Showing papers on "Prison published in 1996"
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used prison overcrowding litigation in a state as an instrument for changes in the prison population and found that the social benefits associated with crime reduction equal or exceed the social costs of incarceration for the marginal prisoner.
Abstract: Simultaneity between prisoner populations and crime rates makes it difficult to isolate the causal effect of changes in prison populations on crime. To break that simultaneity, this paper uses prison overcrowding litigation in a state as an instrument for changes in the prison population. The resulting elasticities are two to three times greater than those of previous studies. A one-prisoner reduction is associated with an increase of fifteen Index I crimes per year. While calculations of the costs of crime are inherently uncertain, it appears that the social benefits associated with crime reduction equal or exceed the social costs of incarceration for the marginal prisoner.
622 citations
TL;DR: A factor analysis of symptom statistics collected through answers from a study representative of the entire Swedish workforce showed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as the plausible diagnosis as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Psychosocial research on mobbing is currently being carried out in a number of countries, mainly in Europe. Mobbing is defined as an extreme social stressor at workplaces. In this article, its serious mental and psychosomatic health consequences are demonstrated and discussed. A factor analysis of symptom statistics collected through answers from a study representative of the entire Swedish workforce showed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as the plausible diagnosis. In addition, 64 patients subjected to mobbing at their work places are diagnosed with the co-operation of a rehabilitation clinic specializing in the treatment of chrome PTSD. The statistical analysis of these 64 diagnoses shows a severe degree of PTSD, with mental effects fully comparable with PTSD from war or prison camp experiences.
620 citations
TL;DR: High rates of substance abuse, psychiatric disorder, and psychological distress associated with exposure to traumatic events suggest that women in prison have a need for treatment for substance abuse and other mental health problems.
Abstract: Background: No unbiased estimates of the rates of psychiatric disorder among women prison inmates are available. Nonetheless, available data suggest that some psychiatric disorders are prevalent in this population. The objective of the study was to determine the rates, risk factors, and outcomes of specific psychiatric disorders among women prison inmates. Methods: A virtual census of women felons (N=805) entering prison in North Carolina was assessed using in-person interviews. Assessments were conducted for 8 disorders, using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview as the primary assessment measure. For validation purposes, one quarter of the inmates were reassessed for 2 of these disorders, using structured clinical interviews. Results: Inmates were found to have high rates of substance abuse and dependence and antisocial and borderline personality disorders compared with women in community epidemiologic studies. Rates among inmates were also somewhat elevated for mood disorders but not for anxiety disorders. The rate of reports of lifetime exposure to traumatic events was also high. Rates of disorder tended to be higher among white than among African American women. Conclusion: High rates of substance abuse, psychiatric disorder, and psychological distress associated with exposure to traumatic events suggest that women in prison have a need for treatment for substance abuse and other mental health problems.
444 citations
TL;DR: Mental disorder was common among male unconvicted prisoners and Psychosis was present at four or five times the level found in the general population.
Abstract: Objectives: To determine prevalence of mental disorder among male unconvicted prisoners and to assess the treatment needs of this population. Design: Semi-structured interview and case note review of randomly selected cross section of male remand population. Non-attenders were replaced by the next name on prison roll. Setting: Three young offenders9 institutions and 13 adult men9s prisons. Subjects: 750 prisoners, representing 9.4% cross sectional sample of male unconvicted population. Main outcome measures: Prevalence of ICD-10 diagnoses of mental disorder, and associated treatment needs. Results: Psychiatric disorder was diagnosed in 469 (63%) inmates. The main diagnoses were: substance misuse, 285 (38%); neurotic illness, 192 (26%); personality disorder, 84 (11%); psychosis, 36 (5%); other and uncertain, 36 (0.5%). Subjects could have more than one diagnosis. The average refusal rate was 18%. In total 414 inmates (55%) were judged to have an immediate treatment need: transfer to an NHS bed, 64 (9%); treatment by prison health care services, 131 (17%); motivational interviewing for substance misuse, 115 (15%); and therapeutic community placement, 104 (14%). Conclusions: Mental disorder was common among male unconvicted prisoners. Psychosis was present at four or five times the level found in the general population. Extrapolation of our results suggests that remand population as a whole probably contains about 680 men who need transfer to hospital for psychiatric treatment, including about 380 prisoners with serious mental illness. Key messages We conducted a survey of the point prevalence of psychiatric disorder in men remanded in custody in England and Wales and assessed their treatment needs A diagnosis of psychiatric disorder was made in 63% of those surveyed, including 5% with psychosis Over half of these prisoners were judged to have an immediate treatment need—most could be treated inside prison, but 9% needed transfer to a psychiatric bed outside prison By extrapolation, the remand population probably contains about 680 men who need transfer to hospital for psychiatric treatment, including about 380 with serious mental illness Prison treatment facilities for unconvicted prisoners need substantial expansion
273 citations
TL;DR: Not only is the prevalence of mental disorder, in particular severe mental illness, high in this population of men, but the numbers identified at reception are low and subsequent management in prison is poor.
