Managing the Environment in a Prison Setting

Prison life is based on deprivation of one’s liberty. The sudden change in lifestyle has a great impact on a prisoner’s mental, physical and emotional well-being. In case of the prison, an officer’s morale depends on his relationship with his senior officer and the inmates. By raising inmate morale, prison staff’s morale would also be improved.

I would begin with creating a positive environment to facilitate proper interaction with the inmates and evaluate the working environment of the staff. However, there are some obvious reasons that cause assaults and escapes in prison which I would prioritize further in the paper.

I would first address the security issues by reducing the idle time to the prisoners. This may be fulfilled through exercises, religious and cultural activities. Such activities help reduce time which they are likely to use for engaging in hostile activities. I would also classify inmates based in their risk levels.

The next thing which would be dealt with is the health issues. Some of the worries that make prisoners think of escapes include the health aspect of their environment. This includes toilets, sanitations, and inadequate cooking facilities. Majority of the threats among inmates are related to food. To appreciate life in prison, I would organize training to the inmates on personal hygiene and sanitation matters. To improve the diet, I would engage the inmates in food growing activities and livestock keeping.

I would also encourage volunteers such as NGOs and community organizations to provide helpful programs to prisoners. I would also train staff on relational skills such as respect, conflict mediation and management of anger.

To facilitate inmate management, I would organize measures to reduce the crowding. I would introduce a process through which, lawyers and prosecutors would assess the detainee legal status, make recommendations, and reduce the waiting time before cases are heard. 

To the less risky and trustworthy prisoners, I would seek legal authority and political support to allow them out during weekends and the days to participate in community service, employment and family visitation.