What Prison Guards Think: A Profile of the Illinois Force

Abstract

This article examines the results of a survey conducted among 929 in- service Illinois prison guards between July 1974 and October 1975. A demographic profile of the Illinois guards reveals the age, race, education, experience, and cultural background of the force as a whole. Question naire data reveal the prison guards' attitudes toward their career, the nature of the job, superior officers and other personnel, the moral worth of prisoners, the causes of criminality, and the purposes of imprisonment. The final section of the article considers the policy implications of the survey.