INNOVATIONS IN CORRECTIONAL SERVICES AN EXCURSION THROUGH THE CHANGING PRISONS CULTURE OF VICTORIA
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RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 56
INNOVATIONS IN CORRECTIONAL SERVICES AN
EXCURSION THROUGH THE CHANGING PRISONS CULTURE
OF VICTORIA
John Brian Griffin*
ABSTRACT “Pain is an enduring feature of the
correctional enterprise. We must
Victorian prisons have witnessed
accept this hard reality, and quite
significant changes over the past decade:
explicitly attempt to promote growth
from 1988 when there were a multitude of
through adversity. This is a genuine
inquiries into prisoner incidents, deaths
correctional agenda. For men who
and corruption, through the turbulent
cope maturely with prison, I will
beginnings of unit and individual prisoner
argue, are men who have grown as
management, to the creation of statewide
human beings and been rehabilitated
Drug, Violence and Sex Offender Strategies
in the process.”
and the contracting out of key services-
culminating in the privitisation of 45% of
(Johnson, 1996, p.97)
the prisoner population and the closure of
old prison stock.
I. INTRODUCTION
For CORE- the Public Correctional The tendency to use imprisonment as a
Enterprise, Victoria’s public corrections punishment for crime has risen and fallen
agency, the journey has been one of over the years, depending on the attitude
significant organisational and cultural of the courts, and the public’s tolerance of
change, and progression to a learning crime. Despite the differing views and
organisation. This is clearly reflected in opinions people hold of imprisonment, it
the way we manage prisoners. “Just gaols” will remain an important feature of
have at their foundation, professional staff- sentencing in the foreseeable future.
prisoner relationships and the Rightly or wrongly, in Australia, the
empowerment of staff and prisoners. They community still sees imprisonment as the
welcome scrutiny and challenges to old most effective way of protecting itself from
practices. fears. Nevertheless, to the community,
imprisonment is a double edge sword: on
Marked changes in culture and prisoner the one side it offers protection, through
management mean that prisoners have a deterrence and incapacitation; and on the
greater opportunity to return to the other, it is expensive and damaging to the
community with more skills. The challenge community, possibly causing an escalation
ahead however is to achieve the rhetoric of in crime among many individuals who are
rehabilitation and demonstrate to the eventually released.
community that we have a system that
‘works’. Imprisonment emerged as a major form
of punishment for crimes during the late
* Chief Executive Officer, Core-the Public eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries,
Correctional Enterprise, Department of Justice, coinciding with the period of
Australia. “Enlightenment” in Europe and the
16112TH INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSE
VISITING EXPERTS’ PAPERS
industrial revolution, replaced earlier few and isolated exceptions, the
forms of punishment that took their toll rehabilitative efforts that have been
upon physical pain and social reported so far have no appreciable effect
embarrassment. on recidivism”.
The early aim of imprisonment was to Secondly, after a series of incidents and
achieve the “moral salvation” of the enquiries (such as the Jenkinson Inquiry
offender through the provision of harsh, in 1972) there was a general recognition
deterrent and retributive justice. Prison that prisoners were citizens with legally
programs, such as they were, facilitated enforceable rights. There was a time when
this aim by providing hard labour and a prison conviction often meant “civil
religious indoctrination. death”, a cruel form of punishment
expressly acknowledging a prisoner ’s
By the mid 20th century, the aims of permanent removal from free society. It is
reformation and rehabilitation had come now argued that prisoners should be
to be given equal status to those of entitled to the same rights as a free citizen,
deterrence and retribution. In the 1950s except where the nature of the confinement
and 1960s the belief that the purpose of necessarily requires modification.
imprisonment included the “treatment and
training” of prisoners had become fully These two developments led to the
established and accepted by the wider “justice model” of punishment and to the
community. notion of the purpose of imprisonment as
being “humane containment”. This view
Under this “treatment model”, programs has been sustained since the 1980s and is
in the State of Victoria multiplied and there still current today. There was during this
was a general feeling that prisons could “justice model” era an increasing emphasis
succeed in rehabilitating offenders. on physical security and a growing
Psychiatric services were introduced in the concentration on prisoners’ rights, rather
early 1950s. Parole was introduced in 1955 than their needs. The rhetoric of treatment
in order to allow “rehabilitated” prisoners and training had had its day. Programs
the benefit of early (conditional) release. were provided for prisoners to access only
Training prisons were identified based on if they wished. Correctional agencies did
the theory that a strong work ethic in the not perceive that they had any
prison system would produce rehabilitated responsibility for encouraging prisoners to
offenders. The classification system was undertake programs. The belief was that
adopted by Victoria as a means of only properly motivated prisoners would
differentiating prisoners according to their benefit from participation in prion
different treatment needs. programs.
