Corrections Community

Our agency went to Direct Supervision in 1999.  Prior to transition into the new facility, officers feared Stockholm Syndrome, due to the Direct Supervision Management Philosophy.  Recently someone asked me if there had been any studies done on Direct Supervision Jails, nationwide; what Supervisors would look for if an officer was developing the syndrome.   Does anyone have any statistics re: Direct Supervision and Stockholm Syndrome, including Post rotation, hours of work, etc.

 Any updated information?

Well, I don't have any updated information but I do have questions. 

We will soon be transitioning into a new facility that will have some areas of direct supervision si I am interested in your post.  Are you saying that sometimes the correctional officers themselves develope Stockholm Syndrome?  I need more information.

I can understand the concerns your staff may have with working directly with the inmate population but I don’t believe that the Stockholm syndrome should be one of them.  

The Stockholm syndrome is a psychological response sometimes seen in an abducted hostage, in which the hostage exhibits loyalty to the hostage-taker, in spite of the danger (or at least risk) in which the hostage has been placed. Stockholm syndrome is also sometimes discussed in reference to other situations with similar tensions, such as battered person syndrome, rape cases, child abuse cases, and kidnapping.  Staff and inmate involvement is usually motivated because of an unmet need such as greed or lust.  Often this need is taken advantage of by a manipulative inmate but can sometimes be initiated by a staff member. 

However, employees that become personally or romantically involved with inmates reflect a relatively small percentage of staff and with training and accountability this number will remain small.  Staff should be trained how to supervise inmates, how to manage inmate behavior, how to maintain their (staff) professionalism and then should be held accountable for conduct that is not professional. 

NIC has several programs that can help your staff meet the challenge that this move will cause, including Inmate Behavior Management and Staff Sexual Involvement with Inmates.  I recommend that you contact the NIC Jails Division and talk to either Kris Keller or Virginia Hutchinson.  I would also recommend that staff be provided the following resources:

·              The Art of the Con: Avoiding Inmate Manipulation by Gary Cornelius;

·              Inside the Criminal Mind by Stanton E. Samenow, PH.D.; and

·              Working with Manipulative Inmates by American Correctional Association

I have worked for the Department of Corrections for over 25 years, half of which has been working in a direct supervision style correctional facility.  While it is natural to be a little apprehensive about working directly with inmates, the reality is that with proper training and good inmate management techniques it is a sound supervision strategy. 

Ed Yahnig
Missouri Department of Corrections

The problems with Direct Supervision occur when the new jurisdictions building the new facility do not plan and train properly. Here is a link to a report by the New York Commission of Corrections outlining the disatrous results that Renssaelar County had opening there new Direct Supervision facility.

http://www.sccoa.net/files/nyscoc_rc.pdf this file is about 5mb. and needs Acrobat Reader.

Also,you may want to check out Richard Wener's "Effectiveness of the Direct Supervision System of Correctional Design and Management". This report is a long term study on Direct Supervision at a number of facilities. I don't have a link for this, but if you Google it, I'm sure you can find it easily. If you can't, let me know and I'll dig up a copy.

I think the biggest mistake that a department can make entering into a Direct Supervision Model is to do it for the wrong reasons. The over-all, long term costs may be less, but there is a substanial investment in staff and your facility that needs to be made upfront.

What I am saying is that initially (before the facility was opened), Stockholm Syndrome is something the pre-Direct Supervision staff was concerned about moving from a linear jail to barrier-free and constant inmate contact.  However, through training, our facility was successfully opened under  Direct Supervision Management and continues to thrive. 

One of our Supervisors was wondering if any data had been collected nationally, since we opened, that gives any credence to the staff's original concerns. 

I believe the above two posts are helpful to investigate.