Official statistics showed 80,214 places on March 31 2007. On the same day, there were 75,719 prisoners (of which 13,168 pre-trial; 60,619 serving sentences; 1,932 others, i.e. mainly civil prisoners; 4,068 were female). This is less than the highest value of 81,176 prisoners on March 31 2003.
Ireland
Most jails in the
Republic of IrelandIreland is a country in north-western Europe. The modern sovereign state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was partitioned on 3 May 1921. It is a parliamentary democracy and a republic...
were built in the 19th century, including
Kilmainham GaolKilmainham Gaol is a former prison, located in Kilmainham in Dublin, which is now a museum. It has been run since the mid-1980s by the Office of Public Works , an Irish Government agency....
(no longer in use),
Mountjoy PrisonMountjoy Prison , founded as Mountjoy Gaol, nicknamed The Joy, is a closed, medium security prison located in Phibsboro in the centre of Dublin, Ireland....
and
Portlaoise PrisonPortlaoise Prison is a maximum security prison located in Portlaoise, Co. Laois, Ireland. It should not be confused with the Midlands Prison, which is a newer, medium security prison situated directly beside it....
. A new €30m prison is planned at Thornton Hall to replace Mountjoy.
New Zealand
New Zealand currently maintains 19 prisons around the country. The Department of Corrections has an annual budget of NZD$748 million and assets worth over NZD$1.7 billion. Official statistics show (as of June 30 2007) that there are currently 7,605 prisoners within the
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...
correctional system. (5,490 Sentenced Prisoners and 1,552 Remanded Prisoners) + 5,795 staff. Breakouts are only at 0.15 per 100 prisoners and there is a rate of only 15% positive drug results during random drug testing in NZ prisons.
Poland
As of the end of August 2007,
PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
officially declared 90,199 prisoners (13,374 pre-trial; 76,434 serving sentences; 391 others; 2,743 prisoners were female), giving an imprisonment rate per 100,000 inhabitants of about 234. The overpopulation rate (number of prisoners held compared to number of places for prisoners) was estimated by the official prison service as 119%.
The growth rate of imprisonment in Poland during 2006–2007 was approximately 4% annually, based on the August 2007 estimate of 90,199 prisoners and the June 2005 estimate of 82,572 prisoners.
Turkey
Prisons in
TurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey
, is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia and Thrace in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe...
are classified as closed, semi-open and open prisons. Closed prisons are separated into different kinds according to its structure and the number of prisoners held. Examples are A type, B type, E type and
F typeF-Type-Prisons or in its official title F-type High Security Closed Institutions for the Execution of Sentences are called high-security prisons according to the Turkish Law 5275 on the Execution of Sentences.The F-type prisons were erected in particular to accommodate imprisoned members of armed...
. F types are high security prisons, known in the USA as
SupermaxSupermax is the name used to describe "control-unit" prisons, or units within prisons, which represent the most secure levels of custody in some countries' prison systems...
.
England and Wales
Jails in the United States
In the United States penal system, a
jail is a correctional institution used to detain persons who are in the lawful custody of the state, including accused persons awaiting trial and those who have been convicted of a
crimeCrime is the breach of one or more rules or laws for which some governing authority, via mechanisms such as police power, may ultimately prescribe a conviction...
and are serving a sentence of less than one year. Jails are generally small penitentiaries run by individual
countiesIn the United States, a county is a local level of government below the state . Counties are used in 48 of the 50 states, while Louisiana is divided into parishes and Alaska into boroughs. These are considered "county-equivalents", as are some cities not designated as part of a county. The U.S...
and
citiesA city is a relatively large and permanent settlement, particularly a large urban settlement. Although there is no agreement on technical definitions distinguishing a city from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status...
, though some jails in larger communities may be as large and hold as many inmates as regular prisons. As with prisons, some jails have different wings for certain types of offenders, and have work programs for inmates who demonstrate good behavior.
Jails are typically operated by city or county governments, and house prisoners who are being detained before trial or serving sentences less than one year. Approximately half of the U.S. jail population consists of pretrial detainees who have not been convicted or sentenced. Prisoners serving terms longer than one year are typically housed in correctional facilities operated by state governments. Unlike most state prisons, a jail usually houses both men and women in separate portions of the same facility. Some jails lease space to house inmates from the federal government, state prisons or from other counties for profit.