Abstract: Objective: To define the prevalence of mental disorder and need for psychiatric treatment in new remand prisoners and to determine to what extent these are recognised and addressed in prison. Design: Study of consecutive male remand prisoners at reception using a semistructured psychiatric interview. Setting: Large remand prison for men (HMP Durham). Subjects: 569 men aged 21 years and over on remand, awaiting trial. Main outcome measures—Prevalence of mental disorder at reception, prisoners need for psychiatric treatment, identification of mental disorder by prison reception screening, and numbers placed appropriately in the prison hospital. Results: 148 (26%) men had one or more current mental disorders (excluding substance misuse) including 24 who were acutely psychotic. The prison reception screening identified 34 of the men with mental disorder and six of those with acute psychosis. 168 men required psychiatric treatment, 50 of whom required urgent intervention; 16 required immediate transfer to psychiatric hospital. Of these 50, 17 were placed on the hospital wing because of mental disorder recognised at prison screening. Conclusion: Not only is the prevalence of mental disorder, in particular severe mental illness, high in this population, but the numbers identified at reception are low and subsequent management in prison is poor. Key messages In this study in Durham prison 26% had a serious mental disorder Only about a quarter of the mentally disordered patients were recognised by the prison doctor and hospital officer Only two fifths of patients who required urgent psychiatric treatment were put into the prison hospital Improved diagnosis of psychiatric illness in prison will greatly increase the pressure on psychiatric beds
273 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the effects of political and economic determinants are investigated with measures of economic inequality, political variables, and unemployment, and the delayed effects of broken families are measured with a lagged moving average of out-of-wedlock births.
Abstract: This study examines yearly shifts in prison admissions since 1950. The effects of political and economic determinants are investigated with measures of economic inequality, political variables, and unemployment. The delayed effects of broken families are measured with a lagged moving average of out-of-wedlock births. The findings show that inequality due to the presence of the rich and past out-of-wedlock birth rates matter, but unemployment is not related to prison admissions. The strength of the Republican Party and a presidential election year dummy also explain shifts in incarcerations. The results suggest that earlier work omitted theoretically important explanations.
250 citations
TL;DR: This article found that black inmates have significantly higher rates of violent behavior but lower rates of alcohol/drug misconduct than white inmates in the federal correctional system and interpreted these findings as supporting the importation theory of prison adjustment and the subculture of violence thesis.
Abstract: Data from 58 male institutions in the federal correctional system were used to test for racial differences in both violent and alcohol/drug misconduct, controlling for a large number of individual, prison environment, and community background variables. Because “structurally” the in-prison station of black and white inmates is essentially identical, the data provide a unique methodological opportunity to test deprivation versus importation models of prison adjustment as well as more encompassing structural versus cultural theories of violence. The major findings are that, net of controls, black inmates have significantly higher rates of violent behavior but lower rates of alcohol/drug misconduct than white inmates. These patterns parallel those of racial differences in the larger society. We interpret these findings as supporting the importation theory of prison adjustment and the subculture of violence thesis regarding high rates of black violence in the larger society.
235 citations
TL;DR: This paper examined the effect of race, race and education on earnings of 1,176 men released from Georgia prisons and found that older individuals had extremely low labor market participation rates and earnings levels, even after controlling for characteristics expected to affect labor market attachment.
