Introduction
In California prisons, administrative segregation is applied to control safety as well as prisoners who are disruptive within the jurisdiction. This control involves inmates being excluded from association with others and is in accordance with the enforcement act that governs the segregation. This segregation is important because it prevents an inmate from escaping if it is found necessary and also ensures the inmates does not engage in criminal and violent activities in order to ensure maximum security among all the inmates. The exercise is also carried when the prison officers are conducting a general health check-up in order to prevent any form of dangerous infection. (DiIulio, 1990)
Main body
Administrative segregation is also important when the officers observes that, some inmates show gross impermissible behavior that is frequently repeated and is obviously a threat to a regular association with other prisoners. The exercise is guided by a forward oriented assessment and therefore should not be taken as a penal reaction. There is no limit for how long the segregation should last but if a prisoner has been segregated for more than four weeks, it is a requirement for the segregation department to be informed according to the regulation set up by the California ministry of justice. A prisoner undergoing segregation is not allowed to associate with other inmates and is therefore transferred to a special room in a unit specially designed for him/her or in a local prison. The director heading such an institution may decide to restrict the rights of the inmates to bring in personal items. However, the prisoner being segregated deserves all the rights entitled in accordance with segregation such as occupation that includes work as well as education. He/she also deserves right to relax in the open air and join religious services as long as his/her attendance does not create any problem regarding security of the congregation. (Bosworth, 2002)
According to (DiIulio, 1990 pp35-37), “In California, although the initiative is regarded as a noble idea in ensuring other inmates as well as the victim of administrative segregation are save, the exercise has been identified with several repeated failures due to lack of compliance with the set policies in the department.” Some inmates are retained in the segregation longer than it is necessary and this significantly increases operating cost. It is believed that, if the exercise would be better management, this cost would be reduced with about $10.9 million annually. The process of segregation is a process that is complex and is characterized by myriad procedures but some prisons are not able to follow these rules and such violation impact negatively on the entire department.
The tax payer is oppressed whenever the department has lost a law suit because of the claims made by an inmate as a result of being delayed in the segregation. Whenever an inmate has threatened safety in the prison, the prison staffs are required to evaluate the level of insecurity while the inmate is isolated in a segregation room. However, in some prisons, policies are often violated and the prisoner is denied due process and therefore he/she cannot access timely release. This causes a significant burden of housing prisoners because it is estimated that, the cost of maintaining one inmate in segregation exceeds that of housing the general population as this requires extra officers and cells. Segregation in California prisons therefore serves a useful purpose only when it is properly managed. (Maghan, 1999)
References
DiIulio J. (1990): Governing prisons: A comparative study of correctional management: Free Press pp 34-37.
Maghan J. (1999): Dangerous inmate’s Maximum security incarceration in the state prison systems of the United States: Elsevier pp 26-30.
Bosworth M. (2002): The US federal prison system: Sage Publications Inc pp 17-21.