In the coercive environment of the prison it may be impossible to eliminate harassment and bullying. What steps can be taken to reduce these and to make prisons safe places for prisoners and staff? Experienced members of prison staff know that prisoners will respond to firm, consistent instructions. Discuss how experienced staff can reassure junior staff that they can interact positively with prisoners while still maintaining good discipline. Staff will sometimes feel threatened and intimidated by prisoners as they go about their work. If this is the case, they themselves may adopt a domineering attitude and resort to unnecessary discipline. How can they be encouraged to understand that such an attitude may be counterproductive? The Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners state that no prisoner should be employed in any disciplinary capacity (rule 28 (1)). Where there is a shortage of staff there may be a tendency to use well-behaved prisoners to ensure that other prisoners observe the rules of the prison. Discuss how this can be done without breaching the international instruments. One way of ensuring that instruments of restraint such as handcuffs and straitjackets are not used improperly by junior staff is to keep them in a central location to which only senior staff have access. Discuss how this could best be done. CASE STUDIES 1. You have just been given charge of a unit in the prison. Until now it has been managed in a very repressive manner. It is clear that prisoners obey the rules only because they fear the consequences of not doing so. Junior staff think that good order can only be imposed by coercion. They are afraid that anything else will result in disorder. Your task is to create an environment in which prisoners will obey the rules because it is in their interests to do so and in which staff feel confident enough to give prisoners a reasonable amount of personal responsibility. How can that be done? 2. The regime in the prison is relaxed but not lax. Prisoners are allowed freedom of movement within defined limits. They are encouraged to keep themselves occupied. Staff treat them with respect. The vast majority of prisoners respond positively. Two or three prisoners take advantage of the situation. They bully other prisoners and constantly provoke staff. Some staff want to respond by cracking down on all prisoners and exercising much tighter control over everyone. Other staff feel that this would antagonize the vast majority of prisoners who are well-behaved. Bearing in mind the international instruments, what is to be done? 3. A prisoner who is usually well-behaved suddenly goes berserk. He clearly presents a risk to himself, to other prisoners and to any member of staff who tries to approach him. Taking account of the relevant international instruments, what steps should be taken before deciding to use instruments of restraint? 90