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California State University, Dominguez Hills
University of Wisconsin, Parkside
Soka University Japan - Transcend Art and Peace
Created: July 27, 2003
Latest Update: February 9, 2006
jeannecurran@habermas.org
takata@uwp.edu

CRMJ 363: Corrections

You will be held accountable for purposes of grading for the readings and exercises listed here. There will be no "testing." That means that you will not have to live in anxious anticipation of what we will ask and how much you will have to know. Instead, we will provide weekly discussion questions, lectures, essays, and concepts we feel that you should know as a result of having taken this course. You will assure us of that learning and receive your grade for the questions and concepts about which you choose to write and talk with us. In addition you will find detailed explanations and examples on our grading policies in the first week's reading.

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Week 5: Week of February 12, 2006

JOIN the Yahoo Discussion Group with CSUDH students.

Topics: Prisoners and Prison Guards


Preparatory Readings:

• Handout: James Marquart. "Doing Research in Prison" (distributed Monday, Feb. 6th)
• Documentary: Quiet Rage (shown in class on Wednesday, Feb. 8th)
• Hassine. Life Without Parole. Chapters 19-25.
  
• Haas and Alpert. Dilemmas of Corrections. Chapter ---.
  
  

Lecture related links:

• Atrocious Advice from "Supernanny" by Alfie Kohn.
  
• Wisconsin Department of Corrections
• W.I. Thomas "Definition of the Situation
  




Concepts to be covered:



• the Zimbardo Prison experiment
• self-fulfilling prophecy
• W.I. Thomas' definition of the situation
• the power of the situation
• inmate code
• prisonization
• total institution (Erving Goffman)



Discussion Questions:



Be sure incorporate the documentary, "Quiet Rage (the Stanford Prison Experiment)" into your answers.



1. Compare and contrast the Haas and Alpert articles on prison guards and staff members to Hassine's descriptions. What are the differences and similarities? How do these two sources compare to the Stanford Prison Experiment? Why.
2. What are some of the difficulties confronting today's prison guards and staff members? Why. What might help to overcome these difficulties? Why.
3. Compare and contrast the Marquart article and the documentary,"Quiet Rage." What do these two sources tell us about the interrelationship between "theory, policy and practice" inside the prison? Why.
4. How can we ever change our real institutions such as Waupun, when they are designed to resist critical evaluation and feedback and operate in relative secrecy and isolation from outside control by taxpayers and legislators? Why.



Suggested Creative Measures:




Note: All creative measures must be approved by the instructor before you begin. Email the instructor with your idea. Creative measures cannot be something that you are doing or have done for another course. No term papers. Start thinking about ideas for your creative measures. Must relate to "corrections." Research cannot be 100% online (i.e., google, askjeeves). Must conduct library research using scholarly works, (not the popular press -- Time Magazine, Newsweek, Sports Illustrated). Email me your ideas. Allow time to dialogue and present your creative measures.



• new Research the Zimbardo prison experiment.
• new Research the prison guard studies of James Marquart.
• Compare and contrast a series of prison movies (both old and new) with Hassine's Life Without Parole.
• If you enjoyed reading Hassine's Life Without Parole , you might be interested in other prison autobiographies/biographies: a) Jack Henry Abbott. In the Belly of the Beast. b) Leonard Peltier. Prison Writings. c) Eldridge Cleaver. Soul on Ice. d) Rubin "Hurricane" Carter. Thirteenth Round. e) Jarvis Jay Masters. Finding Freedom: Writings from Death Row, e) Mumia Abu-Jamal. Live from Death Row., f) The Autobiography of Malcolm X.



Recommended Readings:



• Other books and studies on prisons:
  --- Erving Goffman. Asylums.
  --- Donald Clemmer. The Prison Community.
  --- Gresham Sykes. Society of Captives.
  --- Leo Carroll. Hacks, Blacks and Cons.
  --- Jeffrey Reiman. The Rich Get Richer, The Poor Get Prison.
  --- John Irwin. The Warehouse Prison.
  --- John Irwin. The Imprisonment Binge.
  --- John Irwin. Prisons in Turmoil.
  
  
  
• Alfie Kohn. Beyond Discipline: From Compliance to Community.
• Alfie Kohn. Unconditional Parenting.
  
  

Course Syllabus for CRMJ/SOCA 363 (Corrections)

takata@uwp.edu