Necessary Skills and Methods of Prison Management - Essay Example

Challenges, Conflicts And The Relevance of Human Rights Approach In Prison Management As soon as I got into prison, I had to undergo another psychiatric examination, consisting of a single, brief meeting with a psychiatrist. We exchanged a few words, and on the basis of this he declared me “partly incapable of will and intent”, which is the Italian legal term for being partly irresponsible for a crime for reasons of insanity. Because of that, even though I had spontaneously gone to the police and admitted my responsibility as soon as I had realized what I had done, my testimony was dismissed by the court as the words of a lunatic. (Tristano Ajmone, WHO Europe website, November 23rd 2007). Introduction Prison management calls for unique set of management skills and training since, unlike other work places, prisons are confined spaces and do not have profit or production of any sort as the main motive. The western world appears to have always taken an antagonistic view to prisons, as places requiring extreme surveillance and security since they house people who lack normalcy in some way; either they are delinquents, or criminals or anti-social elements. However, modern times have seen transformations taking place in all spaces of life, including the manner in which prisons are managed. The next few pages shall examine the ways in which management of prisons have been subject to problems, and the influence of self or personalities that underlie the problems. The essay shall also argue that practicing human rights perspective in prison management shall not only help diffuse confrontation between staff and inmates, but also pave the way for better reintegration of prisoners into the civil society. In the process, the essay shall discuss some important works of Coyle (2002), Crawley (2004), Goffman (1959, 1961) and the Stanford Prison Experiment studies (1971). Prison Work As mentioned earlier, prisons are extraordinary work places, requiring special techniques of management and skills. Elaine Crawley (2004) has researched some of prisons housing adults and others that housed juveniles in the United Kingdom, collecting data over a period of five years from 1997 to 2002. The work helps one understand the underlying feelings of alienation in police officers and thus, it is important to students of criminal justice and correctional systems. Rather than viewing prisons as high-walled spaces that hold criminals, or mere organizations that have to be run ‘efficiently, effectively and economically’(Crawley 2004, p.5) prisons, “should be read as an emotional arena” (Crawley 2004, p.2). The advantage offered by this perception is that it aids one “to explore the ways in which, in addition to being places for the confinement of law-breakers, prisons are highly domestic spaces in which prison officers must perform and manage emotion” (Crawley 2004, p. 2). It is pertinent to note here that, Coyle (2002) who has written a complete handbook for prison staff has also remarked “a prison is not the same as a factory which produces motor cars or washing machines; The management of prisons is primarily about the management of human beings, both staff and prisoners” (Coyle 2002, p. 13). On the basis of her analyses, Crawley (2004) observes in her research findings that the occupations of police officers and prison officers were similar at least, in some aspects; like for example, often, both are required to serve with the mind set of a social worker within the context of culture, more than practitioners of authority. Interestingly however, Crawley’s (2004) research reports that prison officers hold that, rather than being closely related to policing, they held that their jobs were more similar to “nursing and psychiatric work” (177). This brings to the fore, the importance of how prison officers view themselves, or in other words, the importance of the role of self in prison management studies, with focus on Goffman’s theories and observations given in the form of two books (1959 & 1961). However, before going into the details of Goffman’s works, it is sensible to consider the Stanford Prison Experiment Research, which is not only interesting, but also very relevant to the current theme of prison problems and role of self. The Simulated Study at Stanford University Researchers Philip G. Zimbardo, C. Haney, C. Banks, and D. Jaffe (1971) conducted what they call “a simulated prison” (http://www.prisonexp.org/slide-4.htm) experiment with paid volunteers ‘randomly’ assigned to play the parts of prison guards and prison inmates. The settings of real prisons were copied as best as possible, and real-life procedures were followed till the last detail, like blindfolding of prisoners, giving them identification numbers and prisoner dresses, confining