Jeffrey Williams Criminal Justice Summary

Before his time as a professor at a university, Jeffrey Williams worked as guard at the New York State correctional prison. He spent most of his time working at Downstate Correction Facility in Fishkill, New York. The prison had a “campus” style in which cluster of cells were arranged in horseshoe shape, rather than long rows. This style seemingly permitted for a more pleasing environment with less chaos. Williams writes that most of the prisoners in Downstate Correction Facility are serving for a felony offense and therefore have lengthy sentences. Prior to becoming an officer at the penitentiary, Williams attended a 12 week training academy in Albany, New York. In the early morning, the future guards had exercise training while taking classes throughout the rest of the day. The academy functioned like a military camp as wake up was at 6 a.m. with a couple mile run, the bed had to be made with crisp corners, personal items neatly stowed in locker, and having short hair and clean shaven face. One class that the officers had to take included rudimentary psychology. This class taught the future officers how to communicate with an angry inmate. Though Williams was trained how to shoot a gun, …show more content…
The e-text explains that in early England, the most serious crime was against royalty. If someone was accused of offending royalty, it was called a felonial. Today in the United States the most serious crime an individual can commit is a felony, the name in which was adopted from England. This relates to Williams experience at the prison as it housed only criminals charged of a felony. Additionally, the e-text discusses the four contemporary ways the United States punishes its’ criminals. Obviously, incarceration is a common punishment. It restricts criminals’ access to the public, as they are confined in a secure