Corrections at Work - by Talisa J Carter

Book Synopsis

In an era of mass incarceration, corrections face significant challenges, such as inmate mistreatment, poor confinement conditions, and unpreparedness for reentry. Solutions often focus on individual correctional officers--removing "rotten apples." However, this approach overlooks the systemic issues within correctional institutions. In Corrections at Work, TaLisa J. Carter argues that while officers play a crucial role in maintaining order, institutions themselves must be held accountable for the behavior of their employees.

Reframing the conversation around mass incarceration, Corrections at Work shifts focus from the individual failures of officers to the relationship between employee and organization, and places responsibility on the institutions accountable for the mistreatment of inmates. Carter lays bare the inner workings of correctional facilities and reveals the role of race and identity in shaping institutional responses to employee behavior. Drawing on both her personal experience as a former corrections officer and original research in a Mid-Atlantic correctional system, Carter proposes a new model to examine systems of praise and punishment of individual officers by institutions. Corrections at Work stresses the responsibility of criminal justice institutions in shaping employee behavior and makes clear connections between correctional facilities, officers, and inmate outcomes with significant insights for future practice, policy, and research.

Ultimately, by shifting the focus from individual misconduct to institutional accountability, this book offers a unique perspective on reforms needed to address challenges in corrections.

Review Quotes

"Drawing on unprecedented access to a state department of corrections, Carter's groundbreaking study develops and tests the Institutional Response Model to illuminate how organizational responses to employee behavior are shaped by individual characteristics, institutional contexts, and social identities within the criminal justice system. Through rigorous mixed-methods analysis of human resources files and ethnographic observations, the author demonstrates that commendations and sanctions are distributed based not solely on merit, but on the visibility of actions, institutional context, and the social status of actors. This essential contribution fills a critical gap in criminal justice scholarship by centering correctional employees rather than those processed through the system, offering both theoretical innovations and concrete policy recommendations for addressing systemic inequities."-- "Jennifer Cobbina-Dungy, author of Hands Up, Don't Shoot: Why the Protests in Ferguson and Baltimore Matter and How They Changed America"

"In Corrections at Work, Carter weaves her own rich experiences as a correctional officer (CO) with the experiences of individuals working in correctional institutions in unprecedented and thoughtful ways. Via her Institutional Response Model, Carter skillfully details what COs endure, what they create, and how their employing institutions assist, and at times, fail them. This book is a welcome addition to the litany of scholarship devoid of the important positionality Carter brings and a new go-to reading for anyone hoping to reform corrections in America."-- "Danielle S. Rudes, author of Surviving Solitary: Living and Working in Restricted Housing Units"

"Corrections at Work provides readers with a much-needed window into the world of correctional officers--who are often maligned and neglected in the study of criminal justice. Drawing on her unique experience as a former correctional officer turned scholar, she masterfully bridges the gap with her extraordinary grasp of the complex issues tied to the profession. Moving past the redundant studies on policing, Carter's book provides current and aspiring corrections scholars with a roadmap for understanding the inner workings of the corrections profession. The groundbreaking work introduces readers to her Institutional Response Model of Social Control that represents a promising way to understand institutional responses to employee behavior. Quite frankly, correctional administrators would be wise to consider her well-reasoned recommendations."-- "Shaun L. Gabbidon, co-author of Race, Ethnicity, Crime, & Justice: An International Dilemma"

"Few understand the people who work on the front-lines of our prisons, jails, and correctional facilities. In fact, for the most part, these individuals are invisible except that we acknowledge that the facilities that they work in are all too often considered toxic. Along comes TaLisa Carter, who brings her experiences as a correctional officer as well as a criminologist to appreciate the role, responsibilities, and factors that affect the work that correctional staff are involved in. This book facilitates a greater appreciation for the correctional workforce, and one that we can use to reconsider how to reform carceral facilities to better serve those who live and work in these facilities."-- "Faye S. Taxman, co-author of Handbook on Moving Corrections and Sentencing Forward: Building on the Record"

"In Corrections at Work, Carter combines personal experience with rigorous, innovative, and embedded scholarship to reveal the important work of correctional officers and the institutions that shape their work experience on the inside. She challenges the current binary conceptualizations of corrections work and describes the nuances of prison work, as well as how it is influenced by broader systemic structures and associated failures."-- "Beth Huebner, co-editor of Moving Corrections and Sentencing Forward: Building on the Record"