Chapter Thirteen

© 2013 by Pearson Higher Education, Inc
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 • All Rights Reserved
Crisis Intervention
William Harmening
Roosevelt University
Harmening, Crisis Intervention: The Criminal Justice Response to Chaos, Mayhem, and
Disaster
Chapter 13
THE INSTITUTIONAL CRISIS

13.1
13.2
13.3
13.4
To summarize the nature of the prison riot.
To list and define the various riot typologies, and the dangers
posed by each.
To explain the psychological principles at play during a prison
riot.
To summarize the best practices for responding to a prison riot,
and the various solutions available to those attempting to de-
escalate a prison riot.
CHAPTER OBJECTIVES

To summarize the nature of the prison
riot.
Learning Objectives
After this lecture, you should be able to complete the following Learning Outcomes
13.1

13.1 The Prison Riot
OVERVIEW
The prison riot can be a volatile and deadly event. Consider the
following:
• Attica Correctional Facility, NY (1971) – 39 fatalities, including 10 guards.
• McAlester Prison, OK (1973) – 19 fatalities, 24 buildings destroyed.
• New Mexico State Penitentiary (1980) – 33 fatalities.
• Atlanta Federal Penitentiary (1987) – 1 fatality, nearly entire facility burned down.
• Chino Prison, CA (2009) – 249 inmates and 8 prison employees injured.

13.1 The Prison Riot
OVERVIEW
During a prison riot group behavior overpowers any rational
attempt by individuals to quell the violence.
Those who commit acts of violence during a riot believe they can
fade back into the crowd once prison officials regain control.
Inmates know that those who cooperate with any post-event
investigation do so at great peril. This empowers those who
commit acts of violence during the riot. Oftentimes even those
who are victims of violence during a riot refuse to cooperate with
prison officials.

To list and define the various riot
typologies, and the dangers posed
by each.
Learning Objectives
13.2

13.2 Riot Types
Martin & Zimmerman
• Environmental conditions
• Spontaneity
• Conflict
• Collective behavior/ Social control
• Power vacuum
• Rising expectations

13.2 Riot Types
Useem & Kimball
They look at prison riots in terms of two inmate-related factors.
Their inclination to riot relates to the conditions inside the prison.
Their ability to riot relates to the ability of the prison administration
to control behavior. They provide four classifications.
Inclination to Riot
Ability to
Riot

13.2 Riot Types
A New Classification
This classification scheme looks at
inmate motivations for engaging in riot
behavior…
Grievance
Retaliation
Power
Symbolic
Spontaneous
Staff-directed
Inmate-directed
Inter-group
Intra-group
Conditions
Lifestyle
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

13.2 Riot Types
behavior…
The CONDITIONS grievance riot results
from some type of living conditions within
the prison. This may be overcrowding,
bad food, or lack of clean bed clothes,
among other things.
The LIFESTYLE grievance riot relates to
inmate demands for improved access to
religious practices, computers, and job
training, to name a few.
Grievance
Retaliation
Power
Symbolic
Spontaneous
Staff-directed
Inmate-directed
Inter-group
Intra-group
Conditions
Lifestyle
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

13.2 Riot Types
behavior…
The RETALIATION riot involves an act of
vengeance against other inmates or
staff. These riots typically begin with
violence. A good example is a gang
fight within the prison that erupts into a
full blown riot, as one gang attacks the
other. The staff-directed riot typically
involves the taking of hostages, and
results from some action taken by staff,
such as removing privileges or locking
down gang leaders.
Grievance
Retaliation
Power
Symbolic
Spontaneous
Staff-directed
Inmate-directed
Inter-group
Intra-group
Conditions
Lifestyle
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

13.2 Riot Types
behavior…
The prison culture includes many
subcultures, typically gangs. Each of
those gangs has a power structure, and
there is typically a power hierarchy
among the gangs. The POWER riots
occurs when one person or faction within
a gang attempts to take control of the
gang (intra-group), or one gang
attempts to exert its power and control
over another (inter-group).
Grievance
Retaliation
Power
Symbolic
Spontaneous
Staff-directed
Inmate-directed
Inter-group
Intra-group
Conditions
Lifestyle
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

