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Distributed for University of British Columbia Press

Behind the Walls

Inmates and Correctional Officers on the State of Canadian Prisons

Distributed for University of British Columbia Press

Behind the Walls

Inmates and Correctional Officers on the State of Canadian Prisons

Despite falling crime rates, more rights for inmates, and better training for correctional officers, Canada’s prisons are overflowing, and outbreaks of violence continue to grab headlines. Applying Goffman’s frame theory and drawing on interviews with inmates and correctional officers in provincial and federal prisons, Michael Weinrath offers an unprecedented look at how inmates and officers perceive themselves, their relationships with others, and new developments and ongoing issues in prisons, including boundary violations by officers and the rise of prison gangs. Although progress has been made, prisons continue to be plagued by problems that prevent inmates from forging positive relationships among themselves and with correctional officers.

328 pages | © 2016

Law and Society


Table of Contents

Introduction

1 Canadian Prisons and Their Problems

2 The Prisons and the Interviews

3 How Inmates Understand Their Role

4 How Inmates Relate to Others

5 How Corrections Officers Understand Their Role

6 Relations between Inmates and Officers

7 The Effect of Policy, Architecture, and Technology

8 Boundary Violations by Correctional Officers

9 The Effect of Programs

10 The Rise of Prison Gangs

Conclusion

Appendix: Interview Guide

Notes

Glossary: Correctional Terms and Inmate Argot

References; Index

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