to impose restrictions upon a recalcitrant person, but if this is done beyond approved measures, it
ceases to be constructive and becomes counterproductive.
d. The dignity of the individual will be respected in the handling of military prisoners.
Overemphasis and preoccupation concerning custody, repressive regimentation, and degradation in
the handling of military prisoners is prohibited. Experience shows that belittling or harassing only
creates more hostility.
e. Internment Resettlement Specialist and all other personnel assigned to operate and
administer facilities will be selected IAW uniform criteria as established in applicable regulations.
They will be specifically trained in procedures and techniques concerning leadership. Assuming
such duties, they will be fully oriented to ensure complete understanding of the mission, objectives,
and policies established by all applicable regulations. The purpose of this is to ensure that personnel
assigned to confinement and correctional duties are well trained in all requisite elements of their
jobs.
12. Experience in applying the mission, objectives, and policies covered in this lesson have
led to the formation of several philosophies, or beliefs, that apply to successful correctional
treatment. Acceptance of these philosophies will put the mind in the proper frame of reference to
apply the knowledge of correctional treatment.
13. All behavior has a purpose and a history. No one ever commits an act, criminal or not,
just for the sake of it or for no reason at all. One eats to satisfy hunger. One works or steals to
satisfy the need for money. Virtually every act one performs, major or minor, has a purpose. By
observing a person's behavior, it is possible to achieve an understanding of the needs and perhaps
problems. A person's behavior is a reflection of his attitudes and beliefs. A big help to those
working in corrections is not only the knowledge that behavior has a purpose, but also that, in most
cases, behavior repeats itself or has a history. We have found by studies that the man who enters
the Army with a history of problems with authority, perhaps reflected by a police arrest record, will
probably continue to have these same problems. The person who habitually runs away from
problems will probably continue this pattern, perhaps by going AWOL. But on the positive side, a
man who enters the Army with a history of abiding within the standards and laws of civilian life
will, in all probability, serve in an honorable manner and never be found in a confinement and
correctional facility.
14. Another basic belief is that each person is the result of his total life's experience. Life
in itself is a learning experience, and a person's attitudes, goals, and behavior are influenced by what
he experiences in life and the environment in which he lives. The inner city resident does not think
or act like the mid-western farmer, not because of a difference in intelligence, but because of a
difference in experience. The inner city resident lives in an environment characterized by low
income and poor living, and beliefs are shaped by his experiences. This fact is not important to a
correctional officer's standards, but attempts should be made to understand how the prisoner will act
under the circumstances.
15. Individuals have the capacity to change. This belief, coupled with those in the previous
paragraph, is the basis for the entire correctional program. Even if the belief that a person can
change is not accepted, one must accept the world experiences undergone in one's own life. Some
of these experiences may have been education, marriage, religion, financial hardship, military
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