A Convict Perspective on the Classification of Prisoners
Criminology & Public Policy, Vol 2, No. 2, 2003, pp. 243-252.
10 Pages Posted: 25 Apr 2014 Last revised: 11 Jul 2014
Date Written: 2003
Abstract
Convicts are rarely asked to comment on prison policy or procedure.They have little voice in correctional decisions. This essay attempts to give the men and women who live in cages a voice in how they are classified. This is no small issue for convicts. Although prisoners may not be considered “stakeholders” (as Berk et al. point out), they may stake their very lives on how they are classified and in which security level they are confined.
Typically, new prisoners enter prison systems through “reception centers” or in what the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) calls “Receiving and Departure.” Although intake procedures differ, they never receive a pleasant welcome. The prisoners arrive scared and worn, wearing handcuffs, belly chains, and dragging leg irons. Standing in line, they are ordered to strip, searched, sprayed or dusted with delousing chemical, issued clothes, and ordered to submit to a battery of token medical and psychological examinations administered by guards pretending to be medical staff. Convicts call this “kicking the tires.” If it’s not flat, don’t fix it. It makes no difference if the prisoner is HIV positive, ready to have another stroke, or near death. The line marches on.
Keywords: convicts, prisoners, correctional decisions, classification, security levels, reception centers, Federal Bureau of Prisons, intake procedures, medical examinations, psychological examinations, guards
JEL Classification: D73, K14, K19, K42, K49, L89
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation