Showing papers on "Prison published in 2005"

The Crime Drop in America

Abstract: 1. The recent rise and fall of American violence 2. Some recent trends in US violence 3. Guns and gun violence 4. The limited importance of prison expansion 5. Patterns in adult homicide 6. The rise and decline of hard drugs, drug markets, and violence in inner-city New York 7. Have changes in policing reduced violent crime 8. An economic model of recent trends in violence 9. Demographics and US Homicide.

Penal Systems: A Comparative Approach

Abstract: Foreword - David Downes PART ONE: ABOUT COMPARATIVE PENOLOGY Introducing Comparative Penology PENAL SYSTEMS IN CRISIS? Globalized Penal Crisis? The United States of America Law and Order Ideology, Hyperincarceration and Looming Crisis England and Wales Stop-Go and the Upwards Zig-Zag Australia and New Zealand Neo-Liberal Punitiveness Down Under South Africa The Transition From Apartheid Germany Archetypal Corporatism The Netherlands A Beacon of Tolerance Dimmed France and Italy Corporatism and Catholicism Sweden and Finland Nordic Social Democracy Japan Iron Fist in a Velvet Penal Glove PART TWO: PATTERNS OF PENALITY Comparative Youth Justice Neo-Liberal Youth Justice Systems Youth Justice Systems: Corporatist Variants General Patterns in Youth Justice? Prison Privatization PART THREE: IN CONCLUSION 'A Boot Stamping on a Human Face Forever?'

Toxic Masculinity as a Barrier to Mental Health Treatment in Prison

Abstract: The current article addresses gender issues that become magnified in prison settings and contribute to heightened resistance in psychotherapy and other forms of mental health treatment. Toxic masculinity involves the need to aggressively compete and dominate others and encompasses the most problematic proclivities in men. These same male proclivities foster resistance to psychotherapy. Some of the stresses and complexities of life in men's prisons are explored. The relation between hegemonic masculinity and toxic masculinity is examined. The discussion proceeds to the interplay between individual male characteristics and institutional dynamics that intensify toxic masculinity. A discussion of some structural obstacles to mental health treatment in prison and resistances on the part of prisoners is followed by some general recommendations for the therapist in this context.

The Effects of Imprisonment

Abstract: Foreword by Andrew Coyle 1. Introduction: the effects of imprisonment revisited by Alison Liebling and Shadd Maruna Part 1: The Harms of Imprisonment - Thawing Out The 'Deep Freeze' Paradigm 2. Release and adjustment: perspectives from studies of wrongly convicted and politically motivated prisoners by Ruth Jamieson and Adrian Grounds 3. The contextual revolution in psychology and the question of prison effects by Craig Haney 4. Harm and the contemporary prison by John Irwin and Barbara Owen 5. The effects of supermax custody by Roy D. King 6. The politics of confi nement: women's imprisonment in California and the UK by Candace Kruttschnitt Part 2: Revisiting the Society of Captives 7. Codes and conventions: the terms and conditions of contemporary inmate values by Ben Crewe 8. Revisiting prison suicide: the role of fairness and distress by Alison Liebling, Linda Durie, Annick Stiles and Sarah Tait 9. Crossing the boundary: the transition of young adults into prison by Joel Harvey 10. Brave new prisons: the growing social isolation of modern penal institutions by Robert Johnson 1.1 'Soldiers', 'sausages' and 'deep sea diving': language, culture and coping in Israeli prisons by Tomer Einat 12. Forms of violence and regimes in prison: report of research in Belgian prisons by Sonja Snacken Part 3: Coping Among Ageing Prisoners 13. Older men in prison: survival, coping and identity by Elaine Crawley and Richard Sparks 14. Loss, liminality and the life sentence: managing identity through a disrupted lifecourse by Yvonne Jewkes Part 4: Expanding the Prison Effects Debate Beyond the Prisoner 15. The effects of prison work by Helen Arnold 16. Imprisonment and the penal body politic: the cancer of disciplinary governance by Pat Carlen 17. The effects of imprisonment on families and children of prisoners Joseph Murray 18. Reinventing prisons by Hans Toch

