Essay On Prison Violence
The newly entered prisoners are specialized victimized of prison violence and become involved in the subculture. Shift lag is also a powerful factor in the professional life of prison workers that results in violence of rules in the prison. They feel hypnotic, dull and avoid completing their job tasks with interest and responsibility.
Effect of the Prison Violence on the Staff Members
After discussing the problem of stress management prison violence in detail, a lot of questions arise in the mind of the readers that how the workers work in such stressful environment of high security prison? How those employees or worker manage their medical, mental as well as physical conditions? How these correctional officers and other coworkers adjust them with the violent subculture of prison? How all the stressful factors affect the individual, married, home life, professional life and career, social interaction of prison employees? How they react with their …show more content…
relatives and other people and other day to day dealing when they are out of their institutional boundaries?
There are many writers who write on the issue of stress management in prison violence and how stress factors affect the staff members. Cheek & Miller (1982), Cheek (1984), Lindquist & Whitehead (1986), Lambert (2001), and Garland (2004) wrote research papers and reports on stress management and prison violence and its effects on the employees working there. These writers in their papers showed an alarming statistics about the employees that their average age, heath; natural and psychological behavior is badly violated due to the violence attack by the lock up population in prisons. It was told that the average age of American citizen is round about seventy five years, but those related to the high security prisons are fifty nine years (Cheek, 1984). The mental, physical and integral conditions and values are challenged in the prison. Some correctional officers have supper skills of controlling and handling acts of violence within the jail. They use their skills and do not take any type of tension about the violence and violent behavior, but there are others who can’t cope up with the stress and violence and become mentally sick. The stress management tries to help all those employees to lead a normal life (Robbins, 2003).
Lindquist and Whitehead (1986) wrote in their research on stress management violence of prison workers that the stressful workers affect other co-workers. They wrote in 1986 that the correctional officers are restrained to the same extend as their prisoners and a very factual discomfort of that captivity is collaboration with less than required persons. It is also written in one of the report that most of the correctional officers are forced to mental sickness not only because of the prisoners’ violence, but also due to the lack of attention and appreciation for their tough work from the higher prison management.
The famous research and report writers Kawucha, Marquart & Trulson, wrote that security hazard groups as well as gangs are mainly affiliated with not only race, but also with ethnicity. The racial discrimination and ethnic gap validated by most of the prison along with street gangs describes that this racial system has been existing and continues to exist as one of the most leading and dominant effects on prisoner’s behavior (2006, pg. 27). It means that the gangs in the prison are made on the basis of race, color, native country and casts of prisoners. Thus, the inmates with same race and ethnic should be kept away from each other in different cells. Some other researchers like Agnew & Cullen (2003) wrote about the stress and prison violence in the words that the prospect that population will involve in unlawful as well as divergent attitude is increase and the chances of their imitating to the standards reduced when they diversely linked with others (those who oblige illegal behavior). He further states that the ratio of abnormally behaving officers and workers are increasing resulting in poor mental conditions and negative behavior.
Role of Correctional Officers in Solving the Problem
The correctional officers are now focusing on the high security prison to end up violence and trying to make them safe place to live and work by building stress management units in the prisons.
The unit works on the circumstances that how stress affects those prisons and staff of the prison. The higher administration of the prison is taking steps to overcome the violence of rules by the prison inmates. They are now going to surveillance all the prisons by fixing cameras and advanced technology to keep a watchful eye on the prisoners; while they go through corridors and open grounds. They are also planning to keep the gang leaders and dangerous convicts into solitary confinement. The solitary confinement is a type of prison in which the dangerous inmates are kept reducing their interaction with other prisons and prison employees. The inmate is locked up in a separate isolated cell as a punishment for breaking rules and regulation of the prison. It is also given to inmate who tried to attempt suicide or harm
himself.