In the mid 1970s the feeling of optimism It is clear that prison programs in an
began to change for two reasons. Firstly, historical sense through the “justice model”
the publication of a report by Lipton, have focused on the “rehabilitation” of the
Martinson and Wilkes (1975) which offender; ensuring the prisoner does not
seriously questioned the efficacy of the reoffend after release. Even during the
treatment models. After examining the humane containment era, prison programs
evaluation reports of 231 correctional were conceived of as being related to the
programs in the US, dating from 1945 to prisoner’s capacity to cease reoffending.
1967, the researchers concluded that “with They were viewed cynically by the majority
17RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 56
of correctional practitioners for this very failing to provide adequate supervision
reason. The evidence suggested that or the means for prisoners to be safe or
programs could not succeed in to protect their personal belongings;
rehabilitating offenders. Prison programs • promote sub-cultural norms by failing
were offered only if prisoners sought them to provide adequate supervision or the
out and expressed a desire to participate. means for prisoners to be safe or to
The rhetoric of the time identified it as the protect their personal belongings;
prisoner’s responsibility to rehabilitate • promote continued poverty by failing to
themselves. provide prosocial leadership and by
allowing gangs to be maintained in
Another purpose of prison programs is prisons;
only just now emerging. Rather than • reinforce patriarchal social norms by
focussing solely on the goal of rehabilitation having a majority of male staff and
and therefore “outwards” and into the prisoners with no active consideration
future, prison programs are increasingly of the needs of female staff or prisoners;
focussing “inwards” and upon the present and
and upon the goal of providing positive and • promote undesirable outcomes of
effective custodial management. This is deinstitutionalisation by failing to
what is termed as “positive custody”. involve relevant agencies in the
supervision of the psychiatrically ill or
Building upon the humane containment intellectually disabled.
era, the “positive custody” model recognises
that imprisonment can be “criminogenic” In order to achieve positive custody,
or can increase the likelihood of future prisons should emulate within their walls
crime and can promote immature coping the society that is not “criminogenic”. To
behaviours by prisoners. Prison programs do so, prisons must adopt community
as part of the “positive custody” can standards as a base but at the same time
enhance the safe and secure management be less alienating, more empowering, more
of prisons and promote the development of constructive and more egalitarian.
mature coping skills which are equally
relevant within and on release from prison. Managing people within prisons is a
complex affair. Complex, because
Achieving Positive Custody-Prison invariably it involves the need to balance
systems can intensify the social conditions a number of conflicting needs and aims.
that lead to offending behaviour. For Stakeholder analysis has shown my
instance prisons have the potential to: organisation, CORE-the Public
• Alienate prisoners by failing to give Correctional Enterprise, that these needs
them any say in the management of and aims are described as:
their lives and by removing them from
their normal environment; “custody, safety, crime prevention,
• disempower prisoners by failing to deterrence, reform, containment,
provide adequate and accessible control, incapacitation, punishment,
information about the system and the retribution, restraint, rehabilitation,
way that it works; constructive activity, justness, therapy
• bore prisoners by failing to provide and training”.
activities that effectively occupy their
time; Johnson (1996) argues strongly that a
• provide opportunities for crime by traditional hierarchal system of prison
18112TH INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSE
VISITING EXPERTS’ PAPERS
management “conditions” those associated to take you on a brief journey through the
with it, that includes both staff and significant events in Victorian prisons over
prisoners, to cope “immaturely”. He goes the past 10 years that have shaped the
on to say that modern prison systems management of prisons to go beyond “just
should be re-structured in such a way as gaols”. I believe we now have to talk about
to encourage what he calls “mature coping”. the challenges ahead and deliver on
rehabilitation and harm minimisation
Certainly to become more effective, strategies.