In 2005, a report by the
Bureau of Justice StatisticsThe United States Bureau of Justice Statistics is a federal government agency belonging to the U.S. Department of Justice. Established on December 27 1979, the bureau collects, analyzes and publishes data relating to crime in the United States. The agency publishes data regarding statistics...
found that 62 percent of people in jails have not been convicted, meaning many of them are awaiting trial. , local jails held or supervised 819,434 individuals. Nine percent of these individuals were in programs such as
community serviceCommunity service is an act by a person that benefits the local community. People become involved in community service for many reasons: for some, serving community is an altruistic act, for others it is a punishment....
,
work releaseIn prison systems, work release programs allow a prisoner who is sufficiently trusted or can be sufficiently monitored to leave confinement to continue working at his or her current place of employment, returning to prison when his/her shift is complete...
, weekend reporting, electronic monitoring, and other alternative programs.
In the United States, as compared to regular 'mainline' state and federal prisons, in which prisoners have already been investigated and classified by corrections personnel before being assigned to a level of security, in which many of the prisoners are committed for longer periods of time, and in which the population is on average older, jails usually house prisoners who are on average younger and have varying or unknown histories and propensities for violence or disciplinary problems. As a result, many jails operate their booking and receiving units at a relatively high level of correctional security, and also witness a disproportionately large amount of violence and disciplinary problems as compared to mainline facilities.
Jail Management
There are three main
managementManagement in all business and human organization activity is simply the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives. Management comprises planning, organizing, staffing, leading, directing, facilitating and controlling or manipulating an organization or effort for...
styles common in most U. S. jails. The first and oldest style is Intermittent Surveillance. Intermittent Surveillance involves rows of
cellsThe term prison cell or holding cell refers to the small room where detained prisoner in a prison, or police station lives.Prison cells are generally small, with plastic or brick walls and one door. Many modern prison cells are pre-cast. In the case of British Police stations and Prison Service...
along security corridors. These corridors are patrolled by
staffEmployment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. An employee may be defined as: "A person in the service of another under any contract of hire, express or implied, oral or written, where the employer has the power or right to control and direct...
providing periodic observation. Most problems occur between these intermittent patrols. The second supervisory style is Remote Surveillance. Remote Surveillance involves cells and their corresponding dayrooms divided into "pods" which are under constant supervision by jail staff from a central control room. Staff in the central control room commonly observe three to four "pods" at one
timeTime is a component of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify the motions of objects...
. The third and most recently conceived supervisory style is Direct Supervision. Direct Supervision involves a dayroom with numerous cells under constant and direct supervision by staff who are stationed inside the housing unit. Staff are constantly interacting with inmates and controlling inmate behavior. The success of Direct Supervision relies on the staff's ability to control this behavior and for facility management to create detention environments that facilitate the staff's effectiveness. This style is also the most cost effective of the three.
Correspondence
Research indicates that inmates who maintain contact with family and friends in the outside world are less likely to be convicted of further crimes and usually have an easier reintegration period back into society. Many institutions encourage friends and families to send letters, especially when they are unable to visit regularly. However, guidelines exist as to what constitutes acceptable mail, and these policies are strictly enforced.
Mail sent to inmates in violation of prison policies can cost inmates "gain time" and even lead to punishment. Most
Department of CorrectionsDepartment of Corrections may refer to:*Department of Corrections *State Departments of Corrections in U.S. states.**Alabama Department of Corrections**Alaska Department of Corrections**Arizona Department of Corrections...
websites provide detailed information regarding mail policies. These rules can even vary within a single prison depending on which part of the prison an inmate is housed. For example,
death rowDeath row is a term that refers to the section of a prison that houses individuals awaiting execution. It is also used to refer to the state of awaiting execution, even in places where a special section of a prison does not exist ....
and
maximum securitySupermax is the name used to describe "control-unit" prisons, or units within prisons, which represent the most secure levels of custody in some countries' prison systems...
inmates are usually under stricter mail guidelines for security reasons.
There have been several notable challenges to prison corresponding services. The Missouri Department of Corrections (DOC) stated that effective June 1, 2007, inmates would be prohibited from using
pen palPen pals are people who regularly write to each other, particularly via postal mail.-Purposes:A penpal relationship is often used to practice reading and writing in a foreign language, to improve literacy, to learn more about other countries and life-styles, and to make friendships...
websites citing concerns of fraud. Service providers such as
WriteAPrisoner.comWriteAPrisoner.com is an online Florida-based business that posts personal profiles and requests for legal assistance for inmates. Additionally, the site provides other prison-related services. The prison pen pal website was launched in 2000 and currently hosts more than 5,000 inmate profiles. With...
