senior assignment

Internal and External Stakeholders: Violence in Prisons

Paula King

Strayer University

CRJ 499 Criminal Justice Capstone

Dr. Tamara Mangum

July 31, 2017

Internal and External Stakeholders: Violence in Prisons

Violence in prisons is a major issue that needs addressing. It dates to ancient prisons where prisoners used to fight to gain recondition and command respect from other inmates. In most circumstances, the violence was instigated by groups of offenders who thought they were superior compared to others. Prisoners could gang up according to the type of chargers that and the duration of their sentences in prison. That was the main criteria for the gang selection. On the other hand, prisoners tended to gang up against the officers who could either result in massive injuries or even worse prisons escape.

Several factors instigate prison violence. Some of them are within the bars of the prison, and other have their impacts from the outside of prisons. Internal factors are mainly propelled by stakeholders who by far have the greatest influence in the prisons. That includes the prison wardens, high profile prisoners, prisoners of great importance or who are key witnesses to ascertain cases and finally, the management of the prisons also have a significant role to play. It is important to understand what transpires before and after an act of violence in prison.

In most circumstances, it’s hard to ascertain the cause of violence in prison when there is little or no organization at all. That boils down to the fact that some prisons are overcrowded and there is no clear demarcation of petty offenders from those high-profile criminals. That is the role of the prison management, and most at times, it is overlooked. Therefore, they create a negative influence towards reducing crime levels in prisons. Further, it is important to understand the logistics of imprisonment this is affected by the state laws and the prosecution authority. They have the mandate to ensure that prisons are entitled to perform different correctional duties to various types of prisoners.

On the other hand, the individuals and organizations that have an indirect impact on prison violence or indirectly affected by the violence are considered as the external stakeholders. For instance, the families and communities that are linked or close to the prisons along with the government are the ones who are externally affected by the violence since any violent act may negatively affect them whether psychologically, socially or financially (National Institute of Corrections, 2017). The other external stakeholders include the courts, prosecutors, police agencies, and inmate advocacy groups (Horgan, 2012). Admittedly, the internal and external stakeholders have influenced the situation in both positive and negative ways (Horgan, 2012). First, the prisoners as internal stakeholders have negatively changed the situation because they are usually the ones to begin violence against each other or the prison officers. As such, the violent nature of some prisoners has contributed to high rate of violence in the prisons. However, some prisoners have exhibited the courage to report the cases to relevant authorities to help in addressing the problem of violence in their environment.

In the same line, prison officers who exert violence against the prisoners are partially responsible for violence in the institutions. They have therefore impacted the situation negatively. But, other officers have been working towards addressing the problem by working closely with the inmates to understand them and avoid cases of violence. These are the guards who have influenced the situation positively. When considering the external factors, the families and communities have affected the situation negatively by bringing up violent people who end up in prisons and continue with their violent behaviors in the institutions.

On the other hand, they play a vital role in helping the situation by providing the support needed by the affected prisoners including legal and financial assistance. Furthermore, the government has not addressed the prison situation well. Many people have gone to the prisons because of offenses that would be avoided through proper government policies leading to crowding in the prisons. For instance, some poor and the homeless people have engaged in criminal activities as a way of survival. Also, some of them are taken to prison while the best place for them would be other rehabilitation centers. Government policies can help in addressing such challenges. However, the government has also tried to increase resources for the prisons and work with private prisons to ensure that all persons in the prison system are safe. More officers are being employed in the institutions ensure that there is adequate supervision. Also, training programs supported by the government may help in reducing cases of violence in the prisons.

It is important to give a solution to the problem of violence in the prisons to ensure the safety and security of the inmates and the prison officers. By acknowledging the fact that a prison is a correction facility, the occurrence of violence within the prisons impedes this objective because it escalates the negative behaviors of some inmates while at the same time instilling fear in others. Prisoners should improve their behavior while on prison and not increase their bad behaviors, and everyone could feel safe and secure within the confines of the cells to facilitate the correction of their practices (Wright, 2003). To realize the change, all the key stakeholders should be part of the solution (National Institute of Corrections, 2017). For example, inmates must be helped to understand the need to end violence by engaging them in training activities. The prison officers can attend workshops where they increase their skills and knowledge on how to handle violent prisoners and how they can go about their business without using violence. The community members and the families can be part of the solution by being helped to understand issues such as welcoming the returning prisoners to reduce cases of recidivism that contribute to prison overcrowding. Also, the government will come in by policies that help in reducing criminal cases and support training activities that focus on reducing prison violence.

While it is important to involve various people in addressing the problem of prison violence, it may be difficult to get the support from all the required characters. That makes it necessary to motivate the individuals to accept the proposal to solve the problem. The motivation would include ensuring that every concerned person understands the need to address the problem. Also, they need to know that the proposed solution is easy to implement, cost effective, and would contribute significantly to changing the situation in the prisons.

References

Bottoms, A. E. (1999). Interpersonal Violence and Social Order in Prisons.

Crime and Justice, 26, 205-281.

Cooke, D. J. (1991). Violence in Prisons: The Influence of Regime Factors. The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, 30(2), 95-109.

Cummings, L. E. (1977). Book Review: Peacekeeping: Police, Prisons, and

Violence. Criminal Justice Review, 2(2), 135-137.

Horgan, G. J. (2012). How External Factors and Stakeholders Impact Corrections. Retrieved from http://www.corrections.com/news/article/30917-how-external-factors-and-stakeholders-impact-corrections

National Institute of Corrections (2017). Engage Stakeholders. Corrections Industries. Retrieved from https://info.nicic.gov/cirs/node/34

Wright, K. N. (2003). Prison Environment and Behavioral Outcomes. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 20(1-2), 93-113.