The Effects of Emotional Literacy Programs on Inmates’ Empathy, Mindfulness, and Self-Regulation: A Random-Effect Meta-Analysis

AuthorSeong-Min Park,Kyung-Shick Choi,Sinyong Choi,Sinchul Back,Carolyn Petrosino
Date01 June 2021
DOI10.1177/00328855211010407
Published date01 June 2021
Subject MatterArticles
https://doi.org/10.1177/00328855211010407
The Prison Journal
2021, Vol. 101(3) 262 –285
© 2021 SAGE Publications
Article reuse guidelines:
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DOI: 10.1177/00328855211010407
journals.sagepub.com/home/tpj
Article
The Effects of Emotional
Literacy Programs on
Inmates’ Empathy,
Mindfulness, and Self-
Regulation: A Random-
Effect Meta-Analysis
Carolyn Petrosino1, Kyung-Shick Choi2,
Sinyong Choi3, Sinchul Back4,
and Seong-Min Park3
Abstract
Applying a random-effect meta-analysis, the current study examines previous
empirical findings about three main purposes of Emotional Literacy (EL)
correctional programs: improving empathy, mindfulness, and self-regulation
among inmate populations. A total of 22 programs in 15 studies in Germany,
Portugal, the Netherlands, and the US are analyzed. Results suggest that
EL programs significantly improve levels of empathy, mindfulness, and self-
regulation, although a possibility of publication bias is observed. Based on
these findings, this study concludes that EL programs retain a potential as
an effective rehabilitation strategy and should be sought and implemented in
U.S. correctional settings.
1Bridgwater State University, MA, USA
2Boston University, MA, USA
3Univesity of Nevada, Las Vegas, USA
4University of Scranton, PA, USA
Corresponding Author:
Seong-Min Park, Department of Criminal Justice, University of Nevada-Las Vegas, 4505
Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV 89154-5009, USA.
Email: Seong.park@unlv.edu
1010407TPJXXX10.1177/00328855211010407The Prison JournalPetrosino et al.
research-article2021
Petrosino et al. 263
Keywords
emotional literacy program, empathy, mindfulness, self-regulation,
rehabilitation, meta-analysis
Introduction
Mass incarceration has become increasingly controversial in the United
States because it incurs not only massive prison expenditures but also
facilitates far-reaching consequences that weaken whole communities
(Clear et al., 2015). To address this controversial issue, correctional insti-
tutions have initiated various prison programs—counseling, cognitive-
behavioral treatment, education, and recreation—that can help inmates
adapt to prison life and develop opportunities for re-entry preparation
(Clear et al. 2015). Some programs utilize psychological approaches
designed to curb criminal behaviors and provide substance abuse counsel-
ing or anger management, while others involve education or vocational
training for entry employment (Clear et al., 2015). At the same time, the
nation’s inmate population increased consistently from the 1980s to the
2010s. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (2018), the total num-
ber of US federal inmates is estimated at 189,192, while the total number
of inmates held in state facilities numbered 1.32 million at the end of 2016.
Blevins et al. (2010) argue that a prison environment includes many
adverse conditions such as overcrowding, boredom, victimizations, and
episodic violence, all of which compromise effective correctional pro-
gramming. Moreover, because correctional policy emphasizes the control
and punishment of the offender, a commitment to rehabilitative objectives
and treatment programs is not a priority, and, therefore, they are typically
under-resourced (Pitts et al., 2014).
With mounting political and economic pressures stemming from mass
incarceration and the recent gradual shift toward decarceration, the need to
prepare inmates for reentry through meaningful correctional programs has
become even more critical in the United States (Cochran et al., 2014).
Emotional Literacy (EL) correctional programs arespotlighted here, as there
is some empirical evidence that they can impact recidivism. According to
Scott et al., (2015) study, previous research indicates that EL programs in the
correctional systems of the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany,
and the Netherlands produced positive outcomes. These EL programs are
designed to decrease the likelihood of aggressive or other counterproductive
social behaviors. The focus of this approach is to provide cognitive and
emotional skills that develop and improve capacities for self-regulation,

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