imprisonment must continue to offer the
protection of incapacitation and deterrence Probably the blackest day in Victoria’s
but at the same time it must lessen the prison history was the death of five
harmful effects of the experience. Biles prisoners in October 1987 in a fire at Jika
(1992) argues that the totality of the Jika, a high security, management unit in
experience of the prisoner must be Pentridge Prison. On the heels of this
considered when developing a regime to tragedy were numerous internal and
manage the offender whilst challenging external inquiries into incidents, deaths,
(and changing) antisocial or criminal drugs, accountability, corruption and mal-
behaviour. I strongly believe that good administration within the then Office of
management and leadership can only Corrections. It was a demanding time for
achieve this. me to take on the responsibilities as the
then Director of Prisons, because it was at
In terms of management, this means this time that changes to the way we
that prison staff must provide prisoners manage prisoners in Victoria really began
with the opportunity to develop or maintain in earnest. We are entering the era of
skills that will enhance their chances of humane containment going beyond the
leading a law-abiding lifestyle after their concept of “just gaols”. In the early 1990s
release. Skills that lead the individual to CORE (the then Office of Corrections)
accept greater responsibility, self reliance developed a framework to encompass all
and self discipline. In terms of leadership aspects of the prison environment,
it means that prison staff- all prison staff - including regimes, programs and prison
must serve as strong examples of honesty, “culture” and worked to establish, develop
fairness, tolerance, patience and and exploit the synergistic links between
understanding. In essence, good each in order to maximise the potential for
management and leadership are the successful rehabilitation of Victorian
essential features of prison work and are prisoners.
our prime collective responsibility. To fail
that responsibility is to fail ourselves and What is “rehabilitation”? Complete loss
to fail to provide the community with of freedom is the maximum punishment
protection beyond the prisoner’s term of our law permits. The length of time that
imprisonment and prisons remain “just freedom is lost depends on many factors;
gaols”. the crime, the circumstances, the intention
of the offender, prior history, displays of
How does CORE- the Public Correctional remorse and the plea. The court will also
Enterprise respond to this challenge? The weigh the need for: retribution; specific
greatest single endeavour of public deterrence; general deterrence;
corrections in Victoria over the past decade rehabilitation and parsimony. In balancing
has been to change the culture of our these considerations, no two cases are
prisons and CORE as a whole. I would like exactly the same.
19RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 56
Whilst rehabilitation often implies the promoting humane and effective
restoration of a previous level of management strategies; the successful
functioning, for example learning to walk adoption of unit management, and
again after a physical injury, this is not a promoting the input of the programs team
useful definition when talking about the into management approaches is crucial to
“rehabilitation” of offenders. Their level achieving the goal of “positive custody”.
of functioning before entering the prison
system may not have been conducive to the The potential contribution of prison
ultimate goal of prosocial and lawful programs to achieving these objectives can
behaviour. For example, a prisoner may be summarised under the following
have had poor living and vocational skills headings:
prior to incarceration. Thus rehabilitation
in the first instance must refer to equipping (i) p r o g r a m s w h i c h c r e a t e a n
prisoners for making a living or integrating environment conductive to
into the community in a prosocial and rehabilitation:
lawful manner, and will in many instances • programs which provide basic
involve a gradual process of acquiring new standards of care;
skills and challenging offence related • programs which seek to create a
behaviours. rehabilitative environment;
(ii) programs which prepare prisoners to
Successful rehabilitation is generally re-enter society:
taken to mean that a prisoner will not re- • programs which provide prisoners
offend after release. This may not always with integration skills;
be a realistic goal given that most offenders • programs which seek to reduce
will need to make substantial attitudinal offending behaviour.
personality and behavioural changes and
develop educational, vocational, social and Programs which provide basic standards
living skills in order to increase the of care and which seek to create a
likelihood that they can successfully rehabilitative environment should receive
maintain themselves in the community. It the highest priority. Both contribute to the
may therefore be more useful to measure goal of developing a prosocial prison
the effectiveness of rehabilitation in terms environment, which is conductive to change
of altered offending patterns, such as and to the development of mature coping
reduced seriousness of offending, or skills. Programs which prepare prisoners
increased time periods of re-offending. to re-enter society, including those directed
towards reducing specific offending
A. The Purpose of Prison Programs behaviour, tend to be more successful
A rehabilitative environment within a rehabilitative environment.
encompasses all aspects of the prison
environment, including regimes, programs These program categories apply equally
and prison “culture”, and synergistic links to male and female prisoners, as well as to
between these different facets must be special groups within the prison population
established and exploited in order to (such as Aboriginal prisoners and young
maximise the potential for successful adults). The different needs of groups of
rehabilitation. Thus, while programs can prisoners will be relevant to the design of
make a strong contribution to the programs rather than modifying their
achievement of a rehabilitative overall purpose.
