(in reality there was no electric shock and the “learners” were acting students from the Drama School)

Milgram expected most subjects would refuse to give “dangerous” shocks. He was the one shocked however. With a few exception all were willing to go all the way to ten. Some cried, some got agitated, but they did it when told by the staff that the experiment would be ruined in they didn’t.

Milgram wrote a very disturbing book about this called “Obedience to Authority.” Read it and weep. Read it with Zimbardo and you’ll give up on any notion of our innate goodness.

Perhaps one of the most successful and comprehensive strategies comes from Oregon. Oregon’s Accountability Model (OAM), a six part model of best correctional practices, takes into account all phases of a prisoner’s life as he moves through the corrections process.

ACCOUNTABILITY is a critical component of the OAM for both prisoners and Corrections staff. Offenders have their plan from the first day they enter prison thus letting them know what is expected of them. THE STAFF is held accountable as to how effective they are helping the inmate implement his plan.

FAITH-BASED programs and corrections work closely together through projects like Home for Good – a partnership aimed at providing antidotes to the anti-social associates and environments many offenders come from.

THE PROGRAM
1. Criminal Risk Factor Assessment and Case Planning. — Every inmate received by the Department of Corrections is assessed and a plan is developed for that individual to help him through prison and guide a successful reentry back into the community.

2. Staff/Inmate Interactions. — This step in the process acknowledges that prison staff interaction with inmates can shape positive behavior. Prison staffs are encouraged to offer POSITIVE FEEDBACK TO INMATES and provide INCENTIVES for good behavior.

3. Work and Programs. — Part of the plan each prisoner receives upon prison entry includes prison programs that would best mitigate the risks that inmate may be subject to. Most prisoners also have jobs and responsibilities in the prison.

4. Children and Families. — This program seeks to work with the children of inmates in an attempt to break the cycle of family incarceration (children of the incarcerated) are SEVIN TIMES more likely to end up in prison than the rest of the population.

5. Reentry. — Oregon has 7 facilities physically located in areas most likely to receive the inmates upon exit from prison. This allows relatively easy access for the prisoner to partially reenter the community. These facilities also are specifically focused on reentry and assist the inmate with housing, jobs, and other things he/she may need to make the transition into society.

6. Community Supervision and Programs. — The Department of Corrections works intimately with the community based programs including the faith based community, other government agencies, and nonprofits to offer technical assistance and resources in order to support their work. The goal of the Department of Corrections between steps 5 and 6 is to offer a seamless transition for offenders so that they have the best chance possible to become productive citizens.

http://www.oregon.gov/DOC/PUBAFF/docs/oam/oam_flyer.pdf
http://www.mosac.mo.gov/Documents/alternative-sentencing.pdf

Perhaps one of the most successful and comprehensive strategies comes from Oregon. Oregon’s Accountability Model (OAM), a six part model of best correctional practices, takes into account all phases of a prisoner’s life as he moves through the corrections process.

Accountability is a critical component of the OAM for both prisoners and Corrections staff. Offenders have their plan from the first day they enter prison thus letting them know what is expected of them. THE STAFF is held accountable as to how
effective they are helping the inmate implement his plan.

Faith-based Programs and corrections work closely together through projects like Home for Good – a partnership aimed at providing antidotes to the anti-social associates and environments many offenders come from.

THE PROGRAM
1. Criminal Risk Factor Assessment and Case Planning. — Every inmate received by the Department of Corrections is assessed and a plan is developed for that individual to help him through prison and guide a successful reentry back into the community.

2. Staff/Inmate Interactions. — This step in the process acknowledges that prison staff interaction with inmates can shape positive behavior. Prison staff are encouraged to offer POSITIVE FEEDBACK TO INMATES and provide INCENTIVES for good behavior.

3. Work and Programs. — Part of the plan each prisoner receives upon prison entry includes prison programs that would best mitigate the risks that inmate may be subject to. Most prisoners also have jobs and responsibilities in the prison.

4. Children and Families. — This program seeks to work with the children of inmates in an attempt to break the cycle of family incarceration (children of the incarcerated) are SEVIN TIMES more likely to end up in prison than the rest of the population.

5. Reentry. — Oregon has 7 facilities physically located in areas most likely to receive the inmates upon exit from prison. This allows relatively easy access for the prisoner to partially reenter the community. These facilities also are specifically focused on reentry and assist the inmate with housing, jobs, and other things he/she may need to make the transition into society.

6. Community Supervision and Programs. — The Department of Corrections works intimately with the community based programs including the faith based community, other government agencies, and nonprofits to offer technical assistance and resources in
order to support their work. The goal of the Department of Corrections between steps 5 and 6 is to offer a seamless transition for offenders so that they have the best chance possible to become productive citizens.

Oregon has managed to keep it’s “get tough policy” while simultaneously offering prisoners the skills needed to re-enter society.

http://www.oregon.gov/DOC/PUBAFF/docs/oam/oam_flyer.pdf
http://www.mosac.mo.gov/Documents/alternative-sentencing.pdf

California’s Recidivism — Highest in the Nation?
http://ucicorrections.seweb.uci.edu/pdf/bulletin_2005_vol-1_is-1.pdf

— the complete famous quotation by Lord Acton in a letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton in 1887

The point about the girl-friend is she said to Zimbardo “YOU HAVE CHANGED (EVIL)”. —- This seems to me what made him realize the extent that he had turned to the dark side.

STRUCTURAL CHANGES AND CHECKS
Only structural changes and checks can prevent this type of thing from happening in our prisons.

In a conversation with a prison guard, I was surprised to hear that when she transfered from LA County Jail to another prison in Oregon, she was admonished by the other staff to treat the prisoners with respect.

She was used to treating the prisoners like garbage and was very surprised.

However – Oregon will be spending more on prisons than on Higher Education

Oregon taxpayers now spend roughly the same money to incarcerate 13,401 inmates as they do to educate 438,000 university and community college students. But spending on prisons is growing at a faster rate than education and other state services.

The cost-benefit ratio of prison expansion has also diminished. In 1994, each additional $1 spent on incarceration yielded $3.31 in reduced crime costs, the study said. By 2005, the benefit per $1 spent was $1.03, barely above the break-even point.

The point isn’t whether people are flawed or not. That’s hardly new news. The issue is what, in a functional sense, to do so that our flaws don’t wreak quite as much havoc.

I think y’all are missing the point of the research.

She is the one who convinced him to stop, not the breakdown of 4 students.

Hmmmmm, maybe Zimbardo is EVIL.