Abstract: Traditional human capital models suggest that age, race, and education affect individual labor market opportunities and levels of participation in crime. A unique data set containing 17 years of criminal activity and 9 years of earnings records for 1,176 men released from Georgia prisons was used to examine which demographic and criminal history characteristics affect labor market patterns among prison releasees. The examination yielded 3 main results. First, labor market participation rates and earnings levels were extremely low. Second, traditional findings on the effects of race and education on earnings levels were supported for this criminally active subset of the population. However, race and education did not affect employment rates. Employment rates of older individuals were especially low, even after controlling for characteristics expected to affect labor market attachment. Third, the amount of time incarcerated did not significantly affect earnings in the community, conditional on any employment.
125 citations
122 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined patterns of misconduct as a career path that lasted throughout one's imprisonment and provided information on whether the career develops and, if so, on the timing of stages.
Abstract: By examining patterns of misconduct as a career path that lasts throughout one's imprisonment, this article provides information on whether the career develops and, if so, on the timing of stages i...
105 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the impact of determinate sentencing laws (DSLs) on prison commitments, prison populations, and Uniform Crime Report crime rates was investigated. But, they found that DSLs are associated with prison population growth in only one state, Indiana and with major reductions in two, Minnesota and Washington.
Abstract: We estimate the impact of determinate sentencing laws (DSLs) on prison commitments, prison populations, and Uniform Crime Report crime rates. Ten states enacted these laws between 1976 and 1984; all abolished parole and most established presumptive sentences. The research uses a multiple time-series design that, among other benefits, controls for national trends and facilitates the use of control variables. We found that DSLs are clearly associated with prison population growth in only one state, Indiana, and with major reductions in two, Minnesota and Washington. The remaining laws show no evidence of increasing populations and may have reduced them somewhat. The estimated impacts on commitments are similarly varied. There is little or no evidence that DSLs affect crime. Earlier studies evaluating individual DSLs are often criticized for poor research designs, and our findings support the criticisms.
Book•
15 Jan 1996
TL;DR: Inmates, HIV, and AIDS: An Overview, an analysis of current Educational and Prevention Efforts, and Prison Personnel: Gatekeepers to Education and Prevention.
Abstract: Foreword, 1. Inmates, HIV, and AIDS: An Overview 2. AIDS and Ethnic Minority Inmates 3. An Analysis of Current Educational and Prevention Efforts 4. Prevention and Juvenile OffAnders 5. Policy Response to a Public Health Opportunity 6. A Report from the Frontline: Four Case Studies 7. Prison Personnel: Gatekeepers to Education and Prevention 8. Legal and Legislative Issues 9. Worldwide Policies and Practices 10. The Public Health Challenge Afterword
TL;DR: Foucault's work on the prison radically transformed the way social scientists conceive the institutional regulation of life as discussed by the authors, and they quickly began to reveal all the micropowers and technologies of control at work both inside and outside the criminal justice system.
Abstract: Foucault's work on the prison radically transformed the way social scientists conceive the institutional regulation of life. Drawing on Foucault's thesis about the gradual refinement and expansion of mechanisms of control and discipline in modern society, they quickly began to reveal all the micro-powers and technologies of control at work both inside and outside the criminal justice system. It soon became obvious that every attempt to reform society, to give people more freedom ineluctably becomes its opposite - a technique of domination. No matter where or when, it is the same as it ever was - social control. I challenge this thesis by demonstrating that Foucault's concept of power is not only inscribed in practices of normalization, but, most importantly, in practices of liberation. In light of his work on bio-powers and bio-politics, the constitution of the modern subject through power relations is understood in terms of a 'governmentality' that maximizes life. Hence Foucault's notion of power is better understood as a 'mechanism for life' that includes strategies of self-development that both constrain and enable agency. For the past fifteen years, Michel Foucault's groundbreaking account of the birth of the prison has exerted a powerful influence on the social sciences. Indeed, 'to write today about punishment and classification without Foucault' says criminologist Stanley Cohen 'is like talking about the unconscious without Freud' (1985:10). In Discipline and Punish: the Birth of the Prison (1979), Foucault provided concepts that radically transformed the discourse in which penal reform was typically thought (e.g. Garland 1986). These concepts- 'power/knowledge', 'disciplinary society', 'micro-powers' - have allowed analysts to deconstruct both the liberal conception of the birth of the prison as a humanistic advance over the brutal punishments administered in pre-modern societies, and the Marxist conception of penality as an epiphenomenon of the mode of production. Under Foucault's influence, scholars have rewritten the history of penal reform as the history of the dispersion of a new mode of domination called 'disciplinary power', a power exercised through techniques of objectification, classification and normalization, a power
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TL;DR: The current increase in the use of incarceration represents such a “march of folly,” as discussed by the authors argues, which is being driven by the notion that criminals are morally inferior and that they respond only to the threat of serious punishment.
