Democratizing Prisons

By Hans Toch

Experiments i nprison reformhave often includedefforts todemocratizeprisons.Such experimentswere especially popular during t h eprogressive era. Today, democrati- zation efforts are congruent with management literature that describes employee participation and total quality ofmanagement initiatives through which organizations try to improve the quality oftheirproducts andservices. Prison democratizationcan combineopportunities for staff involvement with enhanced prisoner participation. Inmates can be afforded agreater role in classification and programming decisions, and in determining policies that affect the quality ofprison life. Such participatory approaches help to normalize prison life and contribute to the resocialization of offenders.

The Prison Journal, Vol. 73 No. 1, March 1994 62-72 ©1994 Sage Publications, Inc.