Ben M. Crouch

Early Victimization, Drug Use, and Criminality: A Comparison of Male and Female Prisoners

Comparative analysis of the relative victimization of 1,030 adult male prisoners and 500 adult female prisoners in Texas reveals significant gender differences in childhood and adult maltreatment and subsequent substance use and criminality. Female inmates report significantly more maltreatment as children than do male inmates. Moreover, the maltreatment of women increases when they become adults, whereas the maltreatment of men drops sharply. The study found childhood maltreatment to be more strongly associated with adult depression and substance dependence among women than among men. The severity of substance misuse and problems associated with it are stronger predictors of female rates of criminal activity than male rates. Recent literature from the social sciences is presented to account for the findings. A female empowerment treatment model to help women attain control over their lives is suggested.

Is incarceration really worse? Analysis of offenders' preferences for prison over probation

Recent correctional reforms have ameliorated the deprivations of prison and indirectly have caused states to toughen probation because many offenders must be diverted from incarceration to meet court-defined limits on prison crowding. These changes raise the possibility that offenders increasingly may view prison as easier or less punitive than probation. Using interview data from newly incarcerated Texas offenders, this analysis examines the extent to which offenders prefer incarceration when presented with choices between paired prison and probation sentences. Though a number of demographic and experiential variables are examined, multivariate analysis reveals that being African-American is the strongest predictor of a preference for prison. Implications of these results are discussed.

Sex and Occupational Socialization among Prison Guards A Longitudinal Study

The degree and direction of attitudinal change among prison guards across their careers is a question relevant to both prison theory and policy. This study reports how punitive and aggressive attitudes of male and female prison guards changed over the first critical six months on the job. Male guards became more, and female guards became less, punitive and aggressive. Explanations for these divergent trends are presented.

Violent Women Findings From the Texas Women Inmates Study

Prior research on violent crime by female offenders is reviewed. A Texas female prisoner sample is used to explore specific questions raised by the literature review. Violent and nonviolent offenders were compared, looking specifically at race, socioeconomic status, having been raised in single-parent homes, criminal history, gang membership, marital status, and childhood abuse. Findings indicated that women who are violent were more likely to be younger, African American, unemployed, and having extensive criminal histories. They were more likely to come from dysfunctional families with childhood abuse. Limitations of the study were noted.

Judicial Reform and Prisoner Control: The Impact of Ruiz v. Estelle on a Texas Penitentiary

This article examines the impact of court-ordered structural reforms on a Texas penitentiary. The staffs prisoner control structure is analyzed before, during, and after the reform measures decreed in the complex and sweeping prison reform case Ruiz v. Estelle (1980). Participant observation and inmate disciplinary report data are utilized to examine how legal intervention affected the prison community. Results show that after the court order was inaugurated, inmate-inmate and inmate-guard violence escalated to new plateaus. The final section compares several aspects of the old and new prisoner control structures and discusses the implications of court reforms for prisoner control.

Drugs and Criminality

Abstract The imprisonment rate for women has been increasing for over fifteen years, exceeding that of men for this time period. Research indicates that women sentenced to prison are not significantly more violent or dangerous than in years past, and that a large portion of newly admitted prisoners are incarcerated for drug crimes. This is especially true for women compared to men. This study examines 1999 self-report data from 1,198 newly admitted female prisoners in Texas to assess relationships between childhood and adult characteristics and drug use, as well as the relationship between drug use and type of crime. Findings reveal that women prisoners with drug problems have extensive histories of

Pandora's box: Women guards in men's prisons

Abstract The assignment of women guards to security positions in mens prisons in the United States is increasingly a correctional reality. This article considers the problems these women face in entering a previously all-male, “front-line” occupation. The discussion focuses on (1) how well female officers meet the security demands of security work, (2) the nature of, and basis for, difficulties in relating to male co-workers, and (3) occupational socialization and advancement. Drawing on available empirical and anecdotal data on women officers in male prisons and on the more general prison guard literature, the intent is to present what is known about these women officers. A research agenda is offered to guide inquiry into the problems of the sexual integration of correctional institutions.

Health risk as an emerging field within the new penology

Abstract It is persuasively argued that a new vision of penology is emerging based on offender classification techniques in which offenders are rationally distributed into groups according to the degree of control warranted by their risk profiles. This article extends the concept of risk within the new penology framework to include health risk. Data from female prisoners showed that many of the women in the sample had at one time in their lives acquired sexually transmitted diseases, had engaged in high-risk sexual activities, and drug taking behavior. Community health agents and social workers will emerge as control agents to supervise prisoners in the free community with public health risk profiles.

Coopting the kept: Using inmates for social control in a southern prison

The prevailing imagery in most accounts of prison inmate elites is that they are anti-authority. This study, conducted over an 18-month period in one Texas prison, offers an account of elites who have played a significant formal role in order maintenance. These elites, known as “building tenders,” have for many years served as an extension of the relatively small uniformed security form. This analysis examines the formal stratification, selection, and socialization of building tenders as well as their relationships to officials. Finally, projections are made as to order maintenance in the future in light of a federal court order ruling that the building tender system be dismantled.

The Implications of Crime Control Policy on HIV/AIDS-Related Risk among Women Prisoners

This study examined the relationship between offense, prior drug taking, and HIV/AIDS-related risk behavior among women prisoners. Women drug offenders in this study engaged in numerous high-risk drug and sexual behaviors. Many had engaged in injection drug use and prostitution. Recent drug control policies, grounded in deterrence and based on harsh legal penalties, have led to the incarceration of numerous offenders who are low criminal risks but represent major public health risks on release. Criminal justice policies penalizing drug users may be contributing factors to the spread of HIV infection in the wider society.