, together with the ACLU, plan to challenge the ban in Federal Court. Similar bans on an inmate's rights or a website's right to post such information has been ruled unconstitutional in other courts, citing First Amendment freedoms. Since most DOCs already post inmate information on their websites, critics claim this is a moot point. Inmates' ability to mail letters to other inmates has been limited by the courts. Inmate correspondence with members of society is typically encouraged because of the positive impact it can have on inmates, albeit under the guidelines of each institution and availability of letter writers.
Notable prison gangs
Most correctional facilities have policies prohibiting the formation of prison gangs. However, many prison gangs continue to operate with impunity. Many members are serving
life imprisonmentLife imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious felony crime where the convicted person is to remain in prison for the rest of his or her life...
(a few are on
death rowDeath row is a term that refers to the section of a prison that houses individuals awaiting execution. It is also used to refer to the state of awaiting execution, even in places where a special section of a prison does not exist ....
) for various crimes, thus they have no incentive to leave a gang or to integrate with the general prison population. It should be noted that prison gangs often have several "affiliates" or "
chaptersChapters is a Canadian big box bookstore banner owned by Indigo Books and Music. Formerly a company in its own right competing with Indigo, the combined company has continued to operate both banners since their merger in 2001.-History:...
" in different state prison systems that branch out due to the movement or
transferTransfer may refer to:*Call transfer*Decal, a sticker*Electron transfer*Heat transfer*Jacoby transfer, a bidding device in contract bridge*Knowledge transfer...
of their members. Smaller prison gangs may associate with or declare
allegianceAn allegiance is a duty of fidelity said to be owed by a subject or a citizen to his/her state or sovereign.-Origin of the word:Mid. English ligeaunce; med...
to larger ones. In addition, some prison gang "chapters" may split into antagonistic groups that become rivals, as the
Mexican MafiaThe Mexican Mafia, also known as La Eme is an American-originated mostly Mexican-American criminal organization, and is one of the oldest and most powerful prison gangs in the United States.-History:...
did in Arizona (into the "Old" or "Original" Mexican Mafia associated with the original
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
gang and the "New Mexican Mafia".
- Aryan Brotherhood
The Aryan Brotherhood, also known as Alice Baker, the AB or The Brand, is a white prison gang; numbering about 15,000 members in and out of prison. In March 2006, four leaders of the Aryan Brotherhood were indicted for numerous crimes, including murder, conspiracy, drug trafficking, racketeering,...
- A white prison gang that originated in California's San Quentin prisonSan Quentin State Prison is a state prison in San Quentin, Marin County, California. Opened in July 1852, it is the oldest prison in the state. California's only death row for male inmates, the largest in the United States, is located at the prison. It has a gas chamber, but since 1996, executions...
in 1964. Perhaps out of their ideology and the necessity of establishing a presence among the more numerous Black and Hispanic gang members, the AB has a particular reputation for ruthlessness and violence. Since the 1990s, in part because of this reputation, the AB has been targeted heavily by state and federal authorities. Many key AB members have been moved to "supermax" control-unit prisons at both the federal and state level or are under federal indictment.
- Nazi Lowriders
The Nazi Lowriders or NLR or "The Ride" are a white supremacist criminal organization primarily based in southern California, although it is believed to have spread to other states. They are affiliated with the larger and more notorious gang, the Aryan Brotherhood, and the Ku Klux Klan. Their main...
- A newer white prison gang that emerged in California after many Aryan Brotherhood members in that state were sent to the Security Housing Unit at Pelican BayPelican Bay State Prison is a supermax state prison near Crescent City in Del Norte County, California. The facility houses some of California's most dangerous inmates.-Facilities:...
or transferred to federal prisons. NLR is associated with members originally from the Antelope ValleyThe Antelope Valley in California, United States is located in northern Los Angeles County and the southeastern portion of Kern County, California and constitutes the western tip of the Mojave Desert...
of Southern California and is known to accept some light-skinned or Caucasian-identified Hispanic members.
