Corrections: The Fundamental

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Many different facets compose the makeup of a prison community. One of the main components of the prison culture is the correctional officer. The individuals that are responsible for the security at correctional facilities such as a prison are better known as CO’s or correctional officers. Typically, the higher the security levels of the prison, the lower the ratio of inmates to correctional officers. “State averages of inmates to COs range from about 3.5 to 1 up to 8 to 1 (with national averages of 5.4 to 1 in 2000), but these numbers have to be taken with a grain of salt” (Foster, 2006, p.164). With the aforementioned disparity with the number of COs to inmates naturally safety concerns arise when it comes to keeping both COs and inmates working and living in a safe environment. The number of individuals that are incarcerated in the United States on a daily basis has surpassed 2.2 million (Gibbons & Katzenbach, 2011). Annually, 13.5 million people at some point and time spend time in prison or jail with approximately 95 percent of them ultimately returning to society (Gibbons et al., 2011). Taking the aforementioned statement into considerations the author believes that it is safe to say that what goes on behind prison walls effects all members of society. When correctional facilities are unsafe, unhealthy, unproductive, or inhumane it affects both the people who work in them as well as the people that are living there at some point and time. Unfortunately, the majority of prisons house more inmates than they can manage safely and effectively, which creates an environment of disorder and tension and often times results in violent episodes. Down time in prisons for inmates is one of the most dangerous scenarios po... ... middle of paper ... ... References Works Cited Foster, B. (2006). Corrections: The fundamentals. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Gibbons, J.J., & Katzenbach, N.D.B. (2011). Confronting confinement: A report of the commission of safety and abuse in america’s prisons. Federal Sentencing Reporter, 24(1), 36-41. McClellan, D.S. (2002). Coming to the aid of women in U.S. prisons. Monthly Review, 54(2), 33-44. Pyrooz, D.C., Decker, S.H., & Fleisher, M. (2011). From the street to the prison, from the prison to the street: Understanding and responding to prison gangs. Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research, 3(1), 12-24. Seiter, R. P. (2008). Corrections: An introduction, (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Wooldredge, J., PhD., & Seiter, B., PhD. (2013). Violent victimization among state prison inmates. Violence and Victims, 28(3), 531-51.

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