U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Practical Law for Correctional Personnel - A Resource Manual and Training Curriculum

NCJ Number
78262
Author(s)
E O'Brien; M Fisher; D T Austern
Date Published
1981
Length
263 pages
Annotation
This textbook gives basic instruction in law development and enforcement, legal rights and liabilities of correctional personnel, prisoner's rights, and the general workings of the criminal justice system. It provides application to practical problems of correctional officers.
Abstract
Topics of particular emphasis include the court's role in correctional administration, the correctional officer's right to use deadly and nondeadly force against inmates, and the correctional officer's involvement in civil law suits. Case studies and discussion questions about daily problems accompany the main text, which also covers pertinent issues such as legal liability in incidents of escape, fire, and inmates' needs for medical treatment; injuries and losses to correctional personnel and compensation for such losses; and job discrimination and employee unions from a legal standpoint. Officers are taught the basic rights of prisoners regarding freedom of speech, religion, association, and the press; searches and privacy issues; access to the courts; freedom from cruel and unusual punishment; and equal protection of the laws. Finally, the overview of the criminal justice process covers arrest, search and seizure, the trial, sentencing, and postconviction relief. Each chapter contains references. A glossary of legal terms, specific amendments to the Constitution, answers to problems introduced in the chapters, a list of associations that provide criminal justice standards, and the American Medical Association's models for health care delivery in jails are appended. Footnotes, charts, photographs, and an index are supplied.