environment, a broader strategy including:
20112TH INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSE
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II. PROGRAMS WHICH CREATE AN must provide a pro-social environment
ENVIRONMENT CONDUCTIVE TO which:
REHABILITATION
• is conducive to change;
Rehabilitation and education of
• challenges rather than supports or
offenders is a priority. However, programs
accepts offending behaviour;
targeted towards reducing offending
• provides pro-social modelling;
behaviour are best provided in an
• minimises harm;
environment that actively encourages
• promotes self-esteem;
prisoners to use their time constructively,
• maximises prisoners’ self-control and
and provides basic standards of care.
sense of control over their
environment and their future;
A. Programs Which Provide Basic
• encourages prisoners to take
Standards of Care
responsibility for their actions;
The first and most important duty of
• promotes mature coping skills.
prison administrators must be to provide
basic standards of care for prisoners, and
Programs which seek to contribute to a
such programs must receive the highest
rehabilitative environment can reduce the
priority.
opportunity for crime to occur within a
prison, and can provide a forum in which
Programs, which fit into this category,
staff can provide pro-social leadership.
include:
Such programs seek to occupy the time of
prisoners and so reduce the boredom that
• Primary medical and psychiatric care
may lead to management problems within
(addressing the physical and mental
the prison. These programs may also
problems of prisoners).
provide the potential for the acquisition of
• Crisis intervention (addressing the
basic skills and interests that may assist
immediate needs of distressed or
prisoners to undertake more constructive
suicidal prisoners).
activities and leisure pursuits on their
• Classification programs (achieving
release from prison.
safety and security for all prisoners
by differentiating between groups of
Programs which assist to create a
prisoners based on their risk and
rehabilitative environment include:
needs).
• Legal aid (providing prisoners with
• Reception and orientation programs-
adequate access to legal
reception into custody (providing
representation).
prisoners with information about the
prison system and allowing them to
B. Programs Which Seek to Create a
learn how to deal positively with the
Rehabilitative Environment
here and now of their imprisonment).
Creating a positive, rehabilitative
• Reception and orientation programs-
environment within the prison system is
transfer between prisons (providing
essential if prisons are to cease being
prisoners with information about the
criminogenic in nature, and if the prison
prison system, and options for
conditions are to be conducive to
program participation).
rehabilitation. Prisons should not intensify
• Drug and infectious disease
the social conditions that have lead to
education programs (providing
criminal behaviour in the first place, but
prisoners with information about
21RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 56
drug and alcohol use and infectious provision of rewarding and useful
diseases). work).
• Recreation (reducing boredom and • Education and Training (promoting
promoting productive use of leisure skills acquisition relevant to the
time by providing interesting and labour market by providing
pleasurable sporting and hobby accredited training and basic
activities). education for prisoners).
• Contact visits (promoting the • Release preparation (providing a
maintenance of essential links with range of life skills programs that
family and friends). assist the prisoner’s return to the
• Spirituality (allowing prisoners to community).
receive the support of their faith). • Custodial Community Permit
• General welfare and counselling Program (allowing long-term
(addressing the welfare needs and prisoners the opportunity to
problems of prisoners). gradually re-establish family ties and
readjust to life in the community
III. PROGRAMS WHICH PREPARE prior to their release).
PRISONERS TO RE-ENTER • Community Integration Program
SOCIETY (providing prisoners due for release
with practical and essential
Rehabilitation, education and reform are
information to assist their
an integral part of the prison system, and
reintegration into the community).
preparing prisoners for constructive and
• Integration Programs (increasing
non-violent participation in community life
prisoners’ practical living skills
upon their release must be a priority. The
necessary to re-enter the
prison system must provide opportunities
community).
for prisoners to participate in programs,
• Personal development programs
which reduce offending behaviours and
(increasing prisoners’ personal and
encourage citizenship, and must actively
social skills through programs
support and encourage such participation.
including adventure-based challenge
Programs which prepare prisoners to re-
programs, communication skills,
enter society include programs which
social skills, etc).
provide prisoners with basic skills to
facilitate integration, and programs
B. Programs Which Seek to Reduce
targeted at offending behaviour.