Steps for Controlled Environment of Prison
Reducing population of high security prison is also a valid step for a controlled prison environment. By increasing the number of security prison, the inmates can be shifted there. The prison staff must be trained to examine the cells and reduce blind spots. Interaction of prisoners and prison staff can be reduced to safe those attacks of the inmates by using intercoms. When the employees feel that they are living and working in a safe and peaceful place they will automatically feel relaxed and work better. Thus, the stress that can push them to savior mental issues can be easily controlled. Appreciation, increments, recognition by higher administration can also leave pleasant effects on the employees and the pain of prison violence by the inmates will automatically be reduced. Proper education and training of the correctional officers and workers is very important. They should be trained to handle, work and adjust them in violent environment. They should be stronger enough to bear the inmates behavior. This can keep them away from depression, stress and anxiety. The proper history of any new convict should be gathered and this will help in breaking violating groups. Proper psychological and medical tests of prison employees should be done to avoid them from any consequential diseases as result of prison violence. This thing gives confidence to the employees that they are safe and proper medical treatment is given for their safety and protection which will ultimately keep them happy and relaxed. All these steps give them power to control their own stress and life events without any help.
In addition proper polices related to the correctional officers and workers should be made. Proper shifts in duties and relaxed job scenario can also keep them away from depression. Prolonged duty hours can be hectic for the prison workers, so higher administration should change the shifts of employees after some hours. For example there must be separate employees for day and night duties. This can give them relaxation time and they can also get spare time to spend with their families and friends. The stressed correctional employees are a big danger not only in their personal and social life, but also affect the overall institutional reputation. The stressed depressive workers with the passage of time lose interest in their work. They become lazy and less energetic so it is the responsibility of stress management administration to overcome massive violence and try to reduce its impact on prison workers. Shift lag cause irritation and fatigue for employees that should be reduced by setting proper shift change policies.
High security prisons are also subject to the advanced means of controlling violence and dangerous subculture to avoid the worst situations and after effects of these worst situations. Bureau of prison has an official website that is showing that twenty one high securities prison are under Federal Bureau of prison. A careful calculation shows that three hundred employees are working in each prison. All these are correctional workers whose security is subjected to the stress management. In this way, the total figure of correctional workers or total staff members reaches round about six thousand three hundred employees. All these workers like any other employees of regular company and organization are subject to retirement, promotion and appreciation etc.
Conclusion
After researching on the detailed insight of the chosen topic, it is concluded that stress effects on prison workers are very necessary to avoid and eliminate. Prison is not a place with normal environment, the high walls, and congested environment, instead the cruel behavior of co inmates push the prisoners to sick mental conditions. After a detailed study, it is concluded that the prison environment is highly depressive, deadly, brutal or repressive and manipulating. The prison employees are the only people they interact so they are the only victims of their violent behavior. The prevention of such acts of violence is very important. In addition to it, there are some useful techniques that can reduce and control the prison violence up to ninety percent. The factors that are the root cause of such violence can be brought to end by making effecting measures. This thing can save the prison controlling officers and workers from become psycho patient. References
Agnew, R. & Cullen, F. T. (2003). Criminological Theory, Past to Present. Los Angeles, CA: Roxbury Publishing Company.
Cheek, F. (1984). Stress management for correctional officers and their families. College Park, MD: American Correctional Association.
Cheek, F. E., & Miller, M. (1982). Prisoners of life: A study of occupational stress among state corrections officers. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Washington D.C.
Garland, B. (2004). The impact of administrative support on prison treatment staff burnout: An exploratory study. The Prison Journal, 84, 452-471.
Lambert, E. G. (2001). Absent correctional staff: A discussion of the issues and recommendations for future research. American Journal of Criminal Justice. 25, 279-292.
Lindquist, C. A., & Whitehead, J. T. (1986). Correctional officer job burnout: A path model. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 23, 23-42.
Kawucha, S. K., Marquart, J. W. & Trulson, C. R. (2006). Gang Suppression & Institutional Control. Corrections Today Magazine, 68 (2), 26-28.
