Consider the following scenario from your textbook: You are the assistant warden of a large state penitentiary located eight miles from town

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Consider the following scenario from your textbook:

You are the assistant warden of a large state penitentiary located eight miles from town. You are responsible for programs and inmate care at the 2,500-bed facility. One Saturday night, you and your spouse are out for the evening with several neighbors. As you are enjoying dinner before heading to a local movie theater, one of the men in the group, an attorney, commented rather strongly about a recent lawsuit filed in federal court about the conditions of confinement at the local county jail. Inmates have complained that there is a lack of education programs in the jail. Your neighbor, the attorney, clearly believes that inmates are treated too well and have expectations of resort-like conditions in the jail. He said the judge had contacted him to ask if he would consider representing the inmates on a pro bono (no fee) basis. He added that he did not understand why taxpayers should pay to educate convicted offenders.

Even though you work at a state prison, not the local jail, your dinner group looks to you for a response to this critical correctional issue.

Initial Post Instructions

For your initial post, analyze the scenario and evaluate the following. Include a synthesis of academic concepts.

· How should you respond to this in a semi-public setting?

· Recognizing that it is always easy to criticize prison or jail operations, evaluate whether you have an obligation to explain the dilemma presented to public servants working in corrections by the American public – that is, what should corrections be focusing on, punishment or rehabilitation? Should you take a definite side?

· How can you explain the apparent lack of a consistent correctional philosophy that has been demonstrated in the history of corrections?

***Discussion 2***

Introduction

Consider the following scenario from your textbook:

The warden and 15 staff members at Green Point State Prison were served a lawsuit. The lawsuit alleged serious negligence on the part of senior administrators as well as the correctional officers on duty. Inmate James Day had been violently assaulted 11 months ago, on the day of his arrival at this high-security state correctional institution.

It was inmate Day’s first time in a higher security institution. The inmate was initially serving his 3-year sentence at a low-security facility, but the staff at this institution observed very erratic behavior. Staff members quickly determined that there might be some mental issues with this fellow; he occasionally talked to himself, spoke haughtily to staff and other inmates, and generally could not get along with others. It was believed that he should be placed in a major institution where mental health resources were available on staff. Green Point does have four psychologists employed. Even though Day would not ordinarily have been placed in a high-security facility, he was sent to Green Point for medical and psychiatric assessment.

On the day of his arrival at the Green Point State Prison, intake screening staff made the decision to place the transferred inmate in a detention cell away from the general population until a psychologist could assess his behavior. Unfortunately, the only administrative detention cell available was a two-person cell that was already occupied by another inmate. The officers on duty, thinking that this was an appropriate decision, placed him in the cell with the other inmate. They noted in the record that the other inmate had no history of violent behavior.

One hour later, officers heard screaming in the cell. When they looked in the cell’s door window, they observed inmate Day lying on the floor with blood running out of a huge gash on his forehead. He was immediately removed from the cell and taken to the institution’s hospital, where the decision was made to place him in the nearby town’s medical center for emergency care. He was returned 3 hours later with a diagnosis of trauma to his neck, face, and forehead. He suffered a severe contusion to his throat and was unable to talk or use his vocal cords. Over the next 8 months, he did slowly regain full function of his voice and his other injuries healed. One large scar remained on his forehead.

The inmate who assaulted Day claimed that Day insulted him when he arrived and continued to berate him verbally. He said his anger simply got the better of him and when Day was on his knees looking out the food trap on the door, he kicked the back of his head, jamming his forehead, face, and throat into the door. He added that he did not know why the staff had put that “crazy ol’ son of a bitch” in his cell, anyway!

Initial Post Instructions

For your initial post, analyze the scenario and evaluate the following. Include a synthesis of academic concepts.

· Did the Green Point staff handle the inmate with the mental health issue appropriately upon his arrival? Describe why or why not.

· Would you offer any advice as to how the inmate should have been treated differently?

· Did the detention officers deserve to be named in this lawsuit? Describe why or why not.

· Is it right that the warden, who did not even know of this specific case, should be sued? Describe why or why not.

· Explain why this is an issue relating to inmate classification.