Offending Behaviour
Programs which seek to reduce offending
A. Programs Which Provide
behaviour will either be related directly to
Prisoners with Integration Skills
offence types or to underlying problems
Programs targeted at assisting
within the individual that have caused the
prisoners’ reintegration into the
offending behaviour. Treatment programs
community provide the potential for the
and programs targeted at offence-related
acquisition of skills that may assist
behaviour include;
prisoners to pursue education, find
employment or use their time in a more
• Drug and alcohol treatment
constructive manner on their release from
programs.
prison. Such programs may include;
• Sex offender treatment or
management programs.
• Prison industries (promoting work
• V i o l e n t o f f e n d e r Tr e a t m e n t
skills and habits through the
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Programs.
• Drink-drive programs. Unit management provided the
framework for achieving a positive
In 1988 F Division, previously a prisoner custodial environment. In a unit managed
accommodation unit at Pentridge prison in prison, prisoners have the opportunity to
Melbourne, was developed into a state-wide have a say in the management and
reception and assessment program centre organisation of their lives through the
for all newly received male prisoners development of individual management
entering the Victorian prison system. For plans in tandem with their supervising
the first time, remandees and sentenced prison officer and through unit meetings.
prisoners were given a comprehensive They are therefore potentially less
induction into the prison system that alienated by the justice system.
included medical assessments, screening
for risk and providing information about The opportunity to have input into the
the prison system and options for program development of individual management
participation. In the five years prior to the plans and the capacity for prisoners to get
creation of the reception and assessment to know their supervising prison officers
program, there had been twenty-six also provides a means for prisoners to have
suicides in Victorian prisons. In the five access to information about the way a
years following the introduction of this prison system works.
program, six prisoners committed suicide.
Under unit management, prisoners are
In 1989 and 1990 three new 250 bed managed in small groups by staff who know
prisons were commissioned in Victoria to them. They receive closer scrutiny and
replace old facilities. They were the surveillance which leads to increased
Melbourne Remand Centre, Barwon and security, feelings of safety, less opportunity
Loddon, each with single self-contained cell for crime and lessened potential for gang
accommodation. CORE, the Public formation and maintenance. Barriers
Correctional Enterprise, manages each of between staff and prisoners are broken
these prisons. Moves to change the down in unit managed prisons so that staff
infrastructure of our other facilities also have the capacity to provide prosocial
began and our large, old divisions where leadership to prisoners.
we previously ‘warehoused’ prisoners were
r e - f u r b i s h e d i n t o s m a l l e r, m o r e The Individual Management Plan (IMP)
manageable and livable units. Sanitation was also created as part of Unit
was provided to all prisons, cells re- Management. This is a file in which all
furbished and large dormitories were information pertaining to the prisoner’s
replaced by smaller rooms with a sentence, management and participation
maximum of four prisoners. in industry, education and programs was
detailed. Prison officers are trained to
This was also the time that unit broaden their traditional roles to include
management was borne in Victoria, prisoner assessment and orientation,
wherein prisoners were managed in individual management planning, general
smaller groups, with high levels of welfare and counseling, and recreational
interaction between staff and prisoners and planning.
the requirement for prisoners to take
greater accountability for their lives in All of these initiatives helped
prison (Griffin, 1995). tremendously in our endeavour to work
23RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 56
towards a safe, secure, humane and just is much improved and they resort to unsafe
environment for both prisoners and staff. injecting practices.
Prisoners began to feel more empowered.
They could make decisions affecting their The way CORE has re-developed
own lives. They could choose when to Bendigo prison in country Victoria is
shower, they had a greater choice of exemplary as far as progressive prisoner
canteen items, in many locations they could management is concerned. Bendigo prison
cook their own meals, they could apply for accommodates up to 80 medium security
positions in industry, they were educated male prisoners for whom drugs and related
through the external educational TAFE harmful behaviours have contributed to
campuses at each location, rather than by their incarceration. The prison offers a
primary school teachers, they could range of treatment options to substance
commence and complete programs abusers within a “community prison”
regardless of which prison they were environment. CORE has contracted with
housed in, and they had a choice of a range a provider of specialist offender
of programs and activities directed at psychological services and a well-respected
integration and rehabilitation. They began community drug and alcohol agency.
to talk to officers about what they wanted Prisoners are assessed and matched to
and expected from the prison system to programs of varying intensity and
ensure that the Individual Management duration. An essential element of the
Plan recorded their working toward their success of the program is the positive
release. environment; created by prisoners and
prison and treatment staff that reinforces
The use of Individual Management personal accountability, mutual respect
Plans (IMPS) meant prisoners were and a commitment to model community
required to be more accountable for their values.
actions and were required to take greater
personal responsibility than they had However these approaches only went
under previous regimes. part way to dealing with the problem.