Morgan J. & William J. (2009). "The Major Causes of Institutional Violence". American Jails. 23 (5), 63, 65–68.
Robbins, S. P. (2003). Organizational Behavior. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Effect of the Prison Violence on the Staff Members
After discussing the problem of stress management prison violence in detail, a lot of questions arise in the mind of the readers that how the workers work in such stressful environment of high security prison? How those employees or worker manage their medical, mental as well as physical conditions? How these correctional officers and other coworkers adjust them with the violent subculture of prison? How all the stressful factors affect the individual, married, home life, professional life and career, social interaction of prison employees? How they react with their …show more content…
relatives and other people and other day to day dealing when they are out of their institutional boundaries?
There are many writers who write on the issue of stress management in prison violence and how stress factors affect the staff members. Cheek & Miller (1982), Cheek (1984), Lindquist & Whitehead (1986), Lambert (2001), and Garland (2004) wrote research papers and reports on stress management and prison violence and its effects on the employees working there. These writers in their papers showed an alarming statistics about the employees that their average age, heath; natural and psychological behavior is badly violated due to the violence attack by the lock up population in prisons. It was told that the average age of American citizen is round about seventy five years, but those related to the high security prisons are fifty nine years (Cheek, 1984). The mental, physical and integral conditions and values are challenged in the prison. Some correctional officers have supper skills of controlling and handling acts of violence within the jail. They use their skills and do not take any type of tension about the violence and violent behavior, but there are others who can’t cope up with the stress and violence and become mentally sick. The stress management tries to help all those employees to lead a normal life (Robbins, 2003).
Lindquist and Whitehead (1986) wrote in their research on stress management violence of prison workers that the stressful workers affect other co-workers. They wrote in 1986 that the correctional officers are restrained to the same extend as their prisoners and a very factual discomfort of that captivity is collaboration with less than required persons. It is also written in one of the report that most of the correctional officers are forced to mental sickness not only because of the prisoners’ violence, but also due to the lack of attention and appreciation for their tough work from the higher prison management.
The famous research and report writers Kawucha, Marquart & Trulson, wrote that security hazard groups as well as gangs are mainly affiliated with not only race, but also with ethnicity. The racial discrimination and ethnic gap validated by most of the prison along with street gangs describes that this racial system has been existing and continues to exist as one of the most leading and dominant effects on prisoner’s behavior (2006, pg. 27). It means that the gangs in the prison are made on the basis of race, color, native country and casts of prisoners. Thus, the inmates with same race and ethnic should be kept away from each other in different cells. Some other researchers like Agnew & Cullen (2003) wrote about the stress and prison violence in the words that the prospect that population will involve in unlawful as well as divergent attitude is increase and the chances of their imitating to the standards reduced when they diversely linked with others (those who oblige illegal behavior). He further states that the ratio of abnormally behaving officers and workers are increasing resulting in poor mental conditions and negative behavior.
Role of Correctional Officers in Solving the Problem
The correctional officers are now focusing on the high security prison to end up violence and trying to make them safe place to live and work by building stress management units in the prisons.
The unit works on the circumstances that how stress affects those prisons and staff of the prison. The higher administration of the prison is taking steps to overcome the violence of rules by the prison inmates. They are now going to surveillance all the prisons by fixing cameras and advanced technology to keep a watchful eye on the prisoners; while they go through corridors and open grounds. They are also planning to keep the gang leaders and dangerous convicts into solitary confinement. The solitary confinement is a type of prison in which the dangerous inmates are kept reducing their interaction with other prisons and prison employees. The inmate is locked up in a separate isolated cell as a punishment for breaking rules and regulation of the prison. It is also given to inmate who tried to attempt suicide or harm
himself.
