California Prison Shakeup Reveals Urgent Need for Reform

California Prison Shakeup Reveals Urgent Need for Reform,
Expert Says

SANTA CRUZ, Calif., (AScribe Newswire) -- The recent
shakeup in the troubled California Department of Corrections reveals
the resistance to a badly needed overhaul of the nation's largest
prison system, says a leading expert on prisons and the psychology of
incarceration.

The resignation of Corrections chief Roderick Hickman, hired
two years ago by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to overhaul the
dysfunctional system, underscores the challenges facing would-be
reformers, said Craig Haney, professor of psychology at the
University of California, Santa Cruz.

"The governor took on this incendiary issue when his
political capital was high, and the departure of his hand-picked
champion of reform is a huge blow," said Haney.

Scathing media reports of overcrowding and mistreatment of
inmates in the largest prison system in the country, coupled with
high-profile court cases over prison conditions and abuse in a number
of states, have triggered calls for prison reform in many parts of
the country. "Prisons are intended to deprive inmates of their
liberty," said Haney. "Anything more--unnecessary deprivations,
indignities, and ill treatment--represents gratuitous pain and can
have harmful psychological consequences."

In his new book, "Reforming Punishment: Psychological Limits
to the Pains of Imprisonment" (Washington, D.C.: American
Psychological Association, 2006), Haney critiques the "fundamentally
flawed prison policies" that have dominated U.S. prisons for much of
the last 30 years, and he points the way to systemic reform.

Reform must be based on the results of decades of
psychological research into the real causes of crime and the
consequences of imprisonment, said Haney. "We now know a lot about
why people commit crime, but prisons do nothing to address those
issues--and may actually make them worse," he said. Exposing
prisoners to overcrowded and inhumane conditions has adverse
psychological consequences, and the effects can be long-lasting, said
Haney.

With 2 million people in custody, the U.S. incarcerates more
people than any other country, including unprecedented numbers of
mentally ill and nonviolent prisoners, and a grossly
overrepresentative number of minorities. Huge numbers of state and
federal prisoners are nonviolent offenders, and many have been
incarcerated for drug or drug-related crimes, said Haney.

"Our nation's overreliance on incarceration to control crime
is doomed to fail," he said. "Spending so much on imprisonment
siphons money away from the kind of crime-prevention programs we need."

Moreover, Haney points out, most inmates are eventually
released, and far too many come out much worse off than when they
went in. "Many incur severe psychological costs as they adapt to the
dehumanizing effects of modern prison life," he said.

Prison-based rehabilitation, including educational,
vocational, and counseling programs, would require upfront spending
but would generate long-run benefits, said Haney. Incarceration rates
average upwards of $30,000 a year per inmate, according to Haney, who
said inmates also need a lot of community support and other kinds of
help after their release to successfully reintegrate into society.

"Adverse conditions inside prisons and the absence of
effective rehabilitation programs contribute to problematic behavior
inside prison and dysfunctional behavior after release," he said. "As
a society, we can't afford to pursue this wrongheaded approach much
longer."

In the long run, prison reform would generate bottom-line
savings as well as benefits to society, said Haney. Recidivism rates
would drop, parole costs would decrease, and the prison system itself
would shrink, he said. A fair and effective approach to crime control
would require shifting resources from punishment to prevention and
must address the social and economic injustices that punish the poor
and people of color, said Haney. But prison reform will be crucial
for the many people now locked inside, he said, identifying the
following steps toward real reform:

o Repeal mandatory sentencing laws to give judges more
discretion over who goes to prison and for how long.

o Develop alternatives to prison for the mentally ill,
certain drug offenders, and those convicted of minor crimes.

o Give all prisoners access to vocational, educational, and
other forms of prison programming, as well as proper medical care.

o Ensure that prisons adequately address the treatment needs
of addicted, mentally ill, and developmentally disabled inmates.

o Improve overall conditions of confinement by reducing
overcrowding and minimizing the use of psychologically destructive
practices like punitive isolation.

o Provide extensive postimprisonment assistance and community-
based programs and services.

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One of the principal researchers in the landmark "Stanford
Prison Experiment," Craig Haney has studied the psychological effects
of living and working in actual prison environments for more than 30
years. He can be reached at 831-459-2153 or via e-mail at
psylaw@ucsc.edu, or through Jennifer McNulty in the UCSC Public
Information Office at 831-459-4399 or jmcnulty@ucsc.edu.

Note to editors; This release is available on the web at:
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