Breaking open the ‘closed rank mentality’
In the mid 1990s, CORE developed and challenging the way prison officers
Strategies relating to Drugs, Violence and related to prisoners brought about the real
Sex Offenders, which provided clear difference to prisoner management in
direction for the management of such Victoria. In the words of Vivien Stern:
offenders within the prison and methods
of addressing their offending behaviour. “The prison officer is at the centre of
For example, in regard to drugs, from the the system. And the prison officer’s
outset the results of the Drug Strategy job is crucial to a humane and
were promising. Results indicated civilised system. This is where reform
decreased drug use and a reduction in the has to start”
number of violent incidents and (Stern, 1975, p.94)
standovers. However one of the
unfortunate paradoxes of this detection, In 1991, in a move unprecedented in
deterrence and treatment paradigm is that Victorian prison history, six officers were
those who elect to continue to use drugs in charged with assault for the violence that
prison tend to do so now more unsafely was perpetrated on a prisoner who was
because our ability to find injecting being transferred between divisions. To be
equipment and associated paraphernalia brutalised by the relationships one has in
24112TH INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSE
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prison is a most damaging experience for antagonistically with the unions and have
persons whose histories are typically been successful in pushing through many
marked by pain and abuse, for whom this changes as a result.
pain and abuse is a factor in their offending
behaviour and who will one day be released In a move that in hindsight advanced
from prison into the community. the public corrections reform agenda by
creating a sense of urgency, the Victorian
In 1996, CORE implemented one of the Government called for expressions of
most important elements of its Strategy for interest from the private sector to build,
Violence Prevention, namely conflict own and operate two X 600 bed facilities
resolution training of all prison staff. This for males and one X 125 bed female facility.
training, rolled out by trained prison These prisons were to replace existing
officers, further empowered staff by public sector prisons and lead to the
offering them skills to manage themselves decommissioning of five old Victorian era
and their relationships with prisoners. An public prisons and the retrenchment of just
interesting outcome of the training was over 600 staff. CORE then had the
that staff feedback also told us that the opportunity to assist staff moves who either
training impacted on their home lives in a did not have the skill mix or the wish to
positive way. enter into a new era in corrections.
Lateral entry across all levels in Through these changes CORE-the
Corrections and new paradigms of Public Correctional Enterprise has
correctional management challenged the accepted the challenge of a competitive
decade-old mentality that the only way one business environment and is developing
could be appointed as a prison governor into a learning organisation. We have
was by coming up through the ranks. We adopted the Business Excellence
now recognise that to manage a prison, one framework of the Australian Quality
needs to be a good general manager, a Council; we’re surveying offenders,
leader and an enabler, not necessarily a prisoners, staff, and other stakeholders on
good custodian. CORE has invested a great their expectations of our performance. We
deal of resources in ensuring our senior have developed our own identity and
managers receive diverse leadership and clearly articulated our mission, vision,
management training. We have also values and behaviours to our staff.
invested heavily in succession planning.
We are moving from being “just gaols”
One example of CORE’s commitment to in the sense of “simply” or “only” prisons,
staff training is its strong support and to “just gaols” or “fair” prisons and beyond
leadership role in developing National that of a correctional organisation that
Competency Standards for all Officers strives to offer a range of products
working in Corrections. Under unit (placement options, services and programs
management the base grade officer has for prisoners) in a competitive environment
been empowered to make decisions in a in an attempt to match the individual
significant number of areas; a marked needs of the prisoner.
departure from the traditional hierarchical
structure where even the most mundane I believe we have come a long way, and
of decisions required the manager’s action. from structured feedback mechanisms
(Griffin, 1995). To enable these changes to know that the majority of prisoners
occur, we attempted to work differently, less perceive the prison system as fair and
25RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 56
generally safe. It no longer offers the development influenced by the outcomes of
excesses it did previously. In the event of controlled evaluation studies. We must
disciplinary action and sanctions being continue to promote professional staff-
necessary, they are anticipated and do not prisoner interactions - wherein prison staff
constitute a flagrant abuse of power and serve as strong examples of honesty,
position. In a system that is fair and fairness, tolerance, patience and
without excesses, and where prisoners can understanding (Griffin, 1995). From this
question why things are done a certain way will develop a prison experience that is
- where there is fundamentally a sense of empowering for both prisoners and prison
justice, then prisoners are less damaged by staff, rather than defeating.
their experience and more easy to manage.
