Differences between Womens and Mens Prison - Essay Example

The most important factor is what the group members share; people with the same interests; behavior and personality often form a group. The result is strong bonding that sees them survive through their term in jail.

2. Differences between Women’s and Men’s Prison

Women and men who commit crimes are sent to prison according to sex. Serious offenses such as sexual assault prompted the creation of separate prisons for males and females. Female prisoners are quite different from male prisoners as they are less violent and rarely fight prison wardens or their inmates as compared to men (Schmalleger, 2008). Furthermore, women easily form bonds as a way of helping each other to survive the prison sentence. Men have a concrete hierarchy based on gang relations, connections, and physical superiority. It is because of this that women's prison has a lesser number of prison officers compared to men. Though the prisons are heavily fortified, those of men require 24-hour surveillance while female prison is not heavily guarded. Female prisons have special units where they can report assault as they are they tend to be verbally expressed than men who tend to solve issues physically. Women are less involved in crimes than men are; therefore, not much study has been conducted.

3. Primary Concerns of Prison Staff

Prison staff is charged with the responsibility of curbing violence among the inmates (Schmalleger, 2008), surveillance to control prison breakouts, quelling riots, and offering first aid services. Officers also write reports on overall prison conditions, new cases of violence, deaths, and diseases. In addition, the prison staff deals with alcohol and drug-dependent inmates. They deal handle sexual offenders within the prison, facilitate religious beliefs activities, and understand diverse backgrounds. Prison staff also deals with different patients including psychiatric cases, offering necessary treatment.

4. Prison Riots
Prison rioting is a way of complaining to the authority about injustices and demanding certain services (Schmalleger, 2008). Inmates often agree to present their grievances when they notice too much punishment, inadequate meals, and bad prison conditions and among other basic services, they are entitled to as humans. Stages of prison riot include explosion which is preceded by tension occasioned by several factors, then the structure stage where prisoners organize into groups, followed by the inmate rebellion stage during which inmates destroy property and confront authorities who attempt to stop them.

The third stage is the final authority response where prison officers intervene by letting one representative from the inmates present the issue of concern. Inmates may take one officer hostage as they negotiate out. The final stage is processing, where the investigation is done to identify the source as a way of preventing future riots. (Schmalleger, 2008) Allowing inmates to present their issues to authority, providing healthy prison conditions, and eliminating unnecessary punishment, can prevent prison riots. Read More