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Correctional change and the social scientist: A case study
Author(s) -
Brodsky Stanley L.
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.585
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1520-6629
pISSN - 0090-4392
DOI - 10.1002/1520-6629(198204)10:2<128::aid-jcop2290100205>3.0.co;2-k
Subject(s) - complaint , negotiation , punishment (psychology) , context (archaeology) , action (physics) , criminology , psychology , class action , political science , balance (ability) , law , social psychology , history , state (computer science) , physics , archaeology , algorithm , quantum mechanics , neuroscience , computer science
A class action suit filed on behalf of the confined youths at the Mayaguez, Puerto Rico Industrial School alleged that the school environment was inhumane, that the care was harsh and inadequate, and that no meaningful treatment services were available. Two psychological assessments of the school concluded that severe punishment was present, with harmful consequences for the emotionally vulnerable youths. Six years after the complaint was filed and three years after the first assessment, the school remained unchanged. This institutional inertia was considered in the context of the pretrial negotiations, judicial caution, and the balance of forces that mobilize or impede change in correctional institutions.