Programs in the late 1990’s are integral
But the bar needs to be set even higher. to the purposes of imprisonment. Where
All prisons have the capacity to challenge once the purpose of imprisonment was
the immature and destructive ways nothing more than humane containment
prisoners deal with their imprisonment (and the priority task related to security
experience and the other elements of their and custody), the purpose of imprisonment
lives. Robert Johnson’s concept of “mature now includes a requirement that there be
coping” has application here. It means: active attempts to rehabilitate prisoners,
and it is acknowledged that this can only
• dealing with life’s problems like a occur within an environment that is
responsive and responsible human conducive to such rehabilitation. This must
being; be achieved through a combining of unit
• seeking autonomy without violating management and effective prison programs
the rights of others (the premise here and prison security. In the past, prison
being that prisoners with a sense of security has been used as an excuse for not
control over their lives adjust better providing effective prison programs.
to prison and to life on the outside); Prison security will be maintained in such
• security without resort to deception a system through closer surveillance, staff
or violence and relatedness to others personal knowledge of prisoners and
as the fullest expression of human through effective occupation of prisoners’
identity (wherein trust replaces time. Security is part of the process of
power as a mode of problem solving). creating a rehabilitative environment, not
excluded from it. This new humane
Mature problem solving builds self- containment model, will be achieved
esteem, which in turn produces confidence through a combining of the many facets of
and resilience in the individual and often the prison system such as programs,
makes failure manageable. Our challenge management approach and security in
as providers of correctional services is to order to achieve a meaningful environment
offer prisoners an environment in which for prisoners which promotes pro-social
this growth can occur, wherein mature behaviour and prepares prisoners to
coping is modelled by our staff. effectively reintegrate into society.
We must continue to offer high quality And, remembering the words of Johnson
programs to assist prisoners’ maturation that I started with, that pain is the harsh
and skill development, but also start asking reality of imprisonment, we must make
the hard questions about “what works” and concerted efforts to establish a greater
being prepared to have our program range of diversion programs that offer
26112TH INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSE
VISITING EXPERTS’ PAPERS
reparative value to the community whilst Catching and Keeping, p.117-129, Centre
allowing the offender to maintain family for Police and Justice Studies, Monash
and social supports and access to University.
community treatment resources.
King D., Goss E., Haas I. (1993), The
The notion that staff and inmates can Purpose of Programs in Prisons: Working
share a constructive agenda- that they Towards Rehabilitation, Correctional
might work together in service of a Services Division, Department of Justice,
prison community that promotes Victoria, Australia.
mature coping and responsible
citizenship- looms as a distinct Johnson R. (1996), Hard time:
possibility for perhaps the first time understanding and reforming the prison,
in prison history Wadsworth, USA, second edition.
Johnson, 1996, p.89 Latessa, Edward & Allen, Harry (1997),
Corrections in the Community, Cincinnati,
Prisoners must cope maturely with USA.
the demands of prison life; if they do
not, the prison experience will simply Lipton D., Martinson R., and Wilks
add to their catalogue of failure and (1975), The Effectiveness of Correctional
defeat. Mature coping, in fact, does Treatment, New York, NY Praeger, USA.
more than prevent one’s prison life
from becoming yet another series of Report of the Board of Inquiry into
personal setbacks. It is at the core of Allegations of Brutality and Ill-Treatment
what we mean by correction or of Prisoners at HM Prison Pentridge (The
rehabilitation, and thus creates the Jenkinson Inquiry), Parliamentary Papers
possibility of a more constructive life (Vic.), Australia.
after release from prison
Stern V. (1987), Bricks of Shame:
Johnson, 1996, p.98 Britain’s Prisons, Penguin, England.
REFERENCES
Biles D., Offenders and their Treatment:
An Australian Perspective, 3rd Conference
of Commonwealth Correctional
Administrators, Harare 9-15 May, 1992.
Australian Institute of Criminology,
Canberra.
CORE (Correctional Services Division),
Department of Justice, Victoria, Australia,
Prison Programs-Achieving Positive
Custody, Policy Document 1992.
Griffin J. (1995), Modern Prison
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