13.2 Riot Types
behavior…
This type of riot occurs when the inmates
use the demonstration to show their
support for a particular cause or person.
In the past, SYMBOLIC riots have
occurred in support of civil rights, the
anti-war movement, and prison reform.
Riots broke out following the death of
Martin Luther King, Jr., and prison inmate
George Jackson, author of “Soledad
Brother.”
Grievance
Retaliation
Power
Symbolic
Spontaneous
Staff-directed
Inmate-directed
Inter-group
Intra-group
Conditions
Lifestyle
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

13.2 Riot Types
behavior…
The SPONTANEOUS riot is simply that, an
unplanned outbreak of rioting that
usually begins with an inmate fight or
some action by staff. These riots very
quickly spin out of control as group
behavior and panic quickly overpower
rational decision-making by inmates. In
the early stages of a spontaneous riot
there is typically no one in charge, so it
becomes very chaotic.
Grievance
Retaliation
Power
Symbolic
Spontaneous
Staff-directed
Inmate-directed
Inter-group
Intra-group
Conditions
Lifestyle
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

To explain the psychological
principles at play during a prison riot.
Learning Objectives
13.3

13.3 Psychological Principles
Deindividuation
When a person becomes so immersed in a group that they no
longer perceive themselves as acting individually within the
group.
The decrease in self-awareness and self-evaluation leads a
person to commit acts they never would have considered while
acting on their own.
Deindividuation impacts the group dynamic in three ways…
1. Less inhibition
2. Heightened responsiveness to external inputs
3. Adherence to group norms

Milgram’s Obedience Study
One of the most famous experiments in Psychology. Carried out
by Dr. Stanley Milgram at Yale University in 1961. Participants
were instructed to administer varying levels of electric shock to
another human (an actor…there was no shock) to measure the
degree to which they would obey such commands.
Many of the participants, in fact almost all of them, willingly
complied with their instructions to varying levels.
The experiment shows the phenomenon of deindividuation, as
participants set aside their own moral and ethical controls in
favor of the group’s, which in this case was represented by the
experiment and the researcher.

The Stanford Prison Experiment
Also one of the most famous experiments in psychology. Carrying out by
Dr. Philip Zimbardo in 1971 at Stanford University. The experiment
involved setting up a mock prison and imprisoning volunteer inmates to
measure the effects of incarceration on inmate personalities.
After six days the experiment had to be discontinued due to unexpected
outcomes. To Zimbardo’s surprise, the students who were playing the part
of prison guard were demonstrating more adverse changes than the
inmates, as they began to use abusive and oppressive tactics against
the inmates.
Once again, this experiment demonstrated the effects of
deindividuation, as the students set aside their own moral and ethical
standards and adopted the norms and expectations of the group. They
began behaving in ways consistent with their perception of normative
prison guard behavior.

To summarize the best practices for
responding to a prison riot, and the
various solutions available to those
attempting to de-escalate a prison
riot.
Learning Objectives
13.4

13.4 The Riot Response
De-escalation Tactics
When a prison riot breaks out, the prison administration has three
available options for de-escalation…
• The TACTICAL Solution
• The NEGOTIATION Solution
• The WAITING Solution

The Tactical Solution (Tactical Strike)
The tactical solution can involve either a planned TACTICAL
STRIKE, or a RIOT SQUAD MANEUVER.
This is used when there are hostages, or when vulnerable inmates
are in danger of being harmed or killed.
A tactical strike is unannounced and makes use of the element of
surprise. It is executed quickly to avoid leaders among the
inmate population from making plans, and to act before
hostages can be separated.
Two key elements of the tactical strike
• Preparation
• Tactical Intelligence (location of hostages, inmate plans, etc.)

The Tactical Solution (Riot Squad Maneuver)
This option does not seek to take advantage of the element of
surprise.
It is a show of force that is designed to divide, isolate, and
intimidate the rioting inmates.
It involves a controlled entry into the riot area with a well armed
cadre of correctional officers and/or State Police.
They move as a group, and carry mostly non-lethal weapons. It is
hoped that such a show of force will compel inmates to
discontinue their riot. If not, then inmates will be divided, isolated,
and restrained by force.

