-23
or other weapons, and protective gear, body cams) or building new prisons.
The need for a tougher approach is often justified by prison guards’ unions
or prison officers’ associations as an immediate reaction to incidents of
violence that harmed or endangered prison officers.22 It is understandable
that prison guards seek to maintain safety, security, good order and control
trough traditional security measures before going down new, untried paths.
However, research has shown time and again that heightened security
measures are not the solution and that, on the contrary, a more coercive
prison environment is often followed by even higher rates of violence.23
Instead, research suggests that the existence of a ‘light-present regime’, as
opposed to a ‘heavy-absent prison’ is to be recommended.24 As illustrated
in Figure 2 below, contrary to a ‘heavy-absent prison’ characterised
by oppression, confrontation and intimidation but unavailable and
unengaged staff, a ‘light-present regime’ is a regime where the power of
staff is present and staff is confident in solving conflicts and resolving all
kinds of incidents. Security, safety and good order are ensured through
the concept of dynamic security. Staff have close and good relationships
with prisoners, are supportive and provide a just and fair regime that
feels relaxed and purposeful and in which boundaries and expectations
are clear.
22. Alison Liebling, Prisons and their Moral Performance. A Study of Values, Quality and Prison Life (OUP 2004)
402 [hereinafter: Liebling, Prisons]; Göran Schattauer, Gewalt in Gefängnissen: JVA-Beamte fühlen sich
wie ‘Fußabtreter von Kriminellen (Focus Online 2019); see also the news articles ‚GÖD will härtere Gangart
im Gefängnis‘ of 8 February 2017 in tirol@orf.at <https://tirol.orf.at/v2/news/stories/2824592/>;
‚Schlagabtausch zwischen Volksanwaltschaft und Justizwachegewerkschaft‘ of 9 February 2017 in
derStandard 2017 <https://www.derstandard.at/story/2000052373431/schlagabtausch-zwischenvolksanwaltschaft-und-justizwachegewerkschaft>; and ‚Die Schwierigkeit, etwas dazuzulernen‘ of 28
February 2017 in Wiener Zeitung < https://www.wienerzeitung.at/themen/stadt-und-land/876666Die-Schwierigkeit-etwas-dazuzulernen.html>.
23. Lisa Gadon and others, ‘Situational Variables and Institutional Violence: A Systematic Review of the
Literature’ (2006) 26(5) Clinical Psychology Review (CPR) 515-534.
24. Ben Crewe, Alison Liebling and Susie Hulley ‘Heavy–light, absent–present: rethinking the ‘weight’
of imprisonment’ (2014) 65(3) British Journal of Criminology 387-410; Ben Crewe and Alison Liebling
(2015) ‘Staff culture, authority and prison violence’, (2015) 221 Prison Service Journal 9–14.
Monitoring Prison Violence
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