Assignment: Centervale State Penitentiary Management of Prison Violence
The Ninth Circuit Court has received a large number of complaints filed by prisoners claiming that their civil rights are being violated because they are housed in accommodations made unsafe due to the frequent outbursts of violence in the Centervale State Penitentiary. As a result, the Ninth Circuit Court judge has given the governor an ultimatum that if the amount of violence in the prison is not reduced, the prison's management and leadership will be turned over to the federal government.
The director of prisons is now under scrutiny because it appears that the warden, his administrators, and his staff are not maintaining a safe environment for staff either, as evidenced by the brutal beating of a male staff member during a fight between two prison gangs in the corridor outside the mess hall inside the Centervale State Penitentiary.
As the assistant to the warden's director of the Penology Research Team, you have been asked to prepare a report that explains penology theory, prison violence, inmate programming, and rehabilitation for the warden and for the director of prisons that the governor will most likely review.
Challenges that you will have to address in your report are many, but primarily, the director of prisons is interested in how prison violence will be reduced by 5% within one year, regardless of the fact that the legislature has just cut even more funding on the corrections system when the prison is understaffed and inmates are in need of programs.
Here's What You Need to Do . . .
Using APA format and APA guidelines, compose an 8- to 10-page paper:
Define and discuss in detail the goals of penology theory and integrate the discussion with the overarching goal of prison management and leadership.
Research US penology theory and practice. Identify and explain five strengths and five weaknesses of the US prison management system as a whole.
The Centervale State Penitentiary is an old prison with a limited number of cameras in a few places. It does not have state-of-the-art equipment, and its policies and procedures to counteract prison violence have been in place for decades. Research penology prison violence reduction plans, policy, and procedure using the Argosy University online library resources. Discuss at least one violence reduction program that has failed and one program that you think might work. Be sure to explain why the program was successful or why it might have failed.
The Centervale State Penitentiary has two programs for inmates to work in-the Cafeteria Program and the Prison Grounds Program. No educational programs exist at this time. Propose a course of action to reduce violence by implementing the following:
Educational Programming
Employee Developmental Training
Proactive Supervision Model
The brutal beating of Centervale State Penitentiary corrections Officer Brian Belle outraged the public to the extent that some citizens protested against inmates' rights in the state capitol. Officer Belle suffered a broken leg, a broken arm, eight broken ribs, one broken vertebrae, and a skull fracture, which caused medical professionals to keep him in a medically induced coma for over a month.
After more than six months, Officer Belle returned to work, only to face the same situation again in the same corridor under the same policies. Staunchly, Officer Belle maintains his authority in the prison and intends to testify against them at their trial.
Officer Belle constantly receives community support, and the District Attorney's Office receives constant complaints about how long it is taking to try the inmates charged with assaulting Officer Belle.
Research and explain from a broad perspective how prison violence impacts society. Does prison violence impact society? Be very specific in stating ways in which prison violence might impact society, based on your research findings using credible sources.