Bench and Allen (2003) examined whether prison classification actually affects inmate behavior by conducting an experiment with maximum security prisoners at Utah State Prison. Describe the experiment.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

An Experiment in Action: Prison Classification and Inmate Behavior
There is wide variability in the criteria used to classify prisoners across the United States. Regardless of how these classifications are made, once these labels are assigned, they have the effect that all labels have: They attach various stigmas and expectations to prisoners. Bench and Allen (2003) state,
An offender classified as maximum security instantly obtains an image of one who is hard to handle, disrespectful of authority, prone to fight with other inmates, and at a high risk for escape. In contrast, an offender classified as medium security is generally regarded as more manageable, less of an escape risk, and not requiring as much supervision as a maximum-security offender.
To examine whether prison classification actually affects inmate behavior, Bench and Allen (2003) obtained a random sample of 200 inmates admitted to the Utah State Prison who had been classified as maximum security following their initial assessment based on the following criteria: severity of current crime, expected length of incarceration, criminal violence history, escape history, prior institutional commitment, age, history of institutional adjustment, and substance abuse history.
From this group, inmates were randomly assigned to either an experimental group, in which inmates were reclassified to medium-security status, or a control group, in which inmates retained their maximum-security status. The independent variable, then, was security classification. The dependent variable was the number of disciplinary infractions or sanctions for violation of prison rules received by each group. The severity of infractions was weighted to control for the severity of the violations (e.g., possession of unauthorized food was weighted lower than assaulting another inmate). The primary hypothesis was that the experimental group, those reclassified as medium security, would have a lower number of disciplinary infractions compared with the control group, the inmates who retained their maximum-security classification. A diagram depicting the experiment is provided in Exhibit 6.6. Results indicated that inmates reclassified to medium security did not receive a lower number of infractions; both groups received about the same number of disciplinary infractions, regardless of security classification.