Criminal Justice: Corrections Case Study

This article discusses the main methods used to maintain order and safety in prisons, the situation of an inmate, the effect of armed guards, isolation in Statesville, issues faced by gay inmates, and how conditions at Statefield could be improved.

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Criminal Justice: Corrections Case Study
Name of Student
Institution

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and may not be copied, further distributed, or otherwise disclosed in whole or in part, without the expressed written permission of
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Assignment 3 Template: Corrections Case Study
1. Describe the main methods Sergeant Baldwin and his staff use to maintain order
and safety in the prison. Take a position on the effectiveness, risks, pros and cons,
and ethics of these methods.
Sergeant Baldwin together with his staff makes sure that the prison is maintained under lock and
key so that no prisoner can attempt to escape from the prison. The prisoners are confined in the cells
so that they are able to calm down. The method of locking prisoners in cells is referred to as
segregation.
Confinement of prisoners in isolated cell increases their chances of developing higher rates of
violent recidivism and increases their chances of reoffending upon being released from prison.
Segregation would also increase the chances of self-harm that prisoners engage in seclusion. There
have been cases of suicide in prisons where prisoners are confined in cells (Harding, 2018, p.32).
Confinement in separate cells however has positive effects as it reduces the incidences of assault
that is common in situations where inmates are not confined in different cells.
2. Choose one (1) of the inmates profiled in this video – Terry Dibble, Simkayta
Winfield, Jerico Jones, or Gregory Crowder – and discuss their situation. Explain
how they ended up at Statefield, the main issues they described facing, and the
methods they use to cope with their time in prison.
Terry Dibble
Terry Dibble has just been brought to Roundhouse after being transferred from a down state prison.
The reason Terry Dibble got transferred to Roundhouse after being accused of engaging in a fight
with an inmate at the down state prison (Western, 2018, p. 8).

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and may not be copied, further distributed, or otherwise disclosed in whole or in part, without the expressed written permission of
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Terry has served up to ten (10) years in prison after being charged and convicted with the offence of
murder of an acquaintance through the use of a shotgun. Terry is left with about 45 year’s prison
term. He was also charged with the offence of committing the murder of another person in a
different incident which offences were committed on the same day.
Terry Dibble describe missing a lot of things while in prison, he does not have any contact and
misses his family and friends.
3. Discuss the effect you feel the presence of the active armed guards has on the
violence level and overall safety within this prison.
The presence of armed active guards has a positive effect on violence level and overall safety within
the prison. The inmates do not engage in any form of violence for fear of disciplinary action being
taken against them by the armed guards in the prison. The prisoners fear engaging in violence or
fights for fear of being punished and as a result, they maintain peace and develop good behavior
(Clear & Frost, 2015, p. 16).
The presence of armed guards in prisons also prevents outsiders and members of the public from
storming the prison in order to assist the prisoners to escape from custody. This therefore ensures
there is safety in the prisons both to the inmates and the prison generally. The safety of prisoners is
also guaranteed and they are protected from attacks by victims who may storm the prison out of
anger to kill them.
4. Describe the issue of isolation in Statesville presented in this video and the effects
connections and contact with outside visitors can have on the prisoners’ mental status.
Prisoners are isolated in cells so that they do not engage in fights with each other. The cells are
locked most of the time up to 24 hours. Isolation is the main method that is used in Statesville to

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and may not be copied, further distributed, or otherwise disclosed in whole or in part, without the expressed written permission of
Strayer University.
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maintain peace and order within the prison and among the prisoners. It also prevents escape from
custody by the prisoners (Burnham, 2016, p 14).
Contact with outside visitors can influence the behavior of prisoners and derail their rehabilitation
process. Outsiders may sneak drugs into the prison and have a major effect on their behavior. Some
contacts however may have a positive impact on the character and behavior of prisoners by
assisting them to rehabilitate faster so that they be integrated back to the society.
5. Identify at least two (2) issues that gay inmates here uniquely face as well as at least one
(1) method of protecting gay inmates against each of these identified issues.
One major issue that gay inmates are faced with in prison is sexual assault especially the new
inmates that are brought into the prison. The inmates attacks and sexually assault gay inmates
eventually raping them. Gay inmates are the most targeted by sex predators.
Another issue that gay inmates are faced with is torture and violence from other inmates. They are
seen as weak and are taken advantage of. They are assigned tasks by other inmates especially to to
do for them the washing (Neubauer & Fradella, 2015, p. 18).
However, gay inmates are protected through confinement and seclusion in different cells so that
other inmates do not come across them within the prison.

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and may not be copied, further distributed, or otherwise disclosed in whole or in part, without the expressed written permission of
Strayer University.
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6. Take a position on how you believe conditions at Statefield could be improved. Include
at least two (2) specific actions that could be taken to improve conditions (i.e. security and
safety, abuse and use of force, isolation, poor food quality, etc.). Provide a rationale for
your position.
Security and safety at Statefield prison can be improved by engaging the inmates to beef up
security at the prison. An inmate who has served more than half of his term has partially
reformed and is of good behavior (Pound, 2018, p. 21). . He could be elected as a leader in the
prison to monitor and counsel other inmates; urging them to maintain peace and not to engage in
unnecessary conflicts and fights between themselves.
Isolation should be abolished except in exceptional situations. This would allow the inmates to
interact and share their situations; be friends and as a result, the incidences of conflicts and fights
between inmates will be greatly reduced. Vulnerable inmates however should be isolated from
the rest of the inmates.

© 2017 Strayer University. All Rights Reserved. This document contains Strayer University Confidential and Proprietary information
and may not be copied, further distributed, or otherwise disclosed in whole or in part, without the expressed written permission of
Strayer University.
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References
Burnham, W. (2016) Introduction to the law and legal system of the United States West
Academic Publishing
Clear, T. R., & Frost, N. A. (2015). The punishment imperative: The rise and failure of mass
incarceration in America. NYU Press
Harding, R. (2018). Private prisons and public accountability Routledge
Neubauer, D. W., & Fradella, H. F. (2015) America's courts and the criminal justice system
Cengage Learning
Pound, R. (2018). Criminal justice in America Routledge
Western, B. (2018). Homeward: Life in the Year After Prison