Maximum Security Prison
Penal institution designed and operated with the principal goal of preventing escape and avoiding violence on the part of prisoners, virtually to the exclusion of rehabilitation or other programs
Medium Security Prison
Penal institutions with emphasis on control and custody, but not to the exclusion of rehabilitative or other programs
Minimum Security Prison
Penal institution allowing inmates and visitors internal freedom of movement and program participation consistent with incarceration
Classification
Process that consists of regular procedures through which the custodial, treatment, vocational, and educational needs of each prisoner are determined
Deprivation Model
Explanation of prison subculture that suggests norms, language, roles, and traditions are developed in the prison to help prisoners adjust to the pains of imprisonment
Prisonization
Socialization process in which new prisoners learn the ways of prison society, including rules, hierarchy, customs, and culture
Inmate Code
Informal set of rules that reflect the values of the prison society
Prison Argot
Unique vocabulary used by prisoners
Hustling
Inmate activity that involves obtaining goods and services that are unavailable through legitimate channels
Importation Model
Explanation of prison subculture that suggests norms, language, roles, and traditions are brought into the prison from outside the walls
Reformation
Voluntary, self-initiated transformation of an individual lacking in social or vocational skills into a productive, normally functioning citizen
Rehabilitation
Punishment philosophy that asserts that through proper correctional intervention, a criminal can be reformed into a law-abiding citizen
Recidivism
Repeated or habitual relapses into criminal behavior
Probation
Alternative to imprisonment, allowing a person found guilty of an offense to stay in the community, under conditions and with supervision
Probation Officer
Officer attached to the trial court who is responsible for administering the court's probation program
Parole
Supervised conditional release of a convicted prisoner before expiration of the sentence of imprisonment
Parole Board
Group of citizens, usually appointed by the governor of a state, who determine the eligibility of prisoners for release from prison and the dates for their release from prison and from parole
Parole Hearing
Meeting held by members of the parole board to decide whether prisoners will be granted parole
Revocation of Parole
Return of a person on parole to prison for violation of a parole condition
Parole Officer
Officer of the executive branch of government responsible for the supervision of convicts released from prison on parole
Good Time System
System under which time is deducted from a prison sentence for good behavior within the institution
Pardon
Release from the legal penalties of an offense
Conditional Pardon
Pardon that depends on the fulfillment of specified conditions
Restitution
Compensation (normally court-ordered) on the part of an offender to the victim, or a victim substitute, for any losses or harm inflicted, usually in money or services
Restorative Justice
Model of Justice, opposed to retributive justice, aimed at the offender's contribution to offset the harm done, including reconciliation with victims
Intensive Supervision Probation (ISP)
Alternative to prison for convicted nonviolent offenders who do not qualify for routine probation; probation subject to stringent supervision
Shock Probation
Sentence that allows for brief incarceration followed by probation, in an effort to induce law abidance by shocking the offender
Shock Incarceration
Short term of incarceration that subjects offenders to hard work, intense drills, and other character-building exercises
Halfway House
Residential correctional facility in which an offender may have to serve the last portion of his or her sentence outside prison, but not yet in the community
House Arrest
Sentence in which convicts are confined to their own residence in lieu of imprisonment in an institution
Electronic Monitoring
Computer-assisted checks on offender's movement to ensure that he or she is not going to places in violation of restrictions
Community Service Order
Sanction in which the sentencing judge orders the convict to perform any of a range of services to the community