Correctional Management

Correctional Management
Eva Pacheco, Vianett Mandurraga, Jonathan Moore, Alejandro Salazar, and Cristina Rodriguez
CJA/234
August 1, 2011
John Broy

Correctional Management
Protective custody is a status and housing, a label and a place. To a prisoner protective custody means he or she has been identified as a likely victim and con not remain in general population. They are removed from a general population and placed in a housing unit, dormitory, or cell block. Protective custody has often been cited “a prison within a prison” (Burke, 2006).

Due to the two-sided nature of the prison environment, free people and convicts, maintaining balance between these two sides is difficult and affects secure custody on a daily basis. Differences between inmates also have a lot of effect on secure custody also. The racial differences, gang affiliations, age or cultural differences all make it difficult in maintaining a secure environment. Overpopulation also plays a large role in the difficult process of maintaining secure custody due to the many types of personality types amongst so many inmates.

Security within a prison is very important since prisons function to hold criminals, some of which are very dangerous.   However, there are always ways to improve the security of the facility.   For example, reducing overcrowded prisons could reduce (some) tensions between inmates and perhaps even create some goodwill towards the guards (perhaps guards would be able to do their jobs more efficiently, perhaps using less force).   And oftentimes, when prisoners are less crowded and guards have more control fights between inmates will decrease.  
Also, more security officers will help to aid the security of a facility especially when overcrowded prisons are the norm these days.   When the ratio between the prison guards and the inmates are in the favor to the facility, they can have more armed officials patrolling the area and even have more employees watching the inmates on...