248 () Corrections and Prison Practices—Adult Foremicsat a particular location and verify when the offender has reported in. Another
misconception is that electronic monitoring programs can prevent crime. Even
when the equipment is functioning properly the offender is free to leave any time
he or she decides to do so, and nothing about the equipment will stop the offender
from doing anything (i.e., reoffending). In addition, the user can leave as if he or
she were going to work and then go anywhere. There is also no information about
what the probationer/parolee is doing when he or she is at home. Therefore, more
research needs to be directed at making the electronic monitors effective and more
restrictive so that an offender is inhibited from taking inappropriate advantage of
the freedom allotted by the monitoring system.
Prison Violence
Introduction
Christopher Scarver attacked Jeffrey Dahmer while he was cleaning a prison gym-
nasium bathroom, smashing his head with a metal bar borrowed from an exercise
machine. Violence has become a central attribute of prison life. Dee Farmer, as
another example, was convicted merely of credit card fraud, yet he suffered a savage
attack at the hands of a fellow inmate. When Farmer refused an inmate's demand
for sexual intercourse, the inmate punched and kicked Farmer. After threatening
Farmer with a homemade knife, the attacker tore off Farmer's clothes and raped
him. The attacker threatened to kill Farmer if he reported the incident.
The Dahmer and Farmer incidents represent the controversial issue of poor
prison conditions which cause prison violence. Numerous research studies indicate
that inmate violence is the product of the psychologically stressful and oppressive
conditions within the prison itself (McCorkle, Miethe, & Drass, 1995). Measures of
poor conditions, such as inadequate prison management and lack of prison programs
clue to overcrowding, are associated with high levels of prison violence.
Literature Review
Situations like those previously described are very common in prison life. The
Farmer incident raises the question: If poor prison conditions are improved, does
that indicate that psychological stress will decrease among inmates, causing a de-
crease in violence? In response to this question, there is growing consensus among
recent research studies indicating that prisons with exceptional conditions, such as
efficient prison management, numerous prison programs, and comfortable prison
capacity, experience a decrease in prison violence compared to facilities with
poor prison conditions (McCorkle et ai, 1995). Prison overcrowding and lack of