Abstract: Societies, from time to time throughout history, have marched toward disaster with the acquiescence of otherwise sensible people. The current increase in the use of incarceration represents such a “march of folly.” Prison expansion is being driven by the notion that criminals are morally inferior and that they respond only to the threat of serious punishment. These assumptions are simplistic and socially divisive. Furthermore, incarceration is very expensive and fails to deal effectively with the reality that most criminals are returned to society. Criminal laws need to be reformed so that incarceration is reserved for the most serious violent offenders.
TL;DR: Few countries have implemented HIV prevention measures for inmates and no evidence exists on the effectiveness of such measures in correctional environments, according to the World Health Organization.
Abstract: EDITOR,—HIV can spread rapidly among injecting drug users in prison, even when HIV prevalence is low.1 Despite this, few countries have implemented HIV prevention measures for inmates and no evidence exists on the effectiveness of such measures in correctional environments. Condoms are provided to inmates in 19 countries and bleach in 13. Methadone is provided to inmates on a maintenance treatment basis in only five countries and for detoxification …
TL;DR: Findings indicate that the women's needs for relapse prevention training and drug treatment were not met, women often did not complete treatment, and women who participated in community residential treatment had lower self-reported drug use rates and higher levels of successful parole discharge than women in the other two groups.
Abstract: This article reports on an evaluation of the community residential phase of a prison-based program for drug-using women, the Forever Free Substance Abuse Program at the California Institute for Wom...
TL;DR: Based on the author's first-hand survey of state prisons, inmate responses to the harsh conditions are described and a link is suggested between childhood traumas of inmates and the Trauma of inmates they experience in prison.
Abstract: With explosive growth in prison populations, deteriorating conditions "inside," and a large number of mentally disordered felons, correctional mental health programs are inundated with demands for services. Based on the author's first-hand survey of state prisons, inmate responses to the harsh conditions are described and a link is suggested between childhood traumas of inmates and the traumas they experience in prison. Implications for correctional mental health services, as well as correctional policy in general, are offered.
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01 Jan 1996
TL;DR: Letters From Prison, Letters From Prison, کتابخانه دیجیتال و فن آوری اطلاعات دانشگاه امام صادق(ع)
Abstract: Letters From Prison , Letters From Prison , کتابخانه دیجیتال و فن آوری اطلاعات دانشگاه امام صادق(ع)
TL;DR: The observations and analysis of the data support the position that attitudinal variation among officers' attitudes are significantly related to the race of the officer and the finding that the African American officers rather than the Caucasian officers are less punitive over time in their attitudes.
TL;DR: The results show that the factors concerning the subjective evaluation of work conditions and social support were more closely related to mental disorders than work conditions, and seniority was associated with depressive symptoms and anxiety among the men.
Abstract: Objectives A cross-sectional epidemiologic survey was conducted among prison staff in France to investigate the relationships between work conditions and mental health. Methods The sample included men and women 20 to 64 years of age belonging to all categories of prison personnel (prison guards, administrative staff, socioeducational workers, technicians, health care workers, and managers). A postal self-administered questionnaire was used to assess sociodemographic factors, work conditions, and physical and mental disorders. Multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine the effects of work conditions and social relationships on the mental health of prison staff. Results The results presented in this report only concern depressive symptomatology (measured by the French version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale), anxiety (measured by the state version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory), and sleep disorders. The percentage of mental disorders was higher among prison staff than that determined for other occupational samples. Guards comprised the prison staff least affected by these symptoms. Conclusions The results show that, in our sample, the factors concerning the subjective evaluation of work conditions and social support were more closely related to mental disorders than work conditions. In addition, seniority was associated with depressive symptoms and anxiety among the men.
TL;DR: This study indicates the potential for HIV transmission among IDUs in prison and following release and recommends prison methadone treatment to prevent HIV transmission in prisons.