- La Eme or the Mexican Mafia
The Mexican Mafia, also known as La Eme is an American-originated mostly Mexican-American criminal organization, and is one of the oldest and most powerful prison gangs in the United States.-History:...
. "Eme" is the Spanish name of the letter "M" and it is the 13th letter in the alphabet. The Mexican mafia are composed mostly of Hispanics, although some Caucasian members exist. The Mexican Mafia and the Aryan Brotherhood are allies and work together to control prostitution, drug running, weapons and "hitsAn Assassination is the targeted killing of a public figure.Assassinations may be prompted by ideological, political, or military reasons. Additionally, assassins may be motivated by financial gain, revenge, personal public recognition, or mental illness....
" or murders. Originally formed in the 1950s in California prisons by Hispanic prisoners from the southern part of that state, Eme has traditionally been composed of US-born or raised Hispanics and has retained ties to the Southern California-based "Sureños". During the 1970s and 1980s, Eme in California established the model of leveraging their power in prison to control and profit from criminal activity on the street.
- Nuestra Familia
Nuestra Familia is a criminal organization of Mexican American prison gangs with origins in Northern California. While members of the Norteños gang are considered to be affiliated with Nuestra Familia, being a member of Nuestra Familia itself does not signify association as a Norteño...
meaning "Our Family." - The "N" is the 14th letter in the alphabet which is used as their symbol along with the Roman numeral "XIV" to represent their gang, another mostly Hispanic prison gang that is constantly at war with La Eme and was originally formed from Northern-California or rural-based Hispanic prisoners opposing the domination by La Eme, which was started by and associated with Los Angeles gang members.
- The Texas Syndicate
The Texas Syndicate is a mostly Texas-based prison gang that includes Hispanic and at one time White members. The Texas Syndicate, more than La Eme or Nuestra Familia, has been more associated or allied with Mexican immigrant prisoners, such as the "Border Brothers", while La Eme and the NF tend...
- A mostly Texas-based prison gang that includes mostly Hispanic members and does (albeit rarely) allow Caucasian members. The Texas Syndicate, more than La Eme or Nuestra Familia, has been associated or allied with Mexican immigrant prisoners, such as the "Border Brothers", while Eme and Familia tend to be composed of and associate with US-born or raised Hispanics.
- Most African-American prison gangs retain their street gang names and associations. These commonly include Rollin' sets (named after streets, i.e. Rollin' 30's, Rollin' 40's etc.) that can identify with either Blood or Crip affiliations. The Black Guerilla Family represents an exception, as an originally politically-based group that has a significant presence in prisons and prison politics.
- Netas
The Association Pro-Inmate Rights Ñeta is the name of a Hispanic association.-History:...
- a hispanic (mainly Puerto Rican) gang, found on Puerto Rico and on the eastern coast of the US.
- United Blood Nation
The United Blood Nation, simply called the Eastcoast Bloods , formed in 1993 within the New York City jail system on Rikers Island's George Mochen Detention Center. GMDC was used to segregate problem inmates from the rest of the detention center...
- an African-America prison gang found on the east coast. They are rivals with the Netas and have ties with the Black Guerilla Family.
- Folk Nation
The Folk Nation is an alliance of street gangs, based in the Chicago area, which has since spread throughout the United States and into Canada, specifically in the Midwest and the South. They are rivals to the People Nation....
- Found in Midwestern and Southern states, allied with CripsThe Crips are a primarily, but not exclusively, African American gang. They were founded in Los Angeles, California in 1971 mainly by Raymond Washington and Stanley Williams...
, bitter rivals with the People Nation.
- Horse Cocks - Found mainly in Southern Central states, populated mainly by Texas caucasians and self-hating minorities.
- People Nation
People Nation is an alliance of street gangs generally associated with the Chicago area. They are rivals to the Folk Nation.The People Nation were formed much in the same way as the Folk Nation. In 1978, the El Rukns People Nation is an alliance of street gangs generally associated with the Chicago...
- Found in Midwestern and Southern state, allied with BloodsThe Bloods are a street gang founded in Los Angeles, California. The gang is widely known for its rivalry with the Crips. They are identified by the red color worn by their members and by particular gang symbols, including distinctive hand signs...
, bitter rivals with the Folk Nation.
- D.C. Blacks
The D.C. Blacks is an African-American prison gang in the United States whose members are from Washington D.C.. They are allied with the Black Guerrilla Family and some other black prison gangs. The Aryan Brotherhood is one of their main enemies....
