Clemmer, Donald

Working in Corrections

Clemmer served as the first director of the District of Columbia's Department of Corrections in 1946 until his untimely death on September 18, 1965. Before obtaining this position, Clemmer also worked more than 15 years in Illinois prisons, the [Page 138]federal penitentiary in Atlanta, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

During his time in the District of Columbia, Clemmer was always in search of new ways to rehabilitate inmates in the hope that they would not return to prison. Clemmer's philosophy was emphasized in the Personnel Handbook for the Department of Corrections in 1949, “That is, while custody and discipline may be regarded as of importance, so also is training of inmates wherever possible, as well as their proper feeding, clothing, and medical care” (Oakey, 1988, p. 173). Clemmer was also instrumental in increasing the number of psychologists and psychiatrists on the staff of the Department of Corrections and he served as a strong advocate for the treatment of addictions such as alcoholism. He was hailed as a humanitarian when he abolished the use of “the hole” or solitary confinement as a form of punishment. During Clemmer's reign, there were very few problems at his facilities, which many attribute to his humane treatment of the inmates and staff.

The Prison Community

The Prison Community was based on many years of research at the Illinois State Penitentiary. Its central idea, known as prisonization, is described by Clemmer as a process by which an individual will take on the traditions, moral attitudes, customs, and culture of the penitentiary population. According to Clemmer, prisonization occurs to all inmates, to varying degrees, immediately upon entering the prison doors and explains why individuals take on the language, dress, inferior position, and rules of prison life to survive. Whether individuals will completely assimilate to the prison culture occurs depends on many factors including their personality types, the length of the sentence to be served, their relationships with family and friends outside of prison life, and their desire to isolate themselves from prison groups.

According to Clemmer, inmates adapt to life in prison by relinquishing self-esteem and independence to the prison system. Prisoners are known by numbers rather than name, they give up their clothing for a prison uniform, and they assume a subordinate role to prison staff. Paradoxically, the essential qualities inmates surrender are necessary for their later successful reintegration into the community upon release. Consequently, the degree to which people assimilate to their life inside prison affects the chances the inmate has in being reintegrated into society upon release.

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