Following an examination of the reasons for the existence of conflicting goals in a maximum security prison, the effect of the conflict between custody and rehabilitation on a sample of inmates in such a prison is assessed.
Most total institutions are expected to change the views, behavior, knowledge, or skills of those whose lives they administer, while also maintaining some degree of control over those involved in the change process. The conflict between these two goals, as it exists in universities and in prisons, is discussed. It is pointed out that in universities and most other social institutions, control lessens as change is achieved and as individuals within the institution desire the change.
In the correctional setting, however, the belief that all inmates require guidance, structure, direction, and control is reflected in the negative stereotypes of inmates held by personnel at all levels of the organization—even among those whose primary function is to treat and rehabilitate inmates. As a result, the more negatively organizational participants evaluate the inmates, the higher the priority placed on control.
Society tends to negatively evaluate a prison when it fails to achieve control goals, as reflected by incidents such as violence, riots, or escapes. Meanwhile, persistently high rates of recidivism make it difficult for prison administrators to claim success in achieving change or rehabilitation goals. Consequently, resources are increasingly concentrated on control efforts.
The effect of this conflict was examined in a random sample of 405 male inmates in a maximum security penitentiary located in an urban area in the southeastern United States. Attitude questionnaires measured inmate feelings toward the institution, prison programs, and outside agencies. It was found that the greater the resentment toward the prison administration and its control structure, the greater the alienation toward prison programs and the criminal justice system as a whole. A high degree of prisonization was also associated with strong self-identification as a criminal.
It is suggested that such a self-image may affect post-release life. The study concludes that the structure of prisons similar to the one studied creates hostility, which significantly reduces the ability to achieve either control or rehabilitation goals. References are appended.