The Negotiation Solution
Negotiating with rioting inmates can be attempting as DIRECT
NEGOTIATIONS by prison staff, or as THIRD-PARTY NEGOTIATIONS
led by an objective negotiator that may even be requested by
the inmates. They may be religious leaders, media personnel, or
lawyers/ advocates involved in prison reform efforts.
This option should not begin until there is some semblance of
leadership among the inmates, either an individual or committee.
It is important that negotiators not be prison staff in positions of
authority, such as wardens, asst. wardens, or commanders.

The Negotiation Solution
Third-party negotiators can play several roles…
• Initiators of conversation – When inmates refuse an dialogue
with prison staff, a third-party negotiator may be effective at
initiating real dialogue and moving it toward a resolution.
• Guarantors to a Promise – They may serve as a witness to
bolster the inmates’ trust in agreements reached with prison staff.
• Mediators – They may take the lead role in negotiations.
• Government bargaining chips – If the inmates demand a third-
party negotiator, such an agreement may be used to bargain for
the release of hostages.

The Cycle of Negotiation
• The inmates will typically begin with exaggerated demands.
The more leverage they have by holding hostages or threatening
to destroy property, the more exaggerated the demands will be.
•During the initial phase negotiators will be careful not to give in
to demands, nor make counter-offers. Their goal will be to get the
inmates to think in a realistic manner. Once they do, then they
can proceed in one of three directions.
1. Bargaining: The give-and-take of demands and counter-demands to reach
mutual agreements.
2. Problem-solving: Working to resolve the inmates’ immediate problems to
allow them an out to their predicament. Useful in a spontaneous riot when
hostages are taken for no apparent reason but panic.
3. Situation Management: When the focus is to de-escalate an active and fluid
crisis to get to a point where negotiations can begin.

The Cycle of Negotiation
One of the tasks of the negotiator is know when an IMPASSE has
been reached, and effective negotiations are no longer possible.
At this point the negotiator will likely issue an ULTIMATUM.
• Use-of-force ultimatum
Rioters must surrender control immediately or else be subjected to an
overwhelming amount of force as riot squad members move in. This
ultimatum must be used with caution if hostages are being held.
• Issue ultimatum
When an impasse is reached on a particular issue, then the negotiators
will announce that the issue is dead and no longer open to discussion. It
is hoped that such an ultimatum will cause the inmates to think more
rationally.

The Waiting Solution
Involves simply waiting out the inmates. One unavoidable reality
is that they have no place to go. Best option when there are no
hostages or danger to other inmates.
• Passive Waiting: Prison officials make no effort to increase the
discomfort of the inmates. They provide ample food and water,
and respond to inmate needs. Negotiators refuse to discuss
issues.
• Active Waiting: Prison administrators do make an effort increase
the discomfort of the inmates. They may refuse food and water,
cut off electricity, or pipe in loud continuous music in an effort to
make sleep difficult. They may do this in conjunction with limited
negotiations, or they may avoid any negotiations at all.

Prison riots can turn into very deadly events due to the chaotic nature of
these crises. They can result in hostages being taken, inmates being
harmed or killed, and significant amounts of property damage.
There are numerous types of riots, each with different motivations and
dangers. They include the Grievance, Retaliation, Power, Symbolic, and
Spontaneous riots.
Prison staff can take one of three approaches to de-escalating a prison
riot; the “tactical” solution, the “negotiating” solution, and the “waiting”
solution. Which one they take will depend on how much leverage the
inmates have, especially in terms of hostages.
CHAPTER SUMMARY
13.1
13.2
13.4
During a riot the phenomenon of “deindividuation” often occurs, and
participants set aside their individual values and systems of control in
favor the values and goals of the larger group.
13.3

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Many prison riots take place because of the freedom
inmates are given to roam and congregate in places like
the prison yard and cafeteria. Should inmates be allowed
such freedoms, or do you believe they should be isolated
from each other for the duration of their incarceration?
2. Should gang affiliation be allowed inside a prison? Or
should members of the same gang be housed in separate
areas of the prison and not be allowed to intermingle?
3. Discuss ways in which you believe a prison could me made
riot-proof.

Chapter Thirteen

Recomendados

Recomendados

Mais conteúdo relacionado

Mais procurados

Mais procurados (20)

Destaque

Destaque (11)

Semelhante a Chapter Thirteen

Semelhante a Chapter Thirteen (20)

Mais de William Harmening

Mais de William Harmening (17)

Chapter Thirteen