Prisons and the Problem of Order Richard Sharks, Anthony Bottoms and Will Hay Clarendon Press, 1996; £45 hbk
| DOI | 10.1177/026455059604300413 |
| Published date | 01 December 1996 |
| Date | 01 December 1996 |
| Author | Mary Anne McFarlane |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
222
Secondly,
it
is
very
creative,
helping
to
demonstrate
how
much
material
can
be
generated
by
the
simplest
exchange,
whether
in
person
or
on
the
telephone,
whilst
reminding
us
all
what
a
complex
business
human
interaction
can
be
and
the
number
of
skills
that
come
into
play.
Thirdly,
it
is
very
thorough
and,
on
the
whole,
it
does
not
duck
the
difficult,
but
really
grapples
with
some
of
the
knottier
problems
that
evidence
hunting
can
bring.
Lastly,
it
manages
to
find
a
voice
that
speaks
to
students,
practice
teachers
and
tutors
alike
and
renders
the
horror
of
turning
practice
into
evidence
whilst
remaining
a
sane
human
being
and
a
reflective
practitioner
infinitely
possible.
This
material
will
be
invaluable
to
anyone
working
with
social
work
students
and
I
can
imagine
them
all
sleeping
with
it
under
their
pillows.
Buy
it
now
while
stocks
last.
Brynna
Kroll
Senior
Lecturer
in
Criminal
Justice
Studies,
Brunel
University
College
Prisons
and
the
Problem
of
Order
Richard
Sharks,
Anthony
Bottoms
and
Will
Hay
Clarendon
Press,
1996;
£45
hbk
The
research
on
which
this
book
is
based
was
commissioned
by
the
Home
Office
and
took
place
between
April
1988
and
March
1989
in
HMI~s
Albany
and
Long
Lartin.
The
publication
is
timely
as
the
authors
have
produced
a
most
authoritative
account
of
the
complexities
surrounding
prison
order.
This
is
an
important
addition
to
the
library
of
any
organisation
that
has
a
connection
with
prisons.
At
the
centre
of
their
thesis
is
the
notion
of
legitimacy
and
its
connection
with
the
problem
of
order
in
prison.
A
prison
regime
which
is
seen
as
fair
in
its
facilities
and
judgements
seems
less
likely
to
suffer
severe
disorder.
However,
there
is
no
one
way
to
achieve
this.
Neither
the
’tight
ship’
not
the
’inmate
power’
model
are
the
answer,
which
lies
more
in
the
subtle
blend of
relationships,
routines
and
exchanges
which
are
unique
to
each
time
period
and
setting.
Some
of
the
literature
on
social
order
in
prisons
is
examined
and
challenged
for
assumptions
about
the
key
players
and
their
roles
and
behaviour.
They
trace
individualistic
explanations
of
disorder,
with
a
brief
break
around
Woolf
of
situational
and
contextual
theories,
and
then
a
return
to
the
focus
on
the
individual
who
must
be
controlled
(present
policy
and
described
as
deeply
flawed).
Modern
prison
managerialism
is
said
to
be
an
ambiguous
phenomenon
which
can
improve
standards
but
also
obscure
the
complexity
of
social
relations
and
the
exercise
of
power.
In
an
interesting
section
on
risk
management,
the
balance
between
care
and
control
is
delicate
and
some
aspects
of
the
regime
can
be
crucial
to
breakdown
of
order
if
suddenly
withdrawn
(~g
gym
and
visits):
the
’perverse
outcomes
of
control
measures’.
The
authors
build
up
a
concept
of
order
as
a
pattern,
particularly
of
’social
practices
ordered
across
space
and
time’
(Giddens).
These
will
differ
not
only
between
but
inside
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