Race, Rights, and Order in Prison: A National Survey of Wardens on the Racial Integration of Prison Cells

Recently in the state of Ohio, there has been a controversy over whether inmates who share cells in state correctional institutions should be of the same race or should be assigned to cells regardless of their race. Some observers have attributed the 1993 riot at Lucasville to attempts to racially integrate prison cells; others reject this claim. There is little understanding, however, of what policies are followed in major correctional institutions in other states. We conducted a national survey of prison wardens at maximum security institutions to learn more about this important policy issue. The findings from this research have yielded some similarities across states. However, the results also indicate that few wardens are aware of the policies in place at other facilities and of policies held by their state departments of corrections.