Current prison management models strictly prohibit inmates from assisting with prison administration or governance. This is feasible in developed countries where governments can provide adequate resources, security, and personnel. It is not, however, realistic in developing countries like the Philippines, which is characterized by poverty, corruption, and underresourcing of correctional facilities. In such circumstances, inmate leaders tend to share governance with prison administrators. Despite occurring out of necessity, not by design, this system normalizes social conditions within a prison. This article examines the ramifications of such a shared governance model for correctional management by means of ethnographic research.
Textbooks on research methods generally emphasize the need to collect data with high validity, reliability, and in the case of qualitative research, authenticity. Yet, field research often poses unanticipated challenges, particularly when the research is conducted in less-than-welldocumented milieus. This article outlines field challenges encountered by the authors when doing a qualitative study of a slum community in the Philippines. Acceptable Western standards for gaining entry into a research community, for participating in local community life, and for the language and dress code used in the field had to be re-evaluated by the authors according to the prevailing Filipino cultural norms and the norms used in the local slum community. Lessons learned in this research can inform those doing qualitative research generally, but particularly those considering research in non-Western cultures.Textbooks on research methods generally emphasize the need to collect data with high validity, reliability, and in the case of qualitative research, authenticity. Currently, a number of textbooks suggest different protocols on the optimal ways to achieve validity, reliability, and authenticity in qualitative data collection (Denzin and Lincoln
Utilizing intensive interview data from inmates in one of the most overcrowded and underresourced jails in Metro Manila, Philippines, this article explores the origins and roles of inmate pangkats (a derivative of gangs) in jail management. Responding to institutional deficiencies, such as police misconduct and court case delays, and structural shortages, such as lack of space, operational resources, and personnel, this article investigates how the pangkats supplement jail management and help keep the jail operations afloat. Specifically, this article documents how the pangkats put out fires: their intricate roles in mitigating pains of imprisonment, conflict mediation, order maintenance, and instilling discipline among their members. This article also details the emergence of a give-and-take relationship that develops between and among the pangkats and jail officials that are reflective of the Philippine sociocultural realities. Implications to theory on prison community and policy on gang management in a developing country context are discussed.
Supermax prisons have substantially increased in popularity during the last 20 years. This article presents an examination of the current state of knowledge on supermax prisons, in terms of both case law and criminal justice research, to assess the potential future of these facilities. Three research questions are posed: (a) What does the academic community know or not know about supermax prisons? (b) How have U.S. courts ruled in supermax prison litigation? and (c) Do current supermax case law and research indicate that their administration, existence, and operation will change in the near future?
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