Abstract: Objectives: To assess risk behaviours of HIV infected and HIV negative Injecting Drug Users (IDUs) in and out of prison in New South Wales in a case control study.Methods: 25 (20 M, 5 F) cases and 160 (135 M, 25 F) controls were recruited in 1993. HIV status was determined by testing dried blood spots.Results: Cases and controls were similar on basic demographic characteristics. Reports of injecting by cases and controls were more common before entry (84%, 90%) and after prison discharge (60%, 80%) than during incarceration (44%, 44%). However, reported syringe sharing was more common during imprisonment (64%, 71%) than before entry (19%, 24%) and after prison discharge (20%, 15%). Male cases were significantly more likely to use condoms outside prison (44% vs 7%) but also to be sexually active in prison (60%, 6%) than male controls.Conclusions: This study indicates the potential for HIV transmission among IDUs in prison and following release. To prevent HIV transmission in prisons, prison methadone progr...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyzed a sample of 1,379 cases involving persons arrested and charged with a single drug felony in Sacramento County, California, in 1987, and completed before December 31, 1989.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated whether the victim-offender relationship plays a role in determining the original charge, the crime conviction, and the sentence length of inmates in prison for violent crimes.
Abstract: Prior theory and research indicate that the victim-offender relationship is an important factor in determining how an offender is treated at various stages of the criminal justice system, with stranger offenders faring worse than nonstranger offenders in all stages of legal processing. This study investigates whether the victim-offender relationship plays a role in determining the original charge, the crime conviction, and the sentence length of inmates in prison for violent crimes. Data consist of interview and official record information of 273 sentenced and incarcerated violent male offenders. The results indicate that the victim-offender relationship is related to the legal processing, but in paradoxical ways. Thus, although nonstranger offenders are charged with and convicted of more serious crimes, stranger offenders receive significantly longer sentences. Implications for policy and future research are discussed.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors presented results from two studies of Washington State's prison work release program conducted between 1991 and 1994, and found that nearly a quarter of all prisoners released made a successful transition to the community through work release.
Abstract: This article presents results from two studies of Washington State's prison work release program conducted between 1991 and 1994. The first study analyzed a cohort of all male prisoners released from Washington prisons in 1990 (N = 2,452) to describe how work release operates and how successfully inmates perform in the program. The second study compared the recidivism of 218 offenders, approximately half of whom participated in work release and half of whom completed their sentences in prison. Results of the evaluation were mostly positive. Nearly a quarter of all prisoners released made a successful transition to the community through work release. Few work release inmates committed crimes while on work release. Recidivism and correctional costs for work releases and nonwork releases were similar.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored two dimensions of sanction severity, sentence length and actual time served, to determine if juveniles waived to adult court do receive more severe sanctions than are available in juvenile court.
Abstract: The primary purpose of judicial waiver is to impose more severe sanctions on offenders than are available in juvenile court. This article explores two dimensions of sanction severity, sentence length and actual time served, to determine if juveniles waived to adult court do receive more severe sanctions. Data were collected on all youth waived to adult court from 1981-1993 and sentenced to prison (n = 946). Juveniles in this population consistently received longer sentences than are available in juvenile court. When actual time served was taken into consideration, however, these youth rarely served more lengthy sentences than are available in juvenile court, serving an average of only 27% of their original sentence.
TL;DR: In this paper, a sample of state prison inmates (N = 177) completed a measure of identity style and provided information regarding personal, educational, and criminal history, and discriminant analysis was used to construct profiles that differentiated inmates who favored informationoriented, normative-oriented, and diffuse-oriented identiry styles.
Abstract: A sample of state prison inmates (N = 177) completed a measure of identity style and provided information regarding personal, educational, and criminal history. Discriminant analysis was used to construct profiles that differentiated inmates who favored information-oriented, normative-oriented, and diffuse-oriented identiry styles. Inmates with a diffuse orientation were characterized by early involvement in criminal behavior, greater total number of arrests, lack of education, and greater likelihood of parole violation. Inmates with an information orientation were also relatively young when they first engaged in criminal activity, but they reported half as many total arrests, greater levels of educational attainment, and fewer incidents of parole violation. Normative-oriented inmates were distinguished from the others by their relatively late involvement with drugs and the criminal system.