Redefining Disciplinary Segregation: Perceptions of Effective Programming Among Program Participants and Staff

• Author: Travis J. Meyers,Kevin A. Wright,Samantha Phillips
• Published date: 01 August 2022
• Date: 01 August 2022
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/08874034221079301
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/08874034221079301

Criminal Justice Policy Review

2022, Vol. 33(7) 756 –784

© The Author(s) 2022

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DOI: 10.1177/08874034221079301

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Article

Redefining Disciplinary

Segregation: Perceptions

of Effective Programming

Among Program Participants

and Staff

Travis J. Meyers1, Kevin A. Wright2,

and Samantha Phillips3

Abstract

People who engage in violence during their incarceration create a number of challenges

for those who live and work in our correctional facilities. In response, there is a

growing focus on the use of short-term confinement in disciplinary segregation that

includes therapeutic programming. The ability of these programs to affect future

behavior, however, is mixed. To better understand why research is mixed, the current

study incorporates the views and perspectives of staff and participants involved

in rehabilitative efforts within a segregated housing setting. Structured interviews

were carried out with 25 former program participants and 10 correctional staff

who oversee the day-to-day management of a disciplinary segregation program in

a U.S. prison that includes rehabilitative programming. Subject perspectives provide

additional direction for the inclusion of programming in segregated housing and a

note of caution for programs that are alternative in name but traditional in practice.

Keywords

prisons, disciplinary segregation, programming, institutional misconduct, qualitative

research

1The University of Texas at San Antonio, USA

2Arizona State University, Tempe, USA

3Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA

Corresponding Author:

Travis J. Meyers, The University of Texas at San Antonio, 501 W. César E. Chávez Blvd., San Antonio,

TX 78249, USA.

Email: travis.meyers@utsa.edu

1079301CJPXXX10.1177/08874034221079301Criminal Justice Policy ReviewMeyers et al.

research-article2022

Meyers et al. 757

Researchers and practitioners have developed an extensive body of knowledge sur-

rounding “what works” in correctional interventions (see, for example, Smith et al.,

2009). Although the efficacy of various in-prison treatment programs and interven-

tions have received much empirical attention, comparatively less attention has been

given to the attitudes and perceptions of the service providers and participants who are

directly involved in the programs under investigation. If we are to truly understand the

efficacy of a particular program, it is critical that research involves those who “know

it best and experience it most” (Stohr, Hemmens, Kjaer, et al., 2002, p. 22). This would

mean including the perceptions of both program staff and program participants in the

evaluation of correctional programs. Doing so would likely uncover the mechanisms

that may go unobserved in quantitative studies and provide more information as to

why programs work or do not work (McCorkel et al., 1998).

The absence of these perspectives is especially pertinent in questions surrounding

the use of segregation, either permanent or temporary, to address and reduce violent

misconduct within prisons.1 Studies have found that placement in segregation, espe-

cially long-term placement, leads to serious psychological deterioration and may exac-

erbate symptoms of mental illness (American Civil Liberties Union, 2014; Arrigo &

Bullock, 2008; Grassian, 1983; Reiter et al., 2020). At the same time, there is a grow-

ing body of evidence to suggest that traditional placements in segregation, as a means

to address and reduce subsequent misconduct, tend to have little effect on future

behavior (Labrecque, 2015; Labrecque & Smith, 2019; see also Morgan et al., 2016;

Morris, 2016). Furthermore, there is a growing focus on the potential use of short-term

confinement in disciplinary segregation (hereafter referred to as “DS”) that includes

rehabilitative programming following serious institutional acts of violence. Results

from outcome evaluations of these programs, however, continue to suggest mixed

effects for program efficacy (Butler et al., 2018; Meyers et al., 2018). Although infor-

mative, these studies provide only anecdotal evidence as to why these approaches may

be effective or ineffective.

Prior research on the effect of segregation or efficacy of alternative approaches to

DS is limited in that they rely on the use of administrative data to measure outcomes.

Effective solutions to problems associated with serious in-prison misconduct, espe-

cially among the emerging alternative programs in DS, require the inclusion of insid-

ers who are directly involved with the reform efforts. To date, few studies have

incorporated the views and perspectives of program staff or participants involved in

rehabilitative efforts in a segregated housing setting. We believe that the underlying

mechanisms of these programmatic efforts can be best understood by speaking with

those who are directly involved with alternative DS practices. In the end, this may help

explain the mixed effects reported in prior research and help provide important recom-

mendations for correctional agencies looking to simultaneously reduce their segre-

gated populations and effectively address violent in-prison misconduct.

Our goal here is to provide contextual information about programming in DS through

the use of in-depth structured interviews with 10 correctional administrators and staff

who oversee the day-to-day operation of an alternative DS program. We also explore

individual perceptions of the efficacy of the program in reducing violent misconduct, the