Prison Conditions Research Articles

Mass Incarceration and Its Devastating Effects

This research paper utilizes various sources from Canadian studies and firsthand accounts to identify the issues within penitentiaries and the Canadian criminal justice system. There are numerous pressing issues related to the handling, punishment, and sentencing of crime, many of which stem from racial injustice and underlying societal problems. Inmates endure harsh prison conditions and face barriers when trying to maintain connections with their families and friends. The mental well-being of prisoners is often overlooked, creating an unjust and unfavourable environment for Canadian citizens. The legal system requires reform and improvement to support individuals and promote rehabilitation effectively. Addressing these problems requires focusing on systemic injustices disproportionately affecting minorities and impoverished individuals. Studies have demonstrated that visitation and human contact contribute to law-abiding behaviour in criminals. Therefore, to enhance our criminal justice system, we must address the root causes of crime.

The Cruel Optimism of International Prison Regulation: Prison Ontologies and Carceral Harms

This article examines the development of international human rights standards and oversight mechanisms directed at addressing the negative effects of imprisonment. We identify this as the rules-based prison-regulation project, widely endorsed by international organizations and legal scholars. However, with a focus on the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, we argue that this project has inherent limitations, as it is based on (a) a reductive understanding of carceral harms and (b) a rule-centric ontology of prisons. By challenging these foundations, we explore whether the project exemplifies “cruel optimism” (Berlant, 2011), where the pursuit of improved prison regulation could inadvertently hinder societal flourishing. We argue that the continuous search for new and better prison standards may perpetuate rather than alleviate the problems associated with imprisonment unless accompanied by explicit strategies for countering prison growth and dramatically reducing prisoner numbers, for building the democratic power of prisoners and communities targeted by imprisonment, and continual linkages between prison conditions and the wider political-economic institution of imprisonment. We conclude that engaging with prisons as sites of relational power in practice must underlie any quest to reduce the harms of imprisonment.

Nigerian prisoners’ experience: prison circumstances, family support and sleep quality

PurposeThis study aims to determine the association between prison circumstances, perceived family support and sleep quality among male inmates at the Ibara prison, Ogun State.Design/methodology/approachIt was a cross-sectional study of 300 male inmates interviewed with socio-demographic proforma and Pittsburgh sleep quality index.FindingsWhile all respondents described the prison as being overcrowded, half of them used inappropriate sleeping materials daily and 41.4% decried a very noisy environment at night. Twenty-seven percent of the respondents described poor family support while 47.3% experienced poor sleep quality. Though nature of sleeping material and self-awareness of sleep problem were associated with poor sleep quality, no predictor of the latter was identified.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was conducted among males only because of the relative dominance of the male gender in the prison population. This makes analysis of gender difference impossible. Furthermore, sleep studies may be preferred over reports by some sleep experts.Practical implicationsFindings from this study may culminate in taking steps to improve the Nigerian prison conditions as well as the prisoner’s welfare.Social implicationsDeveloping support group for relatives of inmates may be a focus of social intervention for these inmates. Also, inmates with good sleep quality are likely to partake effectively in the prison reformation programmes and may not self-medicate with sedatives.Originality/valueThis study provides a scholarly documentation of the state of Nigerian prisons; inmates’ perception of family support; prevalence and correlates of poor sleep quality among a group of male inmates.

Communicating Censure: The Relevance of Conditions of Imprisonment at Sentencing and During the Administration of the Sentence

In common law, sentencing is chiefly concerned with the duration of a sentence and rarely engages in the conditions under which the sentence is served. Recently, courts in Canada and England and Wales have started to recognise the relevance of certain prison conditions when deciding sentences. These approaches, however, have lacked conceptual clarity and consistency. Building on communicative theories of punishment, this article proposes a novel framework based on ‘state responsibility/blame’ and dynamic censure to justify the relevance of considering the qualitative conditions of imprisonment at sentencing as well as during the administration of the sentence. This framework is coupled by a typology of unjustified harmful carceral conditions that can be considered relevant evidence. This expanded purview of sentencing will offer greater legitimacy of punishment by strengthening communicative practices of punishment that include dynamic censure, including censuring the state for additional and unjustified state‐created harms.

Can gangs be a source of ubuntu in prison?

This paper considers the African communal ethic of Ubuntu as it is understood in the South African context. Its background and context and the various interpretations of this lived ethic in society and academia will be explored. According to Ubuntu, what is good is constituted by how one relates to others (affirming others, empathising, etc.). It is not an ethic that is purely governed by laws and the outcomes of actions. This paper considers the detrimental effect of gangsterism on prisoners’ personal and social development in South African prisons and illustrates how the solidarity and identity of prisoners is merely an illusion that misguidedly resembles communal harmony or Ubuntu. Specifically, after pointing out how indigenous values in South Africa tend to prescribe honouring harmonious relationships, this paper will reveal how this approach to morality affects the way one understands prison conditions, prison relations and criminal justice. It advances that the values of Ubuntu have the potential to aid in prisoner rehabilitation and help prisoners stand against gang life in prison. This paper will suggest that the harmony found in Ubuntu has implications different from gang conformity. Lacking the space to systematically defend harmony as a fundamental value, it nonetheless urges theorists not to disregard it when considering prison transformation in South Africa. The intention of this study is not to demonstrate that Ubuntu is superior to the more popular Western moral theories in South Africa, but rather to tease out the implications of one plausible interpretation of Ubuntu and apply it to prison communities in South Africa.

Clinical and Environmental Factors Associated with Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Prisoners in Northeastern Brazil

Abstract This study aimed to assess clinical and environmental factors associated with pulmonary tuberculosis in prisoners. We carried out a documentary, retrospective, epidemiological study of records of tuberculosis cases in a prison hospital in Northeastern Brazil. The sample consisted of data from medical records of prisoners diagnosed with TB from January 2015 to January 2016. Information such as age, race, marital status, education level, weight, height, harmful habits, and clinical data on mucous membrane, cough, sputum, breathing pattern, bacilloscopy, initiation and type of treatment, treatment duration, prison of origin and time spent in prison were assessed. A total of 109 medical records of prisoners were analyzed. Mean age was 28.5 (± 7.9) years, and most prisoners (n=87; 79.8%) were single. In all, 78.0% (n=85) of the prisoners had primary education and 73.4% (n=80) were self-declared Pardos (mixed-race Brazilians). Statistically significant associations were found between level of education and prevalence of cough (p=.042), time in prison and presence of cough (p=.014), and BMI and mucous membrane coloration (p=.001). The habits of most prisoners are different from those expected for a good quality of life. In addition, the health conditions of prisoners also contribute to the infection. These findings emphasize the need for actions targeted at eliminating tuberculosis in prisoners and actions to raise awareness about hygiene and life habits.

PREVALENCE AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS OF HUMAN SCABIES IN PRISONS IN DOSSO, NIGER

Scabies is a contagious, pruritic, cosmopolitan dermatosis, widespread especially in human communities, due to parasitism by a mite Sarcoptes scabiei var hominis A lack of hygiene and overcrowding inside the houses are favourable factors. The aim of our study was to determine the prevalence and factors associated with the occurrence of human scabies in the prison environment in Dosso (Niger). Prospective descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in November 2022 in the civil prison of Dosso on authorization of the prison administration. The collected data were sociodemographic characteristics, personal history of pruritus and its characteristics, risk factors related to hygiene and conditions of incarceration, examination performed by a dermatologist to look for clinical signs of scabies. The diagnosis was retained in any inmate presenting one or more elements at the interrogation and at the physical examination. Out of a total of 352 inmates, 43 (38 males and 5 females) had scabies, a prevalence of 12%. The average age was 33 with extremes of 18 and 62 years. Of the scabies patients, 9% reported a history of intense, sleepless pruritus prior to incarceration. Most of the inmates, 86%, were in cells with more than 20 inmates. Among those with scabies, 42% showered twice a day, 81% changed clothes after showering and 74% used soap regularly for washing. The topography of the lesions was external genitalia (37%), buttocks (21%), inner thighs (16%), interdigital spaces (9%), elbows (9%) and wrists (7%). The inmates were informed about the disease, treatment information was explained to them, and they attended a session on hygiene promotion. All cases of scabies detected were prescribed a local treatment based on benzyl benzoate lotion 25%. Human scabies is common in the prison environment in Dosso. Too often, scabies goes undetected and is confused with other pruritic dermatoses, such as eczema or atopic dermatitis. Prison medical staff should be trained in scabies in order to prevent scabies outbreaks. The authorities in the region should make the improvement of hygiene and detention conditions in prisons their priority.

