Vidisha Barua Worley

Guards Gone Wild: A Self-Report Study of Correctional Officer Misconduct and the Effect of Institutional Deviance on “care” within the Texas Prison System

Although the study of deviance has been prevalent in the criminal justice literature, there is very little discussion as to the types of deviant acts committed by correctional employees. This may be because prisons are what Goffman (1961) refers to as “total institutions” in his classic study of asylums. This study employed self-report questionnaires with 501 Texas prison employees. Based on the data, our findings indicate that respondents were likely to perceive high levels of institutional deviance during the course of their eight-hour shifts. Also, subjects who reported “feeling cared for” by at least someone in the prison agency tended to perceive more deviance than other respondents or vice versa. We discuss these findings and their implications in detail.

Games guards play: a self-report study of institutional deviance within the Texas Department of Criminal Justice

While most correctional officers adhere to the highest level of professionalism, some engage in institutional deviance during the course of their eight-hour shifts. In the present study, we administered 501 self-report questionnaires to correctional officers within the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Respondents who reported that their supervisors were not supportive tended to admit to higher levels of institutional deviance than their peers, though peer support did not contribute to correctional officer deviance. Additionally, respondents who perceived their jobs to be less dangerous than other officers were more likely to have attitudes that were conducive to institutional deviance. Moreover, a perception of deviance among others also helped ‘normalize’ these acts in the prison setting and contributed to more favorable attitudes toward institutional deviance by correctional officers. Theory X and Theory Y is used to explain the lack of supervisory support that leads to institutional deviance among correctional officers. These findings have important policy implications toward reducing deviance among correctional officers, thereby making prison facilities safer and more secure.

The Economics of “Crossing Over”: Examining the Link between Correctional Officer Pay and Guard–Inmate Boundary Violations

ABSTRACT This study seeks to ascertain why some correctional officers engage in boundary violations with inmates in spite of the presence of strong organizational cultural norms which discourage familiarity between staff and offenders. Using an alternate version of Blau and Blau’s relative deprivation theory to guide in the interpretation of our analyses, we conclude that poor pay, perceptions of boundary violations by other officers, and lack of family support, the economics, lead some officers to have a lack of pride in their work and profession, thus, triggering their closeness to inmates across the sacrosanct border, resulting in the crossing over.

Inmate Public Autoerotism Uncovered: Exploring the Dynamics of Masturbatory Behavior within Correctional Facilities

In correctional settings, some offenders engage in a specific type of sex offense, namely public autoerotism, an aggressive form of masturbatory behavior designed to harass, antagonize, or unsettle employees. This article examines interview data with male inmates who admitted to intentionally exposing themselves to female correctional employees. Using a subcultural sociological framework, specifically Sykes and Matzas (1957) “techniques of neutralization,” we explain why some inmates persist in public autoerotism, despite the presence of institutional rules that prohibit this type of behavior. We discuss the implications of this research for the contemporary development and theoretical significance of neutralization theory. Also, suggestions are provided as to how correctional administrators can reduce or eliminate this form of deviant behavior.

‘There were ethical dilemmas all day long!’: harrowing tales of ethnographic researchers in criminology and criminal justice

Abstract While there have been many ethnographies published within the disciplines of criminology and criminal justice, very few studies have examined actual field researchers who have successfully employed this qualitative technique. In this exploratory study, we identified and conducted phone interviews with a sample of eight scholars who have used variations of the ethnographic method to study aspects of life which relate to crime, deviant behavior, and social control. Respondents revealed to us their colorful stories, as well as the risks, rewards, and ethical dilemmas they experienced while attempting to balance the delicate roles of being insiders, outsiders, researchers, and participants. They specifically discussed how they negotiated the personal and professional obstacles of being thrust into criminal worlds (as well as criminal justice worlds) and ultimately managed to thrive while conducting fieldwork in perilous places.

Shocking Policy: Municipal Liability for the Use of Tasers and Stun Guns by the Police

While Tasers and stun guns have proven to be effective tools for averting crises, these instruments have frequently resulted in lawsuits. Since the use of electronic energy devices by the police is in its early stages, effective policies to avoid liabilities are still in the making. This article examines cases filed under title 42 U.S.C. Section 1983 involving the use of Tasers and stun guns by police officers, where the municipalities have been sued for violating the constitutional rights of individuals. A municipality is deemed to be liable if constitutional rights of individuals are violated because of a faulty policy, procedure, or custom, established in Monell v. Department of Social Services of the City of New York (1978). This article concludes that agencies are not liable if they have specific policies in place addressing the appropriate use of Tasers and stun guns in response to crisis situations. Municipalities are, however, liable inter alia, when there are inadequate or broad policies, or a practice, pattern, or custom of tolerating inappropriate use of Tasers and stun guns by their officers that lead to violations of constitutional and federal rights of individuals.

Can I Trust My Co-worker? Examining Correctional Officers’ Perceptions of Staff–Inmates Inappropriate Relationships within a Southern Penitentiary System

ABSTRACT Recently, Joyce Mitchell, a correctional employee in New York, confessed to assisting two dangerous murderers in an elaborate escape attempt. While our study does not focus on correctional officers who admit to such deviant behaviors, it examines correctional officers’ perceptions of boundary violations committed by their co-workers. Using a macro-level ecological framework as our theoretical perspective, namely Sampson, Raudenbush, and Earl’s (1997) theory of collective efficacy, we surmise that organizational factors such as strong supervision and peer support can build mutual trust in prison environments where correctional officers perceive their jobs to be dangerous and stressful. Our findings have important implications for the management of correctional facilities as well as for the contemporary development and significance of the theory of collective efficacy.

I Can’t Get No Satisfaction! An Examination of Correctional Officers’ Perceptions of Staff–Inmate Boundary Violations and Willingness to Follow Institutional Rules within the Texas Department of Criminal Justice

ABSTRACT Most correctional officers adhere to strong organizational norms that emphasize the importance of following rules. Some, however, break the custodial frame and behave inappropriately with inmates. Guided by Robert K. Merton’s social structure and anomie theory, we examined 501 questionnaires collected from correctional officers within the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. When correctional officers perceive that their coworkers engage in boundary violations with inmates, job satisfaction is significantly lower. Our novel application of Merton’s framework makes a contribution to the correctional job satisfaction literature and has important implications for the contemporary development and significance of social structure and anomie theory.

The sex offender next door: deconstructing the United States' obsession with sex offender registries in an age of neoliberalism

In the 1990s, against the backdrop of an ascending Age of Neoliberalism, sex offender registration statutes were passed in the United States. These laws require law enforcement officials to utilize computer technologies in order to publicly identify individuals who have been convicted of sexual offenses. In this study, we conducted in-depth interviews with twenty-four respondents who were forced to register as sex offenders. All of these participants resided within Southeast Texas, which is arguably one of the most punitive regions within the United States. The vast majority of the sample reported moderate to severe forms of harassment as a result of being outed as sex offenders via computer technologies. We conclude that in the post-Keynesian United States, the Web-based monitoring of sex offenders will continue to remain a popular American pastime and may even expand to other industrialized democracies throughout the world.