Edinburgh Research Archive

View Item 
  •   DSpace Home
  • Social and Political Sciences, School of
  • Sociology
  • Sociology thesis and dissertation collection
  • View Item
  •   DSpace Home
  • Social and Political Sciences, School of
  • Sociology
  • Sociology thesis and dissertation collection
  • View Item
    • Login
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    The organisational development of the Scottish Prison Service with particular reference to the role and influence of the prison officer

    Download
    Coyle1986Full.pdf (14.04Mb)
    Coyle1986.pdf (14.03Mb)
    Date
    1986-04
    Author
    Coyle, Andrew G.
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Abstract
    This thesis argues that the Prison Service, while it has several unique features, is a bureaucratic structure with a typical mix of organisational strengths and weaknesses. The study of the development of the organisation of the Scottish Prison Service is, therefore, as possible and as proper as is the study of any large organisation. The first substantive chapter of the thesis analyses the historical development of the Scottish Prison Service within an organisational context. This has taken place in 3 main phases, the first two of which were sequential, the third less obviously so and more the result of the increasing involvement of central bureaucratic processes. Historically the Scottish prison system has been properly located within the criminal justice process and throughout the first 100 years of its modem existence the judiciary and the legal establishment played a central role in its development. The first phase or its history covers the years between 1835 and 1877 when it was taken progressively under central control. Particular attention is paid to William Brebner, the founding father of the Scottish prison system, and to the place of the General Prison at Perth. The second historical phase covers the tenure of office of the Scottish Prison Commission between 1877 and 1929. The significance of the Elgin Report of 1900, which has not previously been the subject of research, is described. The third phase of development which began in 1929 and continues today-has attempted to take the prison system out of the criminal justice process and to place it inappropriately within the mainstream of the administrative Civil Service. The thesis analyses the reasons for this and suggests that this structural change, rather than any lack of resources, is responsible for many of the present difficulties facing the Prison Service. The second substantive chapter of the thesis examines the place of the prison system within the sociology of organisations. By definition, an organisation can have only one primary goal. A feature of bureaucratic organisations is that those who work within them will not be satisfied with a single objective and are likely to develop secondary goals. One consequence of the location of the prison system within the mainstream of the civil service has been an emphasis on the secondary goals of imprisonment, principally that of rehabilitation, to the neglect of the primary goal which is the punishment involved in the deprivation of liberty for the length of time laid down by the court. A second consequence is the influence which staff are able to exert on the development of the service. The manner in which the trade unionism of prison staff has evolved in Scotland makes this area particularly worthy of study; an important and topical example is the control of difficult prisoners. The Thesis suggests that the management of the Scottish Prison Service is more participative in style than either the Official or the Staff Side recognise. Throughout the thesis many of the arguments presented are given support by responses to a questionnaire which was issued to serving members of staff and which is fully documented into appendices.
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/1842/7557
    Collections
    • Sociology thesis and dissertation collection

    Related items

    Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.

    • Mentally disordered offenders : an evaluation of the "open doors" programme at HM Prison, Barlinnie 

      Bartlett, Katherine Louise Holman (The University of Edinburgh, 2000-12-06)
      This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a programme which aims to support and manage mentally disordered offenders in HM Prison, Barlinnie. The following hypotheses were tested: 1. Significant levels of ...
    • The future of imprisonment in Scotland: a great leap forward? 

      Adler, Michael; Longhurst, Brian (Unit for the Study of Government in Scotland, University of Edinburgh, 1991)
    • Managing prisons using a ‘business-like approach: a case study of the Scottish Prison Service 

      Sangkhanate, Assanee (The University of Edinburgh, 2012-06-26)
      The primary aim of this research is to examine the extent which prison management has been influenced by New Public Management (NPM). Much has been written about the growing influence of NPM on public services like health, ...

    Privacy & Cookies | Takedown Policy | Accessibility | Contact
    Privacy & Cookies
    Takedown Policy
    Accessibility
    Contact
     

     

    Browse

    All of DSpaceCommunities & CollectionsIssue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsPublication TypeSponsorThis CollectionIssue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsPublication TypeSponsor

    My Account

    LoginRegister

    Privacy & Cookies | Takedown Policy | Accessibility | Contact
    Privacy & Cookies
    Takedown Policy
    Accessibility
    Contact