Subwersywny potencjał śmiechu, czyli Ključ od velikih vrata Hinka Gottlieba

This paper focuses on a short work of fiction written in the 1940s by the Croatian Jew, Hinko Gottlieb. The manuscript of the book was found in one of the Jerusalem archives and,about seventy years later was, prepared for publication in Croatia in 2021. Undermining the readers’ previous habits, the book uncharacteristically problematises the Holocaust. Gottlieb uses humour as his major aesthetic device to describe internment. the story may also be ascribed to the fantasy genre, or to speculative fiction to be more precise. The purpose of the thought experiment presented here is to examine (in prison conditions) the possibilities that the socalled space capacitor has to offer. Besides acknowledging the occurrence in the text of such categories as science fiction, grotesque and surrealism, the article endeavours to answer the question about their use in the story of the Holocaust.

Contributing factors for self-reported HIV in male Peruvian inmates: results of the 2016 prison census.

Worldwide, prisons are high-risk settings for the transmission of infectious diseases such as HIV. There is a need to understand the health conditions of prisoners to improve and implement timely strategies for HIV diagnosis and control. Hence, we aimed to identify factors associated with self-reported HIV (srHIV) among Peruvian inmates. This study is a secondary data analysis of the First Peruvian Prison Census conducted in 2016. We estimated the prevalence of srHIV in prisoners who were male at birth and the association of srHIV with other social conditions, criminal records, and prevalent health conditions. Nested models identified a multivariable parsimonious model for factors associated with srHIV and yielding prevalence ratios adjusted by the included parameters. The census surveyed 71,087 male inmates of whom 0.4% reported srHIV (n = 305), and 82% of whom were receiving antiretroviral treatment (n = 220). In our final multivariable model, srHIV was independently associated with age between 36 and 55 years old vs. >55 years old [parsimonious prevalence ratio (pPR) = 1.98, 95% CI, 0.96-4.08], having a stable partner out of prison (pPR = 1.64, 95% CI, 1.24-2.19), being homosexual (pPR = 4.16, 95% CI, 2.50-6.90), self-report of prevalent tuberculosis co-infection (pPR = 2.55, 95% CI, 1.82-3.58), self-report of prevalent sexually transmitted infections (pPR = 34.49, 95% CI, 24.94-47.70), and self-report of prevalent illicit drug use 30 days before the survey (pPR = 1.91, 95% CI, 1.43-2.56). Self-reported HIV is associated with multiple social, health and prison risks among Peruvian inmates. Deeply understanding these factors would help to design HIV prevention and control strategies in Peruvian prisons.

Beliefs about mental health in incarcerated males: a qualitative interview study.

Beliefs about mental health are shaped by the sociocultural context. Prisons have unique environmental and social features, and the prevalence of mental health problems in incarcerated populations is exceptionally high. These features make prisons especially interesting settings for exploring health beliefs. The aim of this study was to explore the conceptualizations of mental health and coping preferences in a prison environment. Individual in-depth interviews were conducted with fifteen incarcerated males from three prisons in Northern Norway. The design draws on central elements from Grounded Theory. Mental health was perceived as distinct from mental illness by many of the participants. They coped with the prison environment by focusing on the things that gave them a sense of meaning and autonomy - this also formed their conceptualization of mental health. Furthermore, social interaction and activities were perceived as important to enhance and maintain mental well-being, however there were institutional barriers to using these coping strategies. The prison environment was integrated in the participants conceptualizations of mental health problems, and psychosocial stressors were emphasized in causal attributions. Biological and dispositional factors were less frequently mentioned. The participants preferred non-medical management for mental health problems and most displayed a reserved attitude towards psychotropic medications. The exception was attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, for which they held neurobiological causal beliefs, together with a corresponding preference for medication as treatment. The main finding was a firm integration of the prison context in in the participants' beliefs about mental health. We theorize that fusion of prison conditions and mental health beliefs were brought on by the processes of prisonization, observing mental distress in peers and attempts to protect self-esteem by externalizing the causes for mental health problems. Access to activities, social time, and "someone to talk to" were perceived to be crucial for improving and preserving mental health.

