Impediments of Labor Contracts on Prison Administrators' Response to Staff-Inmate Sexual Misconduct

Gaylene S. Armstrong; Dennis Longmire; Doug J. Dretke; Kevin Steinmetz

doi:10.1177/0887403412469542

Impediments of Labor Contracts on Prison Administrators' Response to Staff-Inmate Sexual Misconduct

Gaylene S. Armstrong, Dennis Longmire, Doug J. Dretke, Kevin Steinmetz

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

Sexual violence in adult correctional facilities led to the enactment of the 2003 Prison Rape Elimination Act as one approach to reducing this form of institutional violence. The current study examined collective bargaining agreements governing correctional agencies to identify impediments that may impact administrators' responses to sexual violence, specifically in instances of allegations of staff-inmate sexual misconduct. In addition, structured interviews and focus groups with correctional administrators and labor representatives were used to develop policy recommendations. Contract language and interview participants demonstrated that a myriad of cultural and structural characteristics of prisons as well as pragmatic considerations may serve to inhibit the implementation of some policy changes. Interview participants identified several insights about contemporary prison settings and modifications that may aid in reducing some forms of institutional violence.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	325-346
Number of pages	22
Journal	Criminal Justice Policy Review
Volume	25
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/0887403412469542
State	Published - May 2014
Externally published	Yes

Keywords

correctional policy
correctional staff
inmate assaults
prison rape

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Law

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10.1177/0887403412469542

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title = "Impediments of Labor Contracts on Prison Administrators' Response to Staff-Inmate Sexual Misconduct",

abstract = "Sexual violence in adult correctional facilities led to the enactment of the 2003 Prison Rape Elimination Act as one approach to reducing this form of institutional violence. The current study examined collective bargaining agreements governing correctional agencies to identify impediments that may impact administrators' responses to sexual violence, specifically in instances of allegations of staff-inmate sexual misconduct. In addition, structured interviews and focus groups with correctional administrators and labor representatives were used to develop policy recommendations. Contract language and interview participants demonstrated that a myriad of cultural and structural characteristics of prisons as well as pragmatic considerations may serve to inhibit the implementation of some policy changes. Interview participants identified several insights about contemporary prison settings and modifications that may aid in reducing some forms of institutional violence.",

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note = "Funding Information: The author(s) disclosed the receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Partial funding for this project was received from the American Correctional Association as a subcontract from grant number 2007M-07081. ",

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AU - Dretke, Doug J.

AU - Steinmetz, Kevin

N1 - Funding Information: The author(s) disclosed the receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Partial funding for this project was received from the American Correctional Association as a subcontract from grant number 2007M-07081.

PY - 2014/5

Y1 - 2014/5

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AB - Sexual violence in adult correctional facilities led to the enactment of the 2003 Prison Rape Elimination Act as one approach to reducing this form of institutional violence. The current study examined collective bargaining agreements governing correctional agencies to identify impediments that may impact administrators' responses to sexual violence, specifically in instances of allegations of staff-inmate sexual misconduct. In addition, structured interviews and focus groups with correctional administrators and labor representatives were used to develop policy recommendations. Contract language and interview participants demonstrated that a myriad of cultural and structural characteristics of prisons as well as pragmatic considerations may serve to inhibit the implementation of some policy changes. Interview participants identified several insights about contemporary prison settings and modifications that may aid in reducing some forms of institutional violence.

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Impediments of Labor Contracts on Prison Administrators' Response to Staff-Inmate Sexual Misconduct

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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