- Found in Washington D.C. by African-American inmates, are alliged with the BGF and UBN and enemies to AB and MM.
- European Kindred
European Kindred or EK is a white supremacist prison and street gang that began in the Oregon prison system. They are affiliated with the Aryan Brotherhood and the Ku Klux Klan. Their allies are Sureños and Volksfront...
- a white supremacist prison gang founded in Oregon that is affiliated with the Aryan BrotherhoodThe Aryan Brotherhood, also known as Alice Baker, the AB or The Brand, is a white prison gang; numbering about 15,000 members in and out of prison. In March 2006, four leaders of the Aryan Brotherhood were indicted for numerous crimes, including murder, conspiracy, drug trafficking, racketeering,...
and the Ku Klux KlanKu Klux Klan , informally known as The Klan, is the name of several past and present hate group organizations in the United States whose avowed purpose was to protect the rights of and further the interests of white Americans by violence and intimidation. The first such organizations originated in...
.
- Confederate Knights of America
Ku Klux Klan , informally known as The Klan, is the name of several past and present hate group organizations in the United States whose avowed purpose was to protect the rights of and further the interests of white Americans by violence and intimidation. The first such organizations originated in...
- a white supremacist prison gang in Texas that is affiliated with the Ku Klux KlanKu Klux Klan , informally known as The Klan, is the name of several past and present hate group organizations in the United States whose avowed purpose was to protect the rights of and further the interests of white Americans by violence and intimidation. The first such organizations originated in...
and the Aryan BrotherhoodThe Aryan Brotherhood, also known as Alice Baker, the AB or The Brand, is a white prison gang; numbering about 15,000 members in and out of prison. In March 2006, four leaders of the Aryan Brotherhood were indicted for numerous crimes, including murder, conspiracy, drug trafficking, racketeering,...
.
- Aryan Circle
The Aryan Brotherhood, also known as Alice Baker, the AB or The Brand, is a white prison gang; numbering about 15,000 members in and out of prison. In March 2006, four leaders of the Aryan Brotherhood were indicted for numerous crimes, including murder, conspiracy, drug trafficking, racketeering,...
- a white supremacist prison gang affiliated with the Aryan Brotherhood of TexasThe Aryan Brotherhood, also known as Alice Baker, the AB or The Brand, is a white prison gang; numbering about 15,000 members in and out of prison. In March 2006, four leaders of the Aryan Brotherhood were indicted for numerous crimes, including murder, conspiracy, drug trafficking, racketeering,...
and the Ku Klux KlanKu Klux Klan , informally known as The Klan, is the name of several past and present hate group organizations in the United States whose avowed purpose was to protect the rights of and further the interests of white Americans by violence and intimidation. The first such organizations originated in...
.
- Aryan Brotherhood of Texas
The Aryan Brotherhood, also known as Alice Baker, the AB or The Brand, is a white prison gang; numbering about 15,000 members in and out of prison. In March 2006, four leaders of the Aryan Brotherhood were indicted for numerous crimes, including murder, conspiracy, drug trafficking, racketeering,...
- a white supremacist prison gang affiliated with the Aryan BrotherhoodThe Aryan Brotherhood, also known as Alice Baker, the AB or The Brand, is a white prison gang; numbering about 15,000 members in and out of prison. In March 2006, four leaders of the Aryan Brotherhood were indicted for numerous crimes, including murder, conspiracy, drug trafficking, racketeering,...
and the Ku Klux KlanKu Klux Klan , informally known as The Klan, is the name of several past and present hate group organizations in the United States whose avowed purpose was to protect the rights of and further the interests of white Americans by violence and intimidation. The first such organizations originated in...
.
- Sputnik - a supremacist prison gang founded in Muntinlupa Jail.
- Bahala Na Gang - founded in Muntinlupa.
- Dead Man Incorporated
Dead Man Inc. or DMI is a predominately white prison gang with branches in many correctional facilities throughout the U.S.-Origins:...
or DMI - a predominately white prison gang founded in the Maryland Correctional System with branches in many other correctional facilities throughout the U.S.
See also
- Anton Praetorius
Anton Praetorius was a German Calvinist pastor who spoke out against the persecution of witches and against torture.-Life and writings :...
