Prison buildup and disorder

TY - JOUR

T1 - Prison buildup and disorder

AU - Useem, Burt

AU - Piehl, Anne M.

PY - 2006/1

Y1 - 2006/1

N2 - In contrast to the predictions of many, the prison buildup in the USA did not lead to dramatic increases in chaos behind bars. Instead, prison riots have become rarer, the homicide rate among inmates has declined dramatically and a smaller proportion of inmates are held in segregation and protective custody. Escapes are less common. What caused, then, the trend toward greater, rather than less, order? Neither demographics nor the development of supermax facilities are found to be responsible for much of the improvement. Rather, the data are consistent with the position that political and correctional leadership made prison institutions more effective. There may well be many negative social consequences of the prison buildup, but diminished prison order was not one.

AB - In contrast to the predictions of many, the prison buildup in the USA did not lead to dramatic increases in chaos behind bars. Instead, prison riots have become rarer, the homicide rate among inmates has declined dramatically and a smaller proportion of inmates are held in segregation and protective custody. Escapes are less common. What caused, then, the trend toward greater, rather than less, order? Neither demographics nor the development of supermax facilities are found to be responsible for much of the improvement. Rather, the data are consistent with the position that political and correctional leadership made prison institutions more effective. There may well be many negative social consequences of the prison buildup, but diminished prison order was not one.

KW - Disorder

KW - Prison buildup

KW - Prison programs

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=30644476468&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=30644476468&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - https://doi.org/10.1177/1462474506059141

DO - https://doi.org/10.1177/1462474506059141

M3 - Article

SN - 1462-4745

VL - 8

SP - 87

EP - 115

JO - Punishment and Society

JF - Punishment and Society

IS - 1

ER -