Deck 12: The World of Prison Staff

Question 1

Which of the following is TRUE of transactional leaders in a prison?

A) They emphasize the set of values and principles to be used as guidelines in responding to issues.
B) They help staff and the organization to learn and to work through problems in an adaptive manner.
C) They provide high levels of staff empowerment to deal with everyday issues.
D) They provide answers and give direction for any issue the agency confronts.

Answer 1

They provide answers and give direction for any issue the agency confronts.

Question 2

In a chain of command, to who might a correctional officer report directly?

A) chief of security
B) warden
C) associate warden for security
D) security supervisor

Answer 2

security supervisor

Question 3

In which case did the Supreme Court rule that a bona fide occupational qualification prohibiting female correctional officers was allowable because of deplorable prison conditions and the presence of predatory male sex offenders as inmates?

A) Dothard v. Rawlinson
B) Mempa v. Rhay
C) Morrissey v. Brewer
D) Gunther v. Iowa

Answer 3

Dothard v. Rawlinson

Question 4

Which is one of the activities of the bureaucratic warden?

A) management of daily activities
B) coordination of the parole process
C) punishing staff and inmates who break the rules
D) formulation of accreditation standards

Question 5

Which of the following prison officers manages resources, acts as a role model for staff, and defines professional expectations?

A) warden
B) chief of security
C) prison manager
D) sheriff

Question 6

Correctional officers and supervisors make up approximately what percentage of all staff in state and federal prisons?

A) 15%
B) 33%
C) 67%
D) 85%

Question 7

Which of the following correctional officer assignments include the patrol and supervision of inmate movement in the compound of a prison?

A) relief officers
B) living units officers
C) industrial shop officers
D) yard officers

Question 8

Which activity is a housing-unit officer most likely to do first when starting day watch?

A) allow inmates to go to the dining room for lunch
B) open the housing unit doors for inmates returning from work
C) read the logbook of the prior shift's activities
D) do a census count

Question 9

Which phenomenon have correctional agencies experienced over the past decade?

A) high officer morale
B) low stress levels
C) high officer turnover
D) low inmate population

Question 10

According to the 2003 ACA survey, what was the most frequently cited reason for difficulty in recruiting correctional officers?

A) demanding work hours
B) noncompetitive compensation
C) stress and burnout
D) unsuitability to the job

Question 11

Which of the following sets of experts suggested the "three-culture" model for prisons?

A) Stojkovic and Farkas
B) Rawlinson and Farkas
C) Stojkovic and Manning
D) Farkas and Manning

Question 12

Which of the following is the highest-ranking uniformed staff person in a prison?

A) lieutenant
B) warden
C) major
D) sergeant

Question 13

Which of the following is an organizational source of stress experienced by correctional officers?

A) understaffing
B) problems with coworkers
C) threats of violence
D) inmate manipulation

Question 14

What position is most critical to the day-to-day management of a prison?

A) psychologist
B) classification specialist
C) correctional officer
D) substance abuse counselor

Question 15

Which officers are usually assigned to some of the most sensitive and explosive areas of the prison?

A) sergeants
B) captains
C) majors
D) lieutenants

Question 16

In which department do service staff work?

A) recreation
B) health services
C) religious services
D) vocational training

Question 17

Which best describes the culture of Stateville Penitentiary under Warden Joseph Ragen?

A) moderate
B) autocratic
C) reasoned
D) empowered

Question 18

At what point in the staff-inmate culture continuum does staff demand compliance from inmates through threats and intimidation?

A) reasoned
B) authoritarian
C) empowered
D) moderate

Question 19

Which of the following statements suggests prevalence of reasoned staff-inmate culture in a prison?

A) Staff follow policy or check with supervisors before making decisions.
B) Staff make decisions with full knowledge and consistent with prison principles and values.
C) Staff use agency incentives and disincentives for gaining compliance from inmates.
D) Staff demand compliance from inmates through threats and intimidation.

Question 20

Which of the following is a work-related source of stress in prisons?

A) understaffing
B) overtime
C) shift work
D) inmate demands

Question 21

In which Supreme Court case did the court determine that inmate privacy was not a valid reason to refuse hiring women as correctional officers?

A) Morrissey v. Brewer
B) Mempa v. Rhay
C) Dothard v. Rawlinson
D) Gunther v. Iowa

Question 22

Which of the following is considered a benefit of having women as correctional officers?