some persons to solitary confinement, and so on. The guards too, were made to dress like real prison guards, though without any training whatsoever on how to be guards. They were warned “of the potential seriousness of their mission and of the possible dangers in the situation they were about to enter, as, of course, are real guards who voluntarily take such a dangerous jobs” (http://www.prisonexp.org/slide-12.htm). The aim was to study “the psychological effects of becoming a prisoner or prison guard” and the “effects of this institution [prison] on the behavior of all those within its walls” (http://www.prisonexp.org/slide-3.htm). The findings of Zimbardo et al (1971) and his fellow researchers are significant. Volunteers ceased to see themselves as mere participants in a research experiment within a short span of six days and began identifying themselves as prisoners (with just number identifications) and guards (complete with authority to punish and reward). In the process of playing the roles of prisoners and guards, they became the very characters they were playing and started believing themselves to be really the characters that they acted as. This is obvious in the way they have displayed symptoms of distress (in the case of prisoners) and reluctance to let go of their roles in the case of guards (www.prionexp.org.). This correlates well with Goffman’s theories and observations. Goffman and Two Important Works Erving Goffman makes use of metaphors to describe life experiences. In his work The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life (1959), dramaturgical metaphor is used to explain individual behaviour in social interactions. Thus, perceives life as a social drama, wherein everybody performed for each other in public, as if it were a common stage. The essential point to be noted here is that, people play their part as actors and they behave in various ways so as to impress on others, the authenticity of the roles they were playing. Kivisto and Pittman (2007) explain that Goffman is more concerned with “with the particulars of daily life—the micro-level interactions between individuals that, when taken together, constitute the human experience; At this micro level … the world is much more like a stage than we commonly realize” (p.272). In the above stated Stanford Prison Experiment this is precisely what happened, as one can see. The authentic prison settings, the dresses that the volunteers wore, the punishments given by the guards, the freedom wielded by the guards as contrasted to the solitary confinement imposed on some prisoners, the psychological degradation carried out by the guards to keep the prisoners under their control all contributed to the volunteers forgetting that they were merely playing these roles, and actually believing that they were indeed guards and prisoners, as theorized by Goffman (1959). This also contributes to the divide and beginning of conflict, basic distrust of each other (as a group) and thus brings forth the tension filled situations that become a challenge in real-life situations, frequently requiring use of violence, force or subjugation to being the situation back into control. In Goffman’s work Asylums. Essays on the Social Situation of Mental patients and Other Inmates, he defines what is called a “total institution” as “as a place of residence and work where a large number of like-situated individuals, cut off from the wider society for an appreciable period of time, together lead an enclosed, formally administered round of life; Prisons serve as a clear example…” (1961A/1, pp.11-2). Furthermore, the most typical trait of a closed institution is that it tends to “breakdown the barriers ordinarily separating these three spheres of life” namely, the sleeping, playing and working spheres (Goffmann 1961A/1, p.17). Both these works of Goffman help one understand accurately the reasons for conflict that is ever-present in the real-life prisons and the difficulties in the control. Coyle’s Human Rights Handbook with Solutions In a charged environment like prison wherein negative aspects like violence, drugs, rape, murder, suspicions abound, tensions are likely to flare up at short notice. One of the ways to prevent crisis may be treating the prisoners in a respectable, humane and fair manner. This may appear to be an uphill task, given that in prison officers a “significant dissatisfaction with and to some extent, alienation from the work itself” (Crawley 2004, p.4). However, Coyle’s A Human Rights Approach to Prison Management –Handbook for Prison Staff (2002) examines in detail the types of challenges that are faced by prison management the world over, and gives a practical set of rules that can be followed in order to overcome the problems peculiar to prisons. Coyle (2002) lays down the requirements for the selection of suitable