|
Polish Prison Experiment in Szczypiorno |
|
|
|
|
by Zbigniew Lasocik
|
|
This article is a brief description of a prison experiment held in Poland in the years 1958-1959. Its purpose was to create a pattern of educational influence on young offenders in prison.
The experiment was a unique event in Polish and European prison history. Firstly, it was a bold and innovative attempt to define the tasks of the prison system vis-a-vis young prisoners, who were particularly depraved. Secondly, it was held towards the end of the 1950s, thirteen years after the end of the World War II, from which Poland emerged ruined and, to all intents and purposes, defeated (the Soviet occupation). Thirdly, it began several years after the end of the Stalinist era. There would be nothing strange about this were it not for the fact that during this period criminal science did not exist in Poland because the communist authorities regarded it as a “bourgeois” science. Lastly, it was a joint initiative by the Ministry of Justice and a group of academics from two universities, in which the latter played the leading role. |
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Building Evidence on Best Practices through Corrections-Academic Partnerships |
|
|
|
|
by Nancy Wolff and Douglas Gerardi
|
 The state corrections industry in the United States expended $39 billion in 2003 (Hughes, 2006), an amount that exceeded the gross domestic product (GDP) of nearly two-thirds of all countries. Furthermore, over the past 20 years, corrections budgets have grown at an annual rate that far exceeds the growth in GDP of even the fastest growing countries. They are also, as a consequence of this rapid growth, consuming an ever growing share of state government expenditures (Hughes, 2006). Not surprising, some states, such as New Jersey, are looking for ways to control these costs while not appearing soft on crime. The vexing question facing many state legislatures is: How to reduce corrections costs without compromising public safety? Here is where the corrections industry (and state legislatures) might consider taking a page from the private sector management guide that encourages the use of empirical evidence to generate efficiencies. Principles of scientific management suggest that, without changing incarceration rates (preserving the tough on crime stance), the rate of growth in prison budgets could be reduced if prison administrations used evidence to adapt their practices in managing and releasing inmates. The challenge with this approach to cost saving becomes one of developing an evidence base and then using it to change practice. |
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Plane/Henley State Jail Housing Women in Texas |
|
|
|
|
by James Phelps
|
Assistant Warden Lacy, Major Flippo, and Warden Howard Warden II Wilhelmenia Howard, director of the Plane/Henley State Jail near Dayton, Texas, opened the doors of her facility to us in May 2007. Assisted by her capable staff and accompanied by Warden Howard, Assistant Warden Detrah Lacy, and Major Kristi Flippo, we were first briefed on the facilities, staff, inmates, and programs, and then provided a tour of the state jail. Our visit was enlightening, to say the least. |
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Corrections 