A) Female officers have no personal interest in the inmates.
B) Female supervisory styles have a calming influence on the prison.
C) Female officers order inmates to do things, rather than ask.
D) Female officers' job performance is found to be better than male officers'.

Question 23

Most staff in prison interact extensively with other staff, to a much greater proportion than they do with other inmates.

Question 24

Administrators, medical persons, and counselors make up 60 percent of prison staff.

Question 25

Most prisons have a military chain of command.

Question 26

In the past, wardens had many demands on them to be external managers because corrections was of great interest to elected officials, the courts, or the media.

Question 27

Wardens cannot be the substantive experts on everything that goes on in the prison.

Question 28

A warden may directly instruct a correctional officer to carry out a function without passing the instruction through correctional supervisors.

Question 29

Open prison systems have frequent interactions between the organization and other groups to obtain resources, gain support, and accomplish goals.

Question 30

The public interest in and expectations for corrections have risen in the recent years.

Question 31

Federal courts have always been involved in correctional management issues.

Question 32

Four decades ago, female officers were not allowed to work in men's prisons.

Question 33

Prisons and jails have different missions, but there is little difference in the role that correctional officers play in the two types of facilities.

Question 34

Wardens report directly to the security supervisors, the chief executive officers responsible for day-to-day prison activities.

Question 35

Post orders and general policies both spell out how to do prison activities.

Question 36

Positive recognition and good pay have often been the incentives that motivated people to take jobs as correctional officers.

Question 37

Studies have found either no or only minor differences in the attitudes and job performance of women compared to men working in prisons.

Question 38

Uniformed staff and professional staff in the prison have interchangeable roles and responsibilities.

Question 39

________ systems are prison systems that consist of only the internal environment, under the direct control of the warden, and without much interest or any interference from external groups.

Question 40

Prison systems that have frequent interactions between the organization and other groups to obtain resources, gain support, and accomplish goals are ________ prison systems.

Question 41

________ of command is the vertical hierarchy in an organization.

Question 42

A security supervisor reports directly to the ________ of security in the prison.

Question 43

________ leaders were the traditional authorities within an organization who were involved in exchange relationships between leaders and followers, and provided answers and direction for all issues that confronted the agency.

Question 44

Leaders who exercise leadership based on principles, while motivating staff to jointly address challenges and find solutions to new problems are referred to as ________ leaders.

Question 45

The values, beliefs, and behaviors that form the way of life within an organization is its ________ culture.

Question 46

A(n) ________ officer is the staff person in a prison or jail who accomplishes the institution's mission by maintaining control and order within the institution.

Question 47

The detailed description of the activities that are required to be performed throughout the day, including the time they are to occur, are referred to as ________ orders.

Question 48

Prison or jail staff who work in the security or custody department and are responsible for the implementation of security policies and procedures are collectively known as ________ staff.

Question 49

Prison or jail staff in a specialty area who require distinctive training and education and may also require a professional certification are called ________ staff.

Question 50

A prison culture based on the way prison leadership deals and communicates with subordinate staff and that has a continuum between autocratic and empowered is called ________ culture.

Question 51

A(n) ________ culture is based on how staff view and communicate with inmates and has a continuum between authoritarian and reasoned.

Question 52

Throughout history, most prisons have operated toward the ________ end of the management culture continuum.

Question 53

In Dothard v. Rawlinson, the Supreme Court ruled that a BFOQ against _______ correctional officers was allowable because of the deplorable conditions of the particular prison and the presence of predatory male sex offenders as prisoners.

Question 54

Match the prison employee category with the appropriate duty.

-Warden

A) Direct supervision of inmates
B) Administration of rehab programs
C) Facility maintenance
D) Coordination of the budget process

Question 55

Match the prison employee category with the appropriate duty.

-Correctional officers

A) Direct supervision of inmates
B) Administration of rehab programs
C) Facility maintenance
D) Coordination of the budget process

Question 56

Match the prison employee category with the appropriate duty.

-Treatment staff

A) Direct supervision of inmates
B) Administration of rehab programs
C) Facility maintenance
D) Coordination of the budget process

Question 57

Match the prison employee category with the appropriate duty.

-Services Staff

A) Direct supervision of inmates
B) Administration of rehab programs
C) Facility maintenance
D) Coordination of the budget process

Question 58

Describe the difference between open and closed systems.

Question 59

Discuss how transformational leaders make good wardens.

Question 60

Explain how a warden's management style can affect inmate and staff relations.

Question 61

Discuss why prisons have such a high turnover rate for corrections officers.