NCJ Number
102172
Date Published
1985
Length
172 pages
Annotation
This book is a case study of the politics of correctional policy decisionmaking in New York State, particularly during Governor Nelson Rockefeller's administration and updated to 1984.
Abstract
The study examines the activities of various interest groups -- the correctional bureaucracy, religious and social reformers, business and labor interests, and prison inmates -- to assess their level and mode of involvement in corrections policymaking and their effectiveness in achieving their goals. The activity areas examined include the legislative arena, executive reorganizational schemes, riots and demonstrations in Auburn and Attica prisons, and court involvement in inmates' rights issues. The responsiveness of the political system to the politically powerless groups such as prison inmates was largely symbolic (appeasing but ineffectual), but the powerful, organized correctional bureaucracy received tangible benefits through the political system. This finding does not support the conventional American pluralist political theory, which posits a conflict-oriented political system responsive to the various demands of interest groups holding relatively stable positions on public policy. Chapter notes, tabular data, subject index, and 135-item bibliography.