Ex-offender employment programs and recidivism: A meta-analysis

Abstract: One consequence of the tremendous growth in the number of persons under supervision of the criminal justice system, whether incarcerated, on parole, or on probation, is the effect of this criminal history on finding and keeping a job. Ex-offenders, especially those recently released from prison, face substantial barriers to many types of legal employment; nonetheless, stable employment is one of the best predictors of post-release success. Thus, policy-makers concerned about high recidivism rates face an obvious need to improve the employment prospects of ex-offenders. Over the last 25 years, many programs that were designed to increase employment (and, by so doing, reduce recidivism) among ex-offenders have been implemented and evaluated. [Wilson, D. B., Gallagher, C. A., Coggeshall, M. B. & MacKenzie, D. L. (1999). Corrections Management Quarterly 3(4), 8–18; Wilson, D. B., Gallagher, C. A. & MacKenzie, D. L. (2000). Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency 37(4), 347–368] conducted a quantitative synthesis and meta-analysis of 33 evaluations of educational, vocational, and work programs for persons in correctional facilities. To date, however, the evaluation literature on employment programs for those with a criminal record who are not in custody has not been systematically reviewed. This paper presents the results of a quantitative meta-analysis of eight random assignment studies of such programs, using the Campbell Collaboration methodology. The results indicate that this group of community employment programs for ex-offenders did not reduce recidivism; however, the experimental design research on this question is small and does not include some of the promising community employment programs that have emerged in the last decade.

Riding the bus: Barriers to prison visitation and family management strategies

Abstract: Geographic separation from family is one consequence of imprisonment. Depending on the state, prisons are often located in remote, rural areas that are far from the urban cores many prisoners come from. Although scholars frequently cite the distance of prison facilities from prisoners’ families’ residences, scant research has addressed whether this is in fact an impediment to visiting or how families who do visit manage this process. It is an exhausting, resource intensive process for a family member to make one visit at a prison. Understanding how families decide how much of their resources to devote to maintaining their relationship with the prisoner is important. Using data collected through ethnographic observation and interviews, this article explores family management of prison visiting as one of the collateral consequences of incarceration.

Understanding Public Attitudes to Criminal Justice

Abstract: Acknowledgements Introduction to Public Opinion and Criminal Justice Public Confidence in the Criminal Justice System Attitudes to the Police Attitudes to the Sentencing and the Courts Attitudes to Prison and Parole Attitudes to Youth Justice Attitudes to Restorative Justice Conclusions References

The Role of Moral Disengagement in the Execution Process

Abstract: The present study tested the proposition that disengagement of moral self-sanctions enables prison personnel to carry out the death penalty Three subgroups of personnel in penitentiaries located in three Southern states were assessed in terms of eight mechanisms of moral disengagement The personnel included the execution teams that carry out the executions; the support teams that provide solace and emotional support to the families of the victims and the condemned inmate; and prison guards who have no involvement in the execution process The executioners exhibited the highest level of moral, social, and economic justifications, disavowal of personal responsibility, and dehumanization The support teams that provide the more humane services disavowed moral disengagement, as did the noninvolved guards but to a lesser degree than the support teams

Examining the Effect of Incarceration and In-Prison Family Contact on Prisoners'Family Relationships:

Abstract: This article explores the effect of incarceration on relationships between prisoners and their family members, examining the extent to which in-prison contact with family may mediate the negative effect of incarceration on family relationships and support after release. Based on responses from 233 Chicago-bound male prisoners interviewed before and after their release from prison, the authors examine the extent to which the quality of relationships prior to prison is related to the frequency and type of family contact during prison, as well as the quality of family relationships and level of family support after release. Findings indicate that level and type of family contact typically mediate the effect of pre-prison relationship quality on both post-prison family relationship quality and support, but that in-prison contact can be a negative influence if intimate partner relationships are already poor.

Doing Prison Research: Views From Inside:

Abstract: This article is coauthored by four prisoners and a prison-researcher. In it, the authors discuss the differing aims and aspirations of research participants and scholars and their implications for doing prison research. Unlike most other accounts of prison research, the authors stress the experience of those being interviewed rather than that of the interviewer. The authors pay particular attention to the emotional nature of being part of a study and how a researcher gains participants’ trust. The authors also consider the utility of academic research and how inmate voices might be effectively harnessed to build a sustained critique of the U.S. prison system.

Men Behind Bars “Doing” Masculinity as an Adaptation to Imprisonment

Abstract: This article, which is part of a wider ethnographic study of constructions of self in the mediated world of men’s prisons, explores “manliness” as the prison coping strategy par excellence. That masculinity is likely to become more extreme in men’s prisons is unsurprising, but the origins and nature of the “hypermasculine” culture and the precise means by which hierarchies of domination are created and maintained have yet to be thoroughly explored. Indeed, although men constitute the vast majority of prisoners worldwide, most studies treat the gender of their subjects as incidental and assume that in men’s prisons, the normal rules of patriarchy do not apply. However, as this article demonstrates, the notion of patriarchy, although in need of refinement, is not irrelevant to the predominantly male environment, and it is now widely accepted that men can be its victims as well as its perpetrators.

"It's Been Hard to Be a Father": A Qualitative Exploration of Incarcerated Fatherhood

Abstract: This study investigated the experiences of incarcerated fathers, their perceptions of fatherhood, and the nature of their involvement with their children. Fifty-one incarcerated fathers confined at two minimum security correctional facilities were interviewed approximately one month prior to their release from prison. A qualitative content analysis revealed detailed description pertaining to participants’ feelings of helplessness and the difficulties of being a “good father” while in prison. Incarceration represented a dormant period for men in terms of fatherhood, and reentry signified an opportunity to “start over” with their children. Finally, father involvement was profoundly constrained during incarceration, and men were entirely dependent on nonincarcerated mothers or caregivers for contact with children. Many fathers perceived mothers’ gatekeeping, or efforts to prevent contact, as evidence of their powerlessness. Recommendations for future research and intervention are discussed.

Reforming Punishment: Psychological Limits to the Pains of Imprisonment

Abstract: In "Reforming Punishment: Psychological Limits to the Pains of Imprisonment", author Craig Haney argues that the United States justice and prison system suffers from fatal structural and legal flaws that cause pain to the imprisoned and ultimately increase crime. Today the U.S. imprisons more people than any other nation. Prisons cause prisoners to make adaptations so they can take the long-term exposure to pain and these adaptations cause personal and social problems, both while offenders are imprisoned and after the offenders are released. Haney presents evidence that problems in prisons - which include overcrowding, violence, and sexual assault - are the result of poor design, lack of funding, and an outdated understanding of individual punishment that does not acknowledge the context in which crimes are perpetrated. In addition, the author argues that the War Against Drugs, combined with a majority culture's tendency to attribute wrongdoing to minorities, has created racially biased sentencing that has resulted in a gross overrepresentation of minorities among the prison population. This hard-hitting book challenges current prison practice and points to ways psychologists and policy makers can strive for a more humane justice system.

Transferring the Principles of Effective Treatment into a “Real World” Prison Setting

Abstract: The principles of risk, need, and responsivity have been empirically linked to the effectiveness of treatment to reduce reoffending, but the transference of these principles to the inside of prison...

The Limited Importance of Prison Expansion

Abstract: Introduction over the past twenty years , the fifty American states have engaged in one of the great policy experiments of modern times. In an attempt to reduce intolerably high levels of reported crime, the states doubled their prison populations, then doubled them again, increasing their costs by more than $20 billion per year. The states and the Federal government have given up a lot to get to this point: That $20 billion could provide child care for every family that cannot afford it, or a college education to every high school graduate, or a living-wage job to every unemployed youth. But crime levels appear to have (at last) responded, dropping to their lowest level in years. Thus recent history provides a prima facie case for the effectiveness of prisons. Not everyone has found this evidence persuasive. Some argue, quite convincingly, that the recent crime reductions had nothing to do with the prison buildup. Crime dropped because the job prospects of povertystricken youths have improved, or because police have become more effective at getting weapons off the street, or because neighbors are beginning to watch out for one another again. As usual, correlation does not guarantee causation. If we are to determine the role of the prison buildup in the recent crime reductions, we will need to take a more systematic approach.

Downsizing Prisons: How to Reduce Crime and End Mass Incarceration

Abstract: ContentsAcknowledgmentsPreface Introduction: Bloated Prisons 1 Mass Incarceration 2 Unintended Consequences 3 ANew Reality for Prison Systems 4 Why Prison Growth Does Not Substantially Reduce Crime 5 Why Parole and Probation Policies Need to Change 6 Success Stories and Works in Progress7 Downsizing Prisons Notes Bibliography IndexAbout the Author

Why Whites Favor Spending More Money to Fight Crime: The Role of Racial Prejudice

Abstract: A “get-tough” approach has guided criminal justice policy in the United States since the 1970s. This approach has involved hiring more police, building more prisons, and handing out longer and more certain prison terms for a variety of offenses. Although scholars dispute the impact of such measures, they generally agree that these steps stem in part from widespread public concern over crime and the desire that the criminal justice system treat suspects and criminals more punitively. Prior research, however, has found that racial prejudice partly underlies punitive sentiments among the public. This article extends this work into another important dimension of public opinion on crime, the view that the criminal justice system needs more money to fight crime. We investigate a link between racial prejudice and this view using data on white Americans in the 2000 General Social Survey. We find that whites who perceive African Americans as more violent are more likely to want more money spent on crime. In specifying this general result, we find further that this relationship is limited to one segment of whites: the most racially prejudiced. Final remarks address the theoretical and pragmatic implications of these findings.

Institutional Conditions and Prison Suicide: Conditional Effects of Deprivation and Overcrowding

Abstract: This article uses national data on prisons in the United States to examine the effects of deprivation, overcrowding, and their interaction on the likelihood of prison suicide. Our central argument is that overcrowding is a pivotal feature of prison environments that conditions the effects of deprivation. Findings provide substantial support for this hypothesis. For example, at low levels of overcrowding, minimum-security facilities evidence a lower probability of prison suicide, but at high levels, they are as likely to experience a suicide as their medium- and maximum-security counterparts. Theoretical and policy implications of the findings are discussed.!

Demographic, criminal and psychiatric factors related to inmate suicide

Abstract: A review of 19 studies suggests that it may be feasible to identify prisoners with suicide risk on the basis of demographic, psychiatric, and criminal characteristics. The present study aimed to identify combinations of characteristics that are capable of identifying potential suicide victims. Characteristics of 95 suicide victims in the Dutch prison system were compared with those of a random sample of 247 inmates in ten jails. Combinations of indicators for suicide risk were also tested for their capability of identifying 209 suicides in U.S. jails and 279 prison suicides in England and Wales. A combination of six characteristics (age 40+, homelessness, history of psychiatric care, history of drug abuse, one prior incarceration, violent offence) was capable of correctly classifying 82% of the Dutch suicide victims (82% specificity). Less powerful combinations correctly classified 53% of the U.S. suicides and 47% of the U.K. suicides. It is concluded that a set of demographic and criminal characteristics and indicators of psychiatric problems is useful for the identification of suicide risk in jails and prisons.

A Multilevel Analysis of Community Effects on Criminal Sentencing

Abstract: This research examines the influence of several important community characteristics on the sentencing of convicted felony defendants, net of other predictors associated with sentencing decisions. Using an appropriate multilevel technique, I find that several community characteristics affect the likelihood that defendants are sentenced to prison versus jail. However, none of the community characteristics influence the odds of prison versus non‐custodial sanctions or jail versus non‐custodial sanctions for these defendants. This underscores the importance of using sentencing measures beyond the basic “in/out” dichotomy. Even more importantly, the results suggest that there remains a statistically significant and substantial amount of sentencing variation across counties after controlling for relevant individual‐ and community‐level factors. The implications of these findings for research, theory, and policy‐making are discussed.

Crimes of Obedience

Abstract: To say the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal damaged the US image in the Middle East is to underestimate its impact. While the commissions and trials thus far have not found fault with senior officials, and the Secretary of Defense identified the fault as lying with “a few bad apple MPs,” this paper suggests that the three conditions identified by Kelman and Hamilton in their study of the My Lai massacre as being requisite for sanctioned massacres—authorization, routinization, and dehumanization—were present. There is persuasive evidence that the actions by low level military personnel (MPs) were authorized and approved by higher authorities to produce positive interrogation results, even though not specifically ordered, that what they did was experienced by them as not out of the ordinary, and that there was a lack of empathy for their charges. Moreover, interrogation practices targeting the humiliation of Muslims demonstrated a cultural sophistication at senior levels. It is critical in conducting the war...

Bars behind bars: the impact of a women's prison choir on social harmony

Abstract: The choir is a community with rules, relationships and purpose. When located in a prison, it takes on the therapeutic function of providing a protected space for expression and a context for reframing, even when its manifest goal is educational. This paper documents the establishment, by a professional musician and music educator, of a multi-vocal choir for women inmates in an Israeli prison. It examines the many aspects of the multi-vocal endeavour that address the therapeutic needs of prisoners at an individual and interpersonal level, and considers the potential as well as the limits of such a choral project as a therapeutic intervention.

The Performance Of Human Rights In Morocco

Abstract: List of Illustrations Preface Chapter 1: Law and Custom Chapter 2: Disappearance Chapter 3: Prison Chapter 4: The 1981 Casablanca Uprising and Its Aftermath Chapter 5: Rani nimhik: Women and Testimony Chapter 6: Islamist Political Prisoners Chapter 7: Hatta la yatakarrar hadha: Never This Again Notes Bibliography Index Acknowledgments

An actuarial model for assessment of prison violence risk among maximum security inmates.

Abstract: An experimental scale for the assessment of prison violence risk among maximum security inmates was developed from a logistic regression analysis involving inmates serving parole-eligible terms of varying length (n = 1,503), life-without-parole inmates (n = 960), and death-sentenced inmates who were mainstreamed into the general prison population (n = 132). Records of institutional violent misconduct of these 2,595 inmates were retrospectively examined for an 11-year period (1991 to 2002). Predictors affecting the likelihood of such misconduct included age, type and length of sentence, education, prior prison terms, prior probated sentences, and years served. The scale was modestly successful, as demonstrated by an overall omnibus area under the curve of .719. Double cross-validation demonstrated minimal shrinkage. The authors have termed this experimental scale the Risk Assessment Scale for Prison.

Behavioral health problems, ex-offender reentry policies, and the "Second Chance Act".

Abstract: The federal "Second Chance Act of 2005" calls for expanding reentry services for people leaving prison, yet existing policies restrict access to needed services for those with criminal records. We examined the interaction between individual-level characteristics and policy-level restrictions related to criminal conviction, and the likely effects on access to resources upon reentry, using a sample of prisoners with Axis I mental disorders (n=3073). We identified multiple challenges related to convictions, including restricted access to housing, public assistance, and other resources. Invisible punishments embedded within existing policies were inconsistent with the call for second chances. Without modification of federal and state policies, the ability of reentry services to foster behavioral health and community reintegration is limited.