staff for prison service in the chapter “Prison Staff and the Administration of Prisons” and insists the prisons should be under civilian control rather than military control (p.18). Other criteria for selection of staff include testing of personal integrity and also the capacity of the chosen to respond positively under stressful and difficult situations that shall be a daily routine in prison management. The author recommends recruitment of women staff and training of men staff for management of special situations with the use of minimum force (22-7). In essence, selection of mentally suited persons, education and training on ethics and techniques, shall help produce conducive atmosphere for the practice of human rights approach in prison management. Though the author makes no mention of the dangers in non-selection of proper staff, one is only all too aware of the deplorable events that took place in the Abu Gharib jail recently in 2003, in Iraq; the torture of many harmless Iraqis in the name of religious beliefs and cultural differences are extremely regrettable, and underline the fact that this may not have happened if proper attention and care had been taken to send appropriately trained prison guards to Abu Gharib (Hersh, 2004). However, untrained military officers simply took over the prison and the inmates were harassed to unspeakable levels in total violation of International Prison laws and codes, as reported by Seymour Hersh in the New Yorker on May 10, 2004. Devoting a special chapter for “Women Prisoners” Coyle (2002), has detailed the type of care that had to be shown to them (130-6). The number of women prisoners, according to Coyle (2002) ranges between 2% to 8% of prison populations in general, and they are frequently subject to drug and sexual abuse within prisons. Sensitive handling of women prisoners who face a different set of rules is essential. Coyle (2002) has understood the impacts of globalization and in his chapter “Recognising Diversity” and reiterates that “special consideration also needs to be given to other groups of prisoners who are not part of the majority category on one or more grounds; These may include race, ethnicity, social origin, culture, religion, sexual orientation, language or nationality” (p. 147-150). He has also warned against the danger of discrimination and observed that, “In recent years one result of increased travel has been a growth in the number of prisoners who are nationals of another country; they will often have specific needs…” (p. 149) like contacting the family and so on, has been mentioned by the author as a part of human rights practice. Conclusion Crawley’s work on prison staff, and Coyle’s work on the human rights approach to prison management have revealed the various point to be held in mind in the administration of ‘total institutions.’ Goffman’s works, importantly, have thrown light on the reasons behind the behaviour of those in uniform and the others who are put behind the bars, and causes of conflict. The veracity of Goffman’s theories can be seen in the Stanford Prison Experiment Research and also in the real life episode of Abu Gharib atrocities. All this makes one understand the essentiality of a human rights approach to prison management and also the importance of appropriate education and training for prison staff. It shall prevent the more Tristano Ajmones (WHO website) from being created due to the indifferent attitudes of prisons and international organizations. References Coyle, Andrew (2002). A Human Rights Approach to Prison Management available online accessed on 08 March, 2009. http://www.kcl.ac.uk/depsta/law/research/icps/downloads/human_rights_prison_management.pdf Crawley, Elaine (2004). Doing Prison Work: The Public and Private Lives of Prison Officers Willan Publishing, Devon, United Kingdom. pp. 1-177. Goffman E. 1961A/1, On the Characteristics of Total Institutions Extracts accessed on 22 February, 2009 at http://studymore.org.uk/xgof.htm webpage p.15. Available at http://www.mdx.ac.uk/WWW/STUDY/xGof.htm#Encounters Hersh, Seymour (2004). “Annals of National Security - Torture at Abu Ghraib American soldiers brutalized Iraqis. How far up does the responsibility go?” in The NewYorker dated May 10, 2004. Accessed on 22 February, 2009. http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2004/05/10/040510fa_fact Kivisto, Peter and Pittman, Dan (2007). “Goffman’s Dramaturgical Sociology - Personal Sales and Service in a Commodified World - Chapter 10” In Illuminating Social Life: Classical and Contemporary Theory Revisited SAGE Publications. Pp. 271-290. Stanford Prison Experiment (1971). Website accessed on 22 February, 2009. http://www.prisonexp.org/ Tristano Ajmone WHO website (2007). Webpage accessed on 08 March, 2009. http://www.euro.who.int/mentalhealth/topics/20071113_6 Read More