(early prison reformer)
- Community service
Community service is an act by a person that benefits the local community. People become involved in community service for many reasons: for some, serving community is an altruistic act, for others it is a punishment....
- Department of Corrections
Department of Corrections may refer to:*Department of Corrections *State Departments of Corrections in U.S. states.**Alabama Department of Corrections**Alaska Department of Corrections**Arizona Department of Corrections...
- Dispute Resolution
Dispute resolution is the process of resolving disputes between parties.-Methods:Methods of dispute resolution include:* lawsuits * arbitration* collaborative law* mediation* conciliation* many types of negotiation* facilitation...
- Inmate telephone system
Inmate Telephone Systems have been designed to provide a monitored method for inmate and detainees to safely maintain contact with their family and friends, while at the same time providing tools to the jail management staff that permit recording, monitoring and alerts of inmate telephone...
- Jailhouse lawyer
Jailhouse lawyer is a colloquial term in North American English to refer to an inmate in a jail or other prison who, though usually never having practiced law nor having any formal legal training, informally assists other inmates in legal matters relating to their sentence or to their conditions...
- Kishka (prison cell)
A kishka is a type of prison cell used in Soviet prisons. The cell was named after the gut , in that it was tall and narrow, like an intestine, but more like a chimney. The prisoner had room to stand, but could not sit or kneel, let alone lie down...
- List of countries by incarceration rate
- Penal labour
Penal labour or penal servitude is a form of unfree labour. The term may refer to several related situations: labour as a form of punishment, the prison system used as a means to secure labour, labour as a form of occupation of convicts, and labour camps used as a form of political intimidation.-...
- Penology
Penology comprises penitentiary science: that concerned with the processes devised and adopted for the punishment, repression, and prevention of crime, and the treatment of prisoners...
- Prison abolition movement
The prison abolition movement seeks to abolish prison and the prison system which advocates of the movement view as inhumane. Prison abolitionists present a broad critique of the modern Western criminal justice system, alleged to be both racist and classist as well as ineffectual at reforming...
- Prison education
Prison education, also known as Correctional Education, involves vocational training or academic education supplied to prisoners as part of their rehabilitation and preparation for life outside prison....
- Prison escape
A prison escape or prison break is the act of an inmate leaving prison through unofficial or illegal ways. Normally, when this occurs, an effort is made on the part of authorities to recapture them and return them to their original detainers...
- Prison officer
A corrections officer, correctional officer, detention officer, jail guard, prison guard, prison warder, or a prison officer is a person charged with the responsibility of the supervision, safety and security of prisoners in a prison, jail, or similar form of secure custody.Historically, terms such...
- Prison reform
Prison reform is the attempt to improve conditions inside prisons, aiming at a more effective penal system.-Theory:A precise definition refers to attempts to change the penal system, typically from one model of penology to another. Reverting to an earlier model is frequently also characterized as...
- Prison religion
Prison religion includes the religious beliefs and practices of prison inmates, usually stemming from or including concepts surrounding their imprisonment and accompanying lifestyle.-History:...
- Prison sexuality
Prison sexuality deals with sexual relationships between confined individuals or those between a prisoner and a prison employee . Since prisons are separated by gender, most sexual activity is conducted with a same-sex partner, often in contradiction to a person's normal social sexual orientation...
(homosexuality and abuse in prisons)
- Prison uniform
A prison uniform is any uniform worn by individuals incarcerated in a prison, jail or similar facility of detention.-Nazi Germany:During the Nazi period of Germany, interned people in the concentration camp system often wore a prisoner's uniform....
- Prisoner's dilemma
The prisoner's dilemma constitutes a problem in game theory. It was originally framed by Merrill Flood and Melvin Dresher working at RAND in 1950. Albert W...
- Prisoners' rights
The movement for prisoners' rights is based on the principle that prisoners, even though they are deprived of liberty, are still entitled to basic human rights. Advocates for prisoners' rights argue that they are often deprived of very basic human rights, with the cooperation of the prison...
- Punishment
Punishment is the practice of imposing something unpleasant or aversive on a person or animal, usually in response to disobedience, defiance, or behavior deemed morally wrong by individual, governmental, or religious principles.-Etymology:...
- Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation means; To restore to useful life, as through therapy and education or To restore to good condition, operation, or capacity....
- Specific prisons
- Camp 22, North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , is a state in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer area between North Korea and South Korea...
