CH 8

Question 1

Shire reeves ran the jails in England in the Middle Ages. True or False

Answer 1

True - Shire reeves ran the jails in England in the Middle Ages.

Question 2

The guards who ran the first prisons in Pennsylvania and New York were called ______.

Answer 2

Shire reeves

Question 3

Most jobs in ______ do not meet the criteria for professional status.

Answer 3

Corrections - Most jobs in corrections do not meet the criteria for professional status. This type of work has evolved, but the public still does not see it as professional.

Question 4

The vast majority of correctional officers in federal facilities are men. True or False

Answer 4

True - The federal system has the largest gender difference among correctional officers. Eighty-seven percent of correctional officers in federal facilities are men.

Question 5

What is a common reason someone might work in corrections?

Answer 5

A desire to help others - some people want to see the cycle of generational incarceration end

Question 6

What is a potential concern related to unions?

Answer 6

They make it harder to fire incompetent people

Question 7

______ refers to negotiations by union workers to seek improved working conditions from employers.

Answer 7

Collective bargaining

Question 8

What was one major problem with the Stanford prison experiment?

Answer 8

A problem with this experiment was that the officers were not given any training. There was a lack of rules to guide behavior. Also, lack of oversight, supervision, and mentoring. Both the Stanford prison experiment and Abu Ghraib saw correctional officers abusing their power. The Stanford prison experiment was stopped after a few days because the participants were misbehaving.

Question 9

Most correctional workers have studied corrections prior to working in the field. True or False

Answer 9

False - Most correctional officers have not studied corrections prior to working in the field.

Question 10

What is one reason that the general public does not view correctional work as desirable?

Answer 10

The general public does not understand correctional work

Question 11

Women and people of color did not work in corrections until after the ______ Act.

Answer 11

-Civil Rights Act - Women and people of color did not work in corrections until after the Civil Rights Act. People of color and women are still underrepresented in criminal justice fields.
-In 1964, Congress passed Public Law 88-352 (78 Stat. 241). The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. Provisions of this civil rights act forbade discrimination on the basis of sex, as well as, race in hiring, promoting, and firing.

Question 12

Applicants for corrections jobs must be at least 21 years old. True or False

Answer 12

False - Applicants must be 18 years old, although some agencies will only hire people 21 and older. Corrections jobs often look for younger individuals who have the physical strength to do the job.

Question 13

Correctional agencies often offer extra points on applications for having ______.

Answer 13

Military service - Applicants often receive extra points for prior military service. Why might this be true?

Question 14

Street-level bureaucrats often have clients who are poor, uneducated, and powerless. True or False

Answer 14

True - Street-level bureaucrats* often have clients who are poor, uneducated, and powerless.

Question 15

Because correctional officers often use their ______ when making decisions, they could make ill-informed choices.

Answer 15

Discretion - Correctional officers often use their discretion when they make decisions. Sometimes they do not make the best choices.

Question 16

A ______ is a correctional staff member who only uses brute force when interacting with inmates.

Answer 16

Hack - The public often believes that correctional staff are hacks who use only brute force when interacting with inmates. This term for this role in old-style Big House prisons was “guard.” Most people in corrections are not violent. This contributes to the notion that there is no professionalism in corrections.

Question 17

Most correctional officers engage in ______, acting as advocates for inmates and helping them transition into prison life.

Answer 17

Human services - Most correctional officers engage in human service, serving as advocates for inmates and helping them transition into prison life. Many of the activities these officers engage in are not in the job description, but they want to help the inmates.

Question 18

The correctional staff in today’s times have a stronger subculture than in years past. True or False

Answer 18

False - Subculture has always varied by facility. Correctional staff today do not have as strong of a subculture as they used to. Staff used to live on the grounds at some prisons.

Question 19

Subcultural values can be both positive and negative. True or False

Answer 19

True - Subcultural values can be both positive and negative. Positive subcultural values help people do their jobs better.

Question 20

Staff are most likely to abuse power when ______.

Answer 20

When there is little or no supervision - There are a variety of ways staff can abuse power. Staff would be likely to abuse power if they are not supervised

Question 21

In which type of correctional setting would someone be most apt to use force?

Answer 21

Maximum security facilities - An officer would be most likely to use force in a maximum-security prison because they are the most violent of the choices

Question 22

Sykes wrote about how staff need inmates to comply with orders because staff cannot force inmates to do what they do not want to do. This concept is known as ______.

Answer 22

Defects of total power - The defects of total power entail that prison custodians only seem to be fully in control.

Question 23

It is easy for staff to gain compliance from inmates. True or False

Answer 23

False - Staff do not have the ability to give inmates what they want, which is their freedom.