Getting Ready: How Arizona Has Created a ‘Parallel Universe’ for Inmates

by Dora Schriro

Throughout my years of working in corrections, I began to notice that some things never changed. The “good” inmate stayed on his bunk, kept his head down and followed orders. Upon release, the same “good” inmate too often became a really lousy ex-offender. Back in the community, the “good” inmate was ill-equipped to make good decisions because the only thing he had learned to do in prison was sit on his bunk and take orders. Not having spent the workday or his leisure time productively while confined, the newly released offender was not prepared to find or keep a job or develop better relationships. Lacking these critical skills, it was more likely that “good” inmates would make bad choices on the outside.

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http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/226871.pdf