- Drakenstein Correctional Centre, South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, with a coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland, while Lesotho is an independent country surrounded by South Africa.Modern...
- List of prisons in Qinghai, China
China is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
- Xi'ning Prison
Xi'ning Prison is a prison in Qinghai province. It exists since 1952. It is assigned one of the 12 largest Laogai mines in Northwestern China. It is connected to a prison firm, Qinghaihu Hand Tools Limited Liability Company....
, Qinghai' is a province of the People's Republic of China, named after Qinghai Lake. It borders Gansu on the northeast, the Xinjiang Autonomous Region on the northwest, Sichuan on the southeast, and Tibet Autonomous Region on the southwest.- History :Qinghai was only relatively recently made a province...
China
- List of correctional facilities in Ontario
- List of prisons
- Types of imprisonments
- False imprisonment
False imprisonment is a restraint of a person in a bounded area without justification or consent. False imprisonment is a common-law misdemeanor and a tort. It applies to private as well as governmental detention...
- House arrest
In justice and law, house arrest is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to his or her residence. Travel is usually restricted, if allowed at all...
- Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious felony crime where the convicted person is to remain in prison for the rest of his or her life...
- Protective custody
Protective custody is a type of imprisonment to protect a prisoner from harm, either from outside sources or other prisoners...
- Remand
Detention of suspects is the process of keeping a person who has been arrested in a police-cell, prison or other detention centre before trial or sentencing.-Detention before charge:...
- Separate system
The Separate system is a form of prison management, its principle being to hold prisoners in solitary confinement. When first introduced in the early 19th Century, the objective of such a prison or "penitentiary" was that of penance by the prisoners through silent reflection, as much as that of...
- Solitary confinement
Solitary confinement is a punishment or special form of imprisonment in which a prisoner is denied contact with any other persons, excluding members of prison staff. Usually cited as an additional measure of protection from the criminal, it has also been called a form of torture...
- Types of prisons
- Boot camp
- Borstal
A borstal was a specific kind of youth prison in the United Kingdom, run by the Prison Service and intended to reform seriously delinquent young people. The word is sometimes used, incorrectly, to apply to other kinds of youth institution or reformatory, such as Approved Schools and Detention...
- Death Row
Death row is a term that refers to the section of a prison that houses individuals awaiting execution. It is also used to refer to the state of awaiting execution, even in places where a special section of a prison does not exist ....
- Jail
A jail is a short-term detention facility in the United States.Jail may also refer to:*Prison or jail, a place for confinement*Jail , a program resources sandbox mechanism*Jail , a 2009 Bollywood movie...
- Panopticon
The Panopticon is a type of prison building designed by English philosopher and social theorist Jeremy Bentham in 1785. The concept of the design is to allow an observer to observe all prisoners without the prisoners being able to tell whether they are being watched, thereby conveying what one...
- Penal colony
A penal colony is a settlement used to exile prisoners and separate them from the general populace by locating them in a remote location, often an island or distant colonial territory...
- Political prison
- Private prisons
- Mental hospital
Mental hospital may refer to:*Psychiatric hospital*hospital in Nepal named Mental Hospital...
- Roundhouse
- Supermax
Supermax is the name used to describe "control-unit" prisons, or units within prisons, which represent the most secure levels of custody in some countries' prison systems...
- Village lock-up
Village lock-ups are historic buildings that were used for the temporary detention of people in rural parts of England and Wales. They were often used for the confinement of drunks who were usually released the next day or to hold people being brought before the local magistrate. A typical village...
- Youth detention center
A youth detention center, also known as juvenile hall, is a secure residential facility for young people awaiting court hearings and/or placement in long-term care facilities and programs...
- Prison-related crime
- Gassing
Gassing is prison slang for the process of throwing feces or some other bodily fluid such as urine, blood or saliva on a jail or prison staff member.Gassing is an act of rebellion by inmates against custodial staff and is a felony in most U.S. states...
- Game
- Prison Tycoon
Prison Tycoon is a business simulation computer game developed by Virtual Playground and published by ValuSoft in July 2005 that puts the user in charge of a prison. Objectives are to keep the prison running, keep the staff happy, keep the prisoners in line, all while trying to make money.Users are...
- Prison Tycoon II
Prison Tycoon 2: Maximum Security is a business simulation computer game developed by Virtual Playground and published by Valusoft as a sequel to Prison Tycoon....