Steps for Controlled Environment of Prison
Reducing population of high security prison is also a valid step for a controlled prison environment. By increasing the number of security prison, the inmates can be shifted there. The prison staff must be trained to examine the cells and reduce blind spots. Interaction of prisoners and prison staff can be reduced to safe those attacks of the inmates by using intercoms. When the employees feel that they are living and working in a safe and peaceful place they will automatically feel relaxed and work better. Thus, the stress that can push them to savior mental issues can be easily controlled. Appreciation, increments, recognition by higher administration can also leave pleasant effects on the employees and the pain of prison violence by the inmates will automatically be reduced. Proper education and training of the correctional officers and workers is very important. They should be trained to handle, work and adjust them in violent environment. They should be stronger enough to bear the inmates behavior. This can keep them away from depression, stress and anxiety. The proper history of any new convict should be gathered and this will help in breaking violating groups. Proper psychological and medical tests of prison employees should be done to avoid them from any consequential diseases as result of prison violence. This thing gives confidence to the employees that they are safe and proper medical treatment is given for their safety and protection which will ultimately keep them happy and relaxed. All these steps give them power to control their own stress and life events without any help.
In addition proper polices related to the correctional officers and workers should be made. Proper shifts in duties and relaxed job scenario can also keep them away from depression. Prolonged duty hours can be hectic for the prison workers, so higher administration should change the shifts of employees after some hours. For example there must be separate employees for day and night duties. This can give them relaxation time and they can also get spare time to spend with their families and friends. The stressed correctional employees are a big danger not only in their personal and social life, but also affect the overall institutional reputation. The stressed depressive workers with the passage of time lose interest in their work. They become lazy and less energetic so it is the responsibility of stress management administration to overcome massive violence and try to reduce its impact on prison workers. Shift lag cause irritation and fatigue for employees that should be reduced by setting proper shift change policies.
High security prisons are also subject to the advanced means of controlling violence and dangerous subculture to avoid the worst situations and after effects of these worst situations. Bureau of prison has an official website that is showing that twenty one high securities prison are under Federal Bureau of prison. A careful calculation shows that three hundred employees are working in each prison. All these are correctional workers whose security is subjected to the stress management. In this way, the total figure of correctional workers or total staff members reaches round about six thousand three hundred employees. All these workers like any other employees of regular company and organization are subject to retirement, promotion and appreciation etc.
Conclusion
After researching on the detailed insight of the chosen topic, it is concluded that stress effects on prison workers are very necessary to avoid and eliminate. Prison is not a place with normal environment, the high walls, and congested environment, instead the cruel behavior of co inmates push the prisoners to sick mental conditions. After a detailed study, it is concluded that the prison environment is highly depressive, deadly, brutal or repressive and manipulating. The prison employees are the only people they interact so they are the only victims of their violent behavior. The prevention of such acts of violence is very important. In addition to it, there are some useful techniques that can reduce and control the prison violence up to ninety percent. The factors that are the root cause of such violence can be brought to end by making effecting measures. This thing can save the prison controlling officers and workers from become psycho patient. References
Agnew, R. & Cullen, F. T. (2003). Criminological Theory, Past to Present. Los Angeles, CA: Roxbury Publishing Company.
Cheek, F. (1984). Stress management for correctional officers and their families. College Park, MD: American Correctional Association.
Cheek, F. E., & Miller, M. (1982). Prisoners of life: A study of occupational stress among state corrections officers. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Washington D.C.
Garland, B. (2004). The impact of administrative support on prison treatment staff burnout: An exploratory study. The Prison Journal, 84, 452-471.
Lambert, E. G. (2001). Absent correctional staff: A discussion of the issues and recommendations for future research. American Journal of Criminal Justice. 25, 279-292.
Lindquist, C. A., & Whitehead, J. T. (1986). Correctional officer job burnout: A path model. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 23, 23-42.
Kawucha, S. K., Marquart, J. W. & Trulson, C. R. (2006). Gang Suppression & Institutional Control. Corrections Today Magazine, 68 (2), 26-28.
Morgan J. & William J. (2009). "The Major Causes of Institutional Violence". American Jails. 23 (5), 63, 65–68.
Robbins, S. P. (2003). Organizational Behavior. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.