1. The Use of Prisons in America

2. Are people born being either bad or good?
Can we change, or fix, the behavior of people?

3. Purpose of Corrections System
Crime  Criminal  Corrections = 3 things
Punish criminal
Fix criminal behavior
Former criminal becomes a productive member of society

4. Types of Prisons in America
1. Big House
- Large, storied buildings designed to hold prisoners in cells for the period of their sentence.
2. Correctional Institution
- Used incarceration as opportunity to "treat" prisoners
- Therapy, education, job training used to fix criminal behavior

5. 3. Contemporary Violent Prison
- Gang violence and racial tension replace order and treatment
Recidivism
- The return of a criminal back to criminal behavior; repeat offender
- Correctional institutions goal is to try and stop this from happening.

9. Now, find three other people in the room, and do the following...
Talk about, and compare the information you just wrote down. Make sure it is all the same.
2. Come up with a hypothesis as to why these numbers are the way they are.
3. Come up with a solution as to how the U.S. could lower these recidivism rates
4. Put down your solution on the chart paper provided.

10. Types of Prisons and Inmate Classification

11. Four General Types of Prisons
1. Maximum-Security
2. "Supermax"
3. Medium-Security
4. Minimum-Security

12. Security Levels
Security levels of prisons are determined by two factors...
1. Amount of security surrounding the prison
2. Amount of security inside the prison

13. High or Low Security???

14. Maximum Security Prisons
Have high security outside the prison facility to prevent escape.
Inmates are closely watched inside as well, very little contact with others.

15. Supermax Prison Reserved for the worst offenders and abusive inmates.
Inmates spend 23 hrs. a day in their cell with o personal contact.
Constant supervision.

16. Medium Security Facilities
Less outside barriers than a max security prison.
Inside, prisoners are less confined to their cells.
Cells are dorm or barrack.

17. Minimum Security Prisons
Have few restrictions on inmates. Outside and inside security is limited.
Reserved for well behaved or soon to be released inmates.
Inmates can leave under “work release” or “study release” programs.

18. Custody Levels
After sentencing, prison systems determine what the custody level of the new inmate is going to be.
Custody Level
- How much caution should be taken when dealing with the inmate.
- This determines what type of prison they will be assigned to.
Virginia Custody Levels and Assignments
Next slide

19. Level 1 Low
Inmates who are not escape risks, violent or disruptive
Minimum Security
Level 1 High - Inmates who do not have a violent crim. record and have behaved for 2 years: Medium Security
Level 2
no escape history for 5 years, Life sentences have to serve a majority of their term: Medium Security

20. Level 3
Prisoners who have served at least 20 years of a life sentence, where VA's death row inmates stay: Medium Security
Level 4 & 5
Long Term; For any inmate with a life sentence: Maximum Security
Supermax
For violent, disruptive, abusive inmates, and for those who are an escape risk: Red Onion State Prison

21. Location of all Prisons in Virginia