I am a new warden who has just been assigned to a closed-security. This facility has experienced an increase in the number of escapes and assaults on both inmates and staff. I have been assigned to rectify the situation. As the officer in charge, I will begin by setting priorities that will guide me through the resolution process. For this case, my priorities will be as follows:
Prevent the escape of inmates
Reduce the number of assaults among inmates
Decrease the number of assaults on staff
Provide education and counseling to inmates and staff to minimize future incidences.
The growing number of assaults on staff will also call for certain measures. First, I will encourage the facility to hire more female staff as this has been shown to improve compliance rates and reduce frustration among inmates. Moreover, I will push for the elimination of all blind spots within the facility. These are locations where members of staff are more likely to be assaulted by inmates. Most importantly, I will recommend that officers be trained on mental illness, sexual assault, and other forms of violence common among inmates. This training will enable officers to improve their interactions with inmates, hence, reducing anger and frustration among inmates. This will significantly reduce confrontations between staff and inmates and, therefore, reduce assault on staff in the long-run.
Finally, I will champion for the provision of more education and counseling to inmates and staff alike. Counseling is of particular importance to inmates as it will make them feel more valued. This counseling will reduce stress and frustration among inmates. By and large, this will result in fewer incidences of inmates escapes and assaults. On the other hand, staff will have to be educated on how to intervene during various crises such as assaults or escapes. This education should especially focus more on how staff can mitigate assaults or escapes before they occur. The end-result of this is greater staff control over inmates in a manner that reduces assaults and escapes in the facility.
References
Fay, M. (2010). Preventing Prison Escapes and Responding to Security Audits . Retrieved from: http://www.corrections.com/articles/6787-preventing-prison-escapes-and-responding-to-security-audits.
Homel, R., & Thomson, C. (2012). Causes and prevention of violence in prisons. Sydney: Hawkins Press.
