Insiders’ Views of Prison Amenities

• Date: 01 September 2005
• DOI: 10.1177/0734016805284305
• Author: Richard Tewksbury,Elizabeth Ehrhardt Mustaine
• Published date: 01 September 2005
• Subject Matter: Articles

10.1177/0734016805284305Criminal Justice ReviewTewksbury, Mustaine / Views of Prison Amenities

Insiders’ Views of Prison Amenities

Beliefs and Perceptions of Correctional

Staff Members

Richard Tewksbury

University of Louisville

Elizabeth Ehrhardt Mustaine

University of Central Florida

Existing research on views of prison amenities has largely focused on the general public. This

research assesses the perceptions and views of correctional staff regarding what should be pro-

vided. Based on data from 554 Kentucky Department of Corrections staff members, results show

that correctional staffers tend to have favorable views regarding the presence of prison ameni-

ties. Furthermore, analyses of patterns and trends across types of jobs, experience, and educa-

tional attainment show that prison staffers are accepting of most particular amenities. Finally,

views on prison amenities are related to one’s position and length of experience in the prison, as

well as one’s educational level. Policy and practical implications are discussed.

Keywords: prisonamenities; correctional staff views; Kentucky corrections;survey research

As American correctional institutions continue to expand in number and population

(Harrison & Beck, 2005), they increasingly become points of political and community

attention (see No Frills Prison Act of 1996; Hensley,Miller, Tewksbury,& Koscheski, 2003).

Much discourse in this arena focuses on issues of the consequences of incarceration (for soci-

ety in general and offenders in particular) and what (if anything) should be done with, for, and

to inmates. Should correctional administrators attempt to rehabilitate offenders, or should

prisons simply warehouse offenders in stark and sparse conditions? Should inmates be pro-

vided with access to products, services, and opportunities that those at the bottom of society’s

economic structure are unable to access? Where is the line regarding what should and should

not be available for prison inmates? These questions form the basis of the present study.What

products, services, and programmatic opportunities do correctional staff persons believe are

appropriate and inappropriate for incarcerated offenders? And how do variations in staff

members’ characteristics influence these beliefs?

Both the debate about and research assessing the beliefs of individuals (and categories of

individuals) regarding the appropriateness of providing various amenities to inmates are

fairly recent developments (e.g., No Frills Prison Act of 1996; Applegate, 2001; Hensley

et al., 2003; Johnson, Bennett, & Flanagan, 1997; Lenz, 2002). Only during the past two

decades has a discussion of whether inmates should have access to a variety of products, ser-

vices, and programs been popularly debated. And research about attitudes and beliefs con-

cerning inmates’ access to amenities is a recently emerging and underdeveloped field

174

Criminal Justice Review

Volume 30 Number 2

September 2005 174-188

© 2005 Georgia State University

Research Foundation, Inc.

10.1177/0734016805284305

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