John Klofas

Correctional Officer Professional Orientation A Replication of the Klofas-Toch Measure

In light of the increasing interest in research on correctional officers, data are presented concerning the validity, reliability, and factor structure of the Klofas-Toch professional orientation inventory of correctional officer attitudes toward inmates. This 17-item instrument was administered to a heterogeneous sample of southern correctional officers and to a heterogeneous sample of probation/parole officers. The same four factor structure emerged in the correctional officer data as has been reported by Klofas and Toch (1982); however, separate analyses showed differential factor ordering and loading for black and white officers. The factor structure that emerged in the probation officer data differed from the structure found in the correctional officer data. Finally, the professional orientation inventory, while found to be a valid and reliable measure, did not explain much of the variance in correctional officer job burnout.

Discretion among Correctional Officers: The Influence of Urbanization, Age and Race

The research on correctional officers has identified a wide variety of orientations which appear relevant to their interaction with inmates. One popular view of correctional officers has rarely been the subject of empirical scrutiny. This paper examines the empirical support for the popular imagery of the veteran, white, rural guard as rigidly custodial and the more progressive young, urban, black officer. Using survey data, no support isfoundfor assumptions concerning differences by extent of urbanization or race. The effects of age are opposite those expected with interest in discretionary human service roles increasing over time.

Patterns of jail use

Abstract Jails continue to be the most neglected component of the criminal justice system. One consequence of this neglect has been that important conceptual issues regarding jails remain unresolved. This study developed a method for describing the patterns of jail use in counties. Using data from Illinois, rates of jail use and the diversity of use patterns were described. The influence of crime rate and county population size on jail use were explored, and jail crowding was examined by focusing on different patterns of jail use. Implications for jail research and policy are discussed.

The Meaning of Correctional Crowding: Steps Toward an Index of Severity

Correctional crowding remains an ill-defined and poorly measured concept, particularly at the institutional level. Its usefulness for research and management is limited because measures do not facilitate comparisons over time or across facilities. To address this problem, a focus group was used to identify variables for an index of the severity of jail crowding. Group members described a comprehensive model of jail crowding in which severity is a function of population factors, facilities, and management practices. The participants also drew on a theoretical approach to understanding institutions that has received little attention in the study of prison or jail crowding.

Unobtrusive Research Methods in Criminal Justice: Using Graffiti in the Reconstruction of Institutional Cultures

The analysis of graffiti can provide insight into the structure of inmate societies and the process of socialization in correctional communities. Although institutional cultures have been studied using a variety of methods, researchers have neglected the use of unobtrusive measures that can provide independent sources of data to test theories or challenge existing findings. This study uses content analysis of graffiti collected from the walls of an abandoned juvenile correctional facility. Informant interviews and newspaper accounts provide supplemental data. Drawing on studies of graffiti from other settings, this research attempts to reconstruct, historically, aspects of confinement at the Institute for Juvenile Guidance in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. The research focuses on dimensions that include the formation of informal groups and changes in the experiences of inmates during the course of their commitment.

Measuring Jail Use: A Comparative Analysis of Local Corrections

There have been few comparative studies of the way jail space is used across localities. This research examines problems in measuring jail use and discusses a typology of jail use that involves simultaneous consideration of daily population rates and annual jail admission rates. Data from the 1986 Annual Survey of Jails are used in a comparison of jail use in 345 large jail jurisdictions across the country. The research indicates that the typology is useful in describing patterns of jail use. Large and consistent differences in jail use are associated with crime rates and region of the country. These differences are also related to crowding, capacity, and the makeup of the jail population. The comparative approach provides some direction for policy development and further research.

Toward a political-community theory of prison organization

Abstract This article discusses integrating political-community theory into the study of prison organizations. Relying on a model of community developed by Spiro (1958), the article examines prisons as functioning communities seeking to solve their problems. It is argued that much of the theory building done concerning prison systems has been within two dominant perspectives—importation and functional. This article, however, views prisons as more complex social systems that, unlike normal communities, face inherent impediments to identifying and solving their basic problems. Finally, implications from this model for prison research are discussed.

Guilty but mentally ill: Reform of the insanity defense in Illinois

In 1981 Illinois joined several other states by passing a “guilty but mentally ill” statute. Passed as a response to perceived inadequacies in the existing insanity defense, the statute was intended to protect society better, to provide treatment for offenders, and to compel the offender to assume greater responsibility for his or her criminal acts. This study, based on court data and responses to a survey of state prosectors, suggests that the statute has not been successful in reaching its major objectives. GBMI offenders often may be placed on probation, infrequently receive treatment when institutionalized, and may use the plea to absolve themselves of responsibility for their acts.

Pleading guilty but mentally ill: adversarial justice and mental health

The principles of Anglo-Saxon law have long held that the mental state of the offender is an essential element in determining the individual’s legal culpability. Someone found insane could be confined under civil, but not criminal procedures. Thus, an offender who raised the insanity defense could be found either “mad” or “bad” (See Stone, 1975:6). There has been considerable discussion of the philosophical and practical problems which arise when issues of mental health are raised within the context of the criminal justice process (Wexler, 1981). Most often, questions of appropriate procedural safeguards surface when mental health and justice concerns result in civil commitment, such as following findings of incompetence to stand trial or not guilty by reason of insanity (Steadman, 1979; Morris, 1983). Substantive concerns arise when those believed to be mentally ill are subject to criminal commitment. These can be seen in current concerns with the treatment of mentally ill offenders in jails and prisons (Guy et al., 1985; Wiehn, 1982). The basis of both concerns lies in the presumed incompatibility of civil and criminal commitment goals. Recently enacted statutes which allow for simultaneous findings of guilt and mental illness further complicate the relationship between civil and criminal commitment. This complexity seems most evident when the criminal commitment process is shorn of its adversarial nature and defendants enter pleas of guilty but mentally ill. On one hand, these pleas appear to reflect civil commitment concerns for the best interests of the client. On the other hand a successful plea of guilty but mentally ill results in sanctions reserved for defendants found guilty in the criminal justice process, thus raising questions about the therapeutic intent of the finding. Thus, the confusion of civil and criminal process goals may be greatest when defendants enter a plea of guilty but mentally ill. One consistent finding of research is that pleadings are the most common method of reaching a finding of guilty but mentally ill. In this paper we will briefly discuss the development of guilty but mentally ill statutes, summarize existing research on their use and use

Drugs and Justice: The Impact of Drugs on Criminal Justice in a Metropolitan Community

This study examines the impact of drugs on the criminal justice system of the greater Rochester (New York) metropolitan area. Although discussed widely, there has been little investigation of the effects of the “war on drugs” at the local level. This research considers patterns of arrest and case processing and includes an examination of drug treatment. Increases in arrests, particularly for possession of drugs, have occurred in the city but not the suburbs and have had a disproportionate effect on African-Americans. Many cases are processed as misdemeanors and result in minor sanctions. The implications for traditional order maintenance concerns in a metropolitan community are discussed.