Corrections in America An Introduction Eleventh Edition

1. Corrections in AmericaAn IntroductionEleventh Edition Allen, Latessa, Ponder and Simonsen Chapter 11: The Federal System

2. History • Prior to 1870, federal offenders sentenced to at least a year in prison were committed to State prisons • In 1891, Congress acted to create Federal penitentiaries

3. History: cont. First Federal Prisons • Fort Leavenworth (Kansas) 1895 • Leavenworth Penitentiary • 1896 Congress appropriated funds • Opened 1906; completed 1928 • McNeil Island, Washington • 1872 – 1875 • Atlanta, Georgia • 1899 – 1902 • Alderson, W. Virginia (1927) • Female federal penitentiary

4. History: cont. • The BOP was created because Congress passed major federal laws creating federal offenders (1930): • White Slave Act (1910: interstate commerce of prostitution) • Harrison Narcotic Act (1914: taxes on controlled substances) • Volstead Act (1918: Prohibition/ alcohol) • Dyer Act: (1919: Interstate transportation of stolen motor vehicles)

5. Sanford Bates • First Director of the BOP • Deemed to be the “Parent of Modern Penology” • Experienced in State correctional systems • Great organizer and administrator

6. Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) • The prison system falls within the U.S. Department of Justice • Responsible for the safekeeping, care protection, instruction, and discipline of all persons charged with or convicted of offenses against the United States

7. Federal Bureau of Prisons: cont. • A system entirely separate from State and local correctional agencies • An innovator and leader in correctional management and operations • The largest single correctional system in the nation

8. Mary Belle Harris • First female superintendent of the first federal prison for women in Alderson, West Virginia, 1925

9. Directors of the BOP • Sanford Bates (1930-1937) • James Bennett (1937-1964) • Myrl Alexander (1964-1970) • Norman Carlson (1970-1987) • Michael Quinlan (1987-1992) • Kathleen Hawk Sawyer (1992-present)

10. Organization and Administration • Central Office: Washington D.C. • Director’s Office and eight divisions • Responsible for establishing national policy • Developing and reviewing programs • Providing training and technical assistance to the field • Coordinating agency operations

11. Organization and Administration • Regional Offices (6) • Oversee day to day operations • Headed by an Assistant Director • Atlanta, Dallas, Philadelphia, Kansas City, Dublin (S.F.), Annapolis Junction (MD) • Provide administrative oversight and support • Institutional Wardens • Responsible for managing the prisons • Report to Regional Directors

12. Inmate Populations Explodes • Totaled over 182,000 in 2005 • At 139% of highest capacity • Growth due to: • Longer terms of confinement • The “War on Drugs” • Efforts to combat organized crime • Illegal immigration Inmates

13. Types of Offenses Committed by BOP Inmates: 2004

14. Inmate Classification System • Severity of offense • History of escape or violence • Expected length of incarceration • Type of prior commitments

15. Minimum-Security Level • Federal Prison Camps • Dormitory housing • Low staff-to inmate ratio • Limited or no perimeter fences • Work and program oriented

16. Low-Security Level • Federal Correctional Institutions • Double-fenced perimeters • Dormitory housing • Strong work and program components • Staff-to-inmate ratio higher then minimum security

17. Medium-Security Level • Strengthened perimeters (double fences and electronic detection systems) • Cell-type housing • Wide variety of work and treatment programs • Higher staff to inmate ratio • Greater internal controls

18. High-Security Level • U.S. Penitentiaries • High-security perimeters • Multiple and single occupant cell housing • Close staff supervision • Close control of inmate movement

19. Administrative-Security Level • Facilities with special missions • Detention of pretrial offenders • Treatment of inmates with serious or chronic medical problems • Containment of extremely dangerous, violent, or escape-prone inmates

20. Inmates by Security Classification

21. Length of Sentences Imposed

22. Available Programs • BOP is responsible for carrying out the judgments of Federal courts when confinement is ordered • All medically able inmates are required to work • All inmates are required to work toward a 12th grade literacy level

23. Available Programs: cont. • Programs open to all inmates: • Educational • Vocational training • Work • Religious • Counseling, etc.

24. BOP Staff • Over 33,500 employees in 2005 (and increasing) • Some 7 in 10 are male • All are “correctional workers first,” regardless of job specialty

25. Female Offenders in BOP • Number of females in BOP facilities continues to increase • Rose to 12,354 in mid-2005 • Represent 7% of BOP inmates

26. Special Programs for Women • Stress reduction • Prevention of medical problems • Obtaining and managing treatment for medical problems • Improvement of personal relationships

27. Special Programs: cont. • Parenting skills • Grief management • Victimization reduction • Sexual • Emotional • Physical abuse

28. Summary • BOP is the largest and arguably best of the nation’s correctional systems • It is undergoing rapid growth • Many innovative programs have been introduced • BOP is vastly overcrowded