Urgensi Pemenuhan Hak Biologis Narapidana Ditinjau Dari Undang-Undang Nomor 22 Tahun 2022 Tentang Pemasyarakatan dan Hak Asasi Manusia

This study aims to examine the urgency of fulfilling the right to search biology in the context of Law Number 22 of 2022 concerning Corrections and Human Rights. The research method used is a normative juridical research method, by conducting a literature study and analysis of related documents. Based on the research results, the fulfillment of the right to fulfill biological needs is a very important need and must be a priority in the correctional system in Indonesia. Protection of debilitating biological rights not only impacts health and daily life, but also impacts the health and safety of society as a whole. Law Number 22 of 2022 concerning Corrections and Human Rights has regulated the protection of rehabilitation rights, including biological rights. However, the implementation of the law still needs more attention and improvement. Concrete actions are needed from those responsible for ensuring that biological rights are fulfilled, such as increasing access to health services, improving environmental conditions in prisons, improving the quality of food provided, ensuring protection against acts of violence, and providing sufficient attention to mental health assistance. . In addition, there is also a need for cooperation between various related parties to increase the fulfillment of the biological rights of the request.

Pembebasan Narapidana melalui Asimilasi dan Integrasi dalam Perspektif Asas Salus Populi Suprema Lex Esto

This study examines the substance of the KEMENKUMHAM Decree Number M. Hh-19.Pk.01.04.04 of 2020 in the handling of Covid-19, as well as the relevance of assimilation and integration with the principle of "Salus Populi Suprema Lex Esto". Literature research with a conceptual approach is used to analyze legislation and Related Literature. The results showed that the Prevention of the spread of the virus in prisons and detention centers is difficult to implement due to over-capacity conditions. Government efforts are needed to reduce the number of prisoners to maintain their health under the Correctional law. Restrictions on access in and out of Prisons and detention centers are important, while reducing the number of inmates is counterproductive. Prison clusters are evidence of the importance of attention to alarming prison conditions.

Oral language skills and mental health in female prisoners: pragmatic skills are essential.

There are strong indications of an elevated incidence of both language problems and problems with mental health among prisoners. We also know that women in prison are a particularly vulnerable group who often face conditions that foremost accommodate the needs of men. In order to adapt prison conditions to women's needs and give better help, we need more information about their characteristics. In this study, we wanted to explore associations between oral language problems and mental health (depression and anxiety) in women in prison. Participants were 58 women, recruited from high and low security women's and mixed prisons. They completed a questionnaire covering demographic variables and several self-report measures. In the present study, the language measures were a Language Composite score (comprising articulation, impressive and expressive language, and pragmatics) and the La Trobe Communication Questionnaire (LCQ), measuring pragmatic skills specifically. Hopkins Symptom Checklist-10 (HSCL) was used as a measure of psychological distress. First, we assessed correlations between the language measures and mental health. Second, we performed group comparisons with groups defined as over or under cut-off on the Language Composite, LCQ total, and HSCL total scores. Results supported a clear connection between overall language and overall mental health. Pragmatic skills were the main driver of this effect. There was no difference in mental health between those scoring above and below cut-off for general language problems but the group with possible pragmatic impairment showed poorer mental health than those without. Conversely, there was no difference in general language skills between the groups scoring within and outside the range of psychological distress, but the first group evaluated their pragmatic skills as significantly poorer than the latter. We conclude that pragmatics seem to be core to the association between oral language skills and mental health among female prisoners. This should have implications for language services in prisons, as attending to these issues could positively affect prognosis and outcome.

Monitoring prisoners preparing for release: Who ‘fails’ in open prison conditions?

Open prisons play a vital role in offender rehabilitation and resettlement but absconds, temporary release failures (TRFs) and re-offences have damaging implications for the legitimacy of these institutions. Identifying and mitigating the risk for such ‘failures’ is crucial. The present study examined predictors of failure in a sample of 316 adult male prisoners in two open prisons in England and Wales. Almost one-third ( n = 100) of the sample failed in open conditions, the greatest proportion ( n = 83 , 26.3%) instigated by the prison to maintain security and good order (security recall). Yet, only seven re-offended in the year following custodial release . Absconds, custodial re-offences, and TRFs were rare events. Regression analysis identified five factors predicting security recall. Current behaviour, rather than static/historical risk factors, more reliably predicted such failures. Behavioural monitoring and systemic policy re-evaluation are proposed as way of mitigating failures in open prisons.

Historical Analysis of the Development of Prisons in India: Human Rights in Retrospect

The prison system is crucial to administering criminal justice and maintaining peace in society. Indian prisons have a long history dating back to the ancient and modern eras. It remains a travesty of the Indian criminal justice system to manage and administer prisons, particularly during the medieