Prison Journal, The

- Publisher:
- Sage Publications, Inc.
- Publication date:
- 2021-09-06
- ISBN:
- 0032-8855
Issue Number
- Nbr. 101-6, December 2021
- Nbr. 101-5, November 2021
- Nbr. 101-4, September 2021
- Nbr. 101-3, June 2021
- Nbr. 101-2, March 2021
- Nbr. 101-1, January 2021
- Nbr. 100-6, December 2020
- Nbr. 100-5, November 2020
- Nbr. 100-4, September 2020
- Nbr. 100-3, June 2020
- Nbr. 100-2, March 2020
- Nbr. 100-1, January 2020
- Nbr. 99-6, December 2019
- Nbr. 99-5, November 2019
- Nbr. 99-4_suppl, September 2019
- Nbr. 99-4, September 2019
- Nbr. 99-3, June 2019
- Nbr. 99-2, March 2019
- Nbr. 99-1, January 2019
- Nbr. 98-6, December 2018
Latest documents
- Suicide in Mexican Prisons: Mental Health Symptomology and Risk Factors for Suicidal Ideation and Suicidal Behavior
In Mexico, suicide and suicidal behaviors (SB) have increased 275% since 1990. Prisoners constitute a growing population in Mexico and have been identified as high suicide risk. Using a sample of 194 male prisoners, we measure what demographics and mental health symptomology are associated with suicidal ideation (SI) and SB, and identify what demographics and mental health symptomology predict SI and SB. Global Severity and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) were significant predictors of experiencing SI, whereas global severity, ACEs, and age were significant predictors of experiencing SB. Findings support increased identification and comprehensive mental health services addressing suicidality in prisons.
- Male Prisoners’ Perspectives of Access to Quality Health Care at a Prison Infirmary in Ghana
This study assessed factors that influence access to quality health care among a prison population nearing its release in Ghana. A structured quantitative questionnaire was administered to 200 inmates using a total population sampling. Gap analysis was performed between inmate expectations and perceptions of health provider factors to determine quality. There was an overall negative gap due to expectations exceeding perceptions. This article recommends that a policy document on the health and welfare of inmates be developed and implemented to improve their access to quality health care.
- The Long-Term Effects of Solitary Confinement From the Perspective of Inmates
This qualitative study analyzes the effects of solitary confinement on prisoners and the strategies used by them to cope with its difficulties. The findings indicate that solitary confinement is perceived as unfair and as intensifying hostile emotions and physical aggression, and that it is related to a range of long-term physiological, mental, and behavioral disorders. Three strategies are used to cope with the difficulties of solitary confinement: keeping to a ritualistic routine, a religious lifestyle, and physical exercise. We conclude that solitary confinement exacerbates the difficulties of detention and affects prisoners’ health and well-being for short and long terms.
- Participatory Theater as Fieldwork in Chinese Prisons: A Research Note
This methodological reflection is based on the author's own experience taking part in participatory theater projects in mainland Chinese prisons over the past 5 years. This article demonstrates how the author's participation in prison theater projects secured otherwise unattainable research access by forming collaborations with various organizations. Participatory theater workshops also offered the space for sustaining long-term rapport. This research note discusses why trusting relationships are the most important guarantee to obtaining valid data in Chinese prison research. The findings contribute to understanding methodological challenges and innovations of conducting fieldwork in criminal justice systems with no formal research access channels.
- Feeding the Habit? Relationships Between Longitudinal Patterns of Drug Dealing and Drug use Trajectories During Adolescence Among Juvenile Offenders
Drug dealers may be at increased risk for drug use. However, there is a dearth of research focused on how these relationships develop across time. Group-based trajectory modeling (GBTM) was used to assess heterogeneity in the development of drug dealing behavior. Line graphs modeling the average frequency of use of drugs across time based on trajectory membership described drug use patterns. T-tests were used to test for significant differences between drug use patterns. Results indicated that a four-group model of drug dealing best fit the data. Changes in each type of drug use corresponded strongly with changes in drug dealing behaviors.
- Views From the Inside: Insights About Restrictive Housing From Prison System Officials, Officers, and Staff
Restrictive housing substantially limits inmate movement and privileges. Proponents argue it creates safer prison systems, while opponents claim it does not and harms inmates. However, few studies have systematically examined restrictive housing through the perspective of those who work in prison systems or scrutinized the diverse dimensions relevant to its appraisal. This study addresses this gap by drawing on qualitative data to examine how such individuals view the housing, its operational challenges, effectiveness, possible improvements, and potential alternatives. We present findings along each of these dimensions and then discuss their implications for research and policy.
- Reducing Trauma from Behind Bars: Enhancing Parent-Child Attachment Through a Digitally Distributed Reading Program
Incarceration impacts families by disrupting routine attachment, creating negative consequences for both the parent and child. This article examines the use of an intervention videoing incarcerated parents reading to their children and then delivering those videos to improve child outcomes. Using a mixed-methods approach, a total of 587 surveys were completed by program participants and analyzed for parental perceptions of the program effectiveness. The intervention appeared to increase the frequency of correspondence between the parent and child, improved the sense of parent-child relationship, and increased a sense of involvement, attachment, and connectedness.
- The Role of Major Depressive Disorder and its Moderating Effect on the Impact of Exposure to Violence for Predicting Recidivism among Juvenile Offenders: A Survival Analysis Approach
Past research has indicated that Major Depressive Disorder and exposure to violence are risk factors for offending. However, researchers have yet to examine how this disorder may predict recidivism risk among juvenile offenders and how the disorder moderates the effect of exposure to violence. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to determine the impact of Major Depressive Disorder on time to recidivism. Cox proportional hazard modeling was applied to examine Major Depressive Disorder as a moderator of exposure to violence. Results indicated that participants with Major Depressive Disorder demonstrate greater risk for recidivism post-adjudication. The proposed moderation effect was not supported.
- Exploring the Effects of
Organizational Structure
Variables on the
Organizational Justice
Perceptions of Correctional
Staff
Research examining the effect of organizational justice on the correctional environment is typically limited to its consequences on various outcomes. Absent from this body of literature is how perceptions of organizational justice are formed among correctional staff. Filling this void and using data from a Midwestern correctional facility, the current study examines the impact of instrumental communication, integration, formalization, and input into decision-making on the distributive and procedural justice perceptions of correctional staff. With the exception of integration, all organizational structure variables were significantly related to both forms of organizational justice. These findings offer correctional administrators a low cost and practical solution for enhancing organizational justice through organizational structure.
- The ‘Olympic Hurdles’ of Obtaining Federal Benefits for Inmates with Disabilities: A Study of Two Massachusetts County Jails
Sixty-four percent of US jail inmates are reported to suffer from mental health issues, compared to just 18.9% of the general population. This disparity becomes greater when considering a broader definition of disability, and individuals with disabilities are overrepresented in correctional facilities. They are often left without the ability to find employment at reentry, with Supplementary Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) providing pathways to housing and improved living conditions. However, complicated application procedures often result in the formerly jailed returning to prior lifestyles and rearrests. This study explores SSI/SSDI systems at two Massachusetts county jails.
Featured documents
- The Invisible Hand of the State: A Critical Historical Analysis of Prison Gangs in California
This article provides a critical historical analysis of the formation and proliferation of some of the earliest and most well-known prison gangs in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and the conflicts between them. This analysis provides an alternative explanation...
- Locked in the Home: A Critique of House Arrest as an Alternative to Imprisonment for Women Sentenced for Drug-Related Crimes
This article addresses the unintended consequences of using house arrest for female offenders as an alternative to prison for drug-related crimes. We propose that in patriarchal societies, locking women at home could imply moving them to another control device that may be as harmful as prison....
- Legal Battles: Transgender Inmates’ Rights
Challenging binary gender norms and common conceptions of the differences between sexes, transgender individuals are misunderstood, feared, and often subjected to stigma. As a result, transgender individuals are exposed to harassment, violence, and employment discrimination. The negative outcomes...
- What Is Obvious? Federal Courts’ Interpretation of the Knowledge Requirement in Post–Farmer v. Brennan Custodial Suicide Cases
The Supreme Court ruling on Farmer v. Brennan established the federal court standard for determining when corrections staff members should be held legally responsible for inmates’ injuries resulting from inmate–inmate violence or self-harm. Legal scholars lamented that requiring plaintiffs to prove ...
- Norfolk’s “Model Prison Community”: Howard Belding Gill and the Social Process of Prison Reform
This article explores the social process of criminal justice reform, from Howard Belding Gill’s 1927 appointment as the first superintendent of the Norfolk Prison Colony to his dramatic State House hearing and dismissal in 1934. In order to understand the social and spatial design of Norfolk’s “mode...
- Male Inmate Perceptions of the Visitation Experience
There is a lack of empircal research on male inmate experiences with familial contact and visitation. Utilizing surveys and interviews of men incarcerated in a southwestern correctional facilitiy, the results provide insight into the nature of their contact with their children and families and...
- Reconciling the Notions of Restorative Justice and Imprisonment
Restorative justice (RJ) in the secure estate is widespread internationally, although piecemeal and inconsistent in its application. It exists in the form of many practices such as mediation, conferencing, circles, and panels. As the interest in RJ continues to grow, this research takes a step back ...
- Injecting Risk Into Prison Sentences
This article draws on penal epidemiological studies to analyze data from a prisoner-driven survey measuring HCV/HIV seroprevalence and risk behaviors in one Canadian male prison. Our data illuminate confounding points of potential blood exchange among injectors and noninjectors, HCV/HIV carriers...
- An Analysis of Court Decisions, Statutes, and Administrative Regulations Related to Pregnant Inmates
Pregnant inmates represent about 5% of females within the correctional population. Although this is a small portion of the entire inmate population, it is important to adequately address their needs to protect the health of the mother and the fetus. Many states have failed to properly address this...
- The Development and Validation of a Classification System Predicting Severe and Frequent Prison Misconduct
This study presents the results from the development and validation of a fully automated, gender-specific risk assessment system designed to predict severe and frequent prison misconduct on a recurring, semiannual basis. K-fold and split-population methods were applied to train and test the...