- Song
- Jailbreak
"Jailbreak" is a song by Australian hard rock band AC/DC. It is the ninth and final track of their third Australian album Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, released in September 1976...
AC/DC song
- Jailbreak
"Jailbreak" is a song by Thin Lizzy that originally appeared as the title track on their 1976 album Jailbreak. Along with "The Boys Are Back in Town", it is one of their most popular songs, and is a classic rock radio staple, receiving steady airplay....
Thin Lizzy song
Further reading
- David Denborough, Beyond the Prison: Gathering Dreams of Freedom, Adelaide, South Australia: Dulwich Centre Publications 1996.
- Diiulio, John J., Governing Prisons: A Comparative Study of Correctional Management, Simon and Schuster, 1990. ISBN 0029078830.
- George Jackson
George Lester Jackson was an American convict, who became a communist and a member of the Black Panther Party while in prison, where he spent the last 12 years of his life...
, Soledad brother, ISBN 978-1556522307.
- Heinz Sobota, Der Minus-Mann. Heyne Verlag 1980, ISBN 345301111.
- James (Jim) Bruton, Big House: Life Inside a Supermax Security Prison, Voyageur Press (July, 2004), hardcover, 192 pages, ISBN 0-89658-039-3.
- Marek M. Kaminski (2004) Games Prisoners Play. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-11721-7.
- Mark L. Taylor. The Executed God: The Way of the Cross in Lockdown America. Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 2001. ISBN 0-8006-3283-4.
- Michel Foucault
Michel Foucault , born Paul-Michel Foucault , was a French philosopher, sociologist and historian. He held a chair at the Collège de France with the title "History of Systems of Thought," and also taught at the University of California, Berkeley.Foucault is best known for his critical studies of...
, Discipline and PunishDiscipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison is a book written by the philosopher Michel Foucault. Originally published in 1975 in France under the title Surveiller et punir: Naissance de la Prison, it was translated into English in 1977...
: the Birth of the Prison, New York: Random House 1975.
- Paula C. Johnson, Inner Lives: Voices of African American Women in Prison, New York University Press 2004.
- Stover H, "Overview study. An assistance to drug users in European prisons, "EMCDDA", 2001, 305p, ISBN 1 902114 03 5.
- Ted Conover. Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing. Knopf, 2001. Trade paperback, 352 pages, ISBN 0-375-72662-4.
External links
- America's Hardest Prisons
- Australian Prisons
- NSW Prisons
- Australia's Hardest Prison
- Interactive world map showing number of prisoners per 100,000 citizens
- World's Hardest Prison: Banged Up Abroad
- Home Office, UK – Justice and prisons
- Professional Systems Engineering – Informational Articles about Prisons, Jails, and Detention Center Design and Operations.
- Victorian Prisoners’ Photograph Albums from Wandsworth prison on The National Archives' website.
- Peter Kropotkin
Peter Alexeyevich Kropotkin was a geographer, a zoologist, and one of Russia's foremost anarchists. One of the first advocates of anarchist communism, Kropotkin advocated a communist society free from central government. Because of his title of prince, he was known by some as "the Anarchist...
, In Russian and French Prisons. Online book. This is a criticism of the existence of prisons.
- Prison Statistics – US Bureau of Justice Statistics
- Wil S. Hylton. "Sick on the Inside: Correctional HMOs and the coming prison plague". Harper's Magazine, August 2003.
- World Prison Population List (fourth edition) UK Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security and order. As such it is responsible for the police, United Kingdom Borders Agency and MI5. It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs, counter-terrorism...
, 2003. .
- Brian Dawe, Behind The Walls, Corrections Connection
- Ann Coppola, View from 35,000 Feet: Prison Overcrowding, Corrections Connection
- Joe Bouchard, Daily Safety Concerns in Jails, Corrections Connection
- Criminal Procedure From Arrest To Appeal By Lester B. Orfield
- Online Community discussing all aspects of the prison and criminal justice systems - Over 180,000 members
Title: Overview study. An assistance to drug users in European prisons.
Editor(s) Stover H
Publisher: Lisbon: EMCDDA
Publication Year: 2001
Pagination: 305p
ISBN 1 902114 03 5
Call No. MO4, HK, VH4
Document Type Book
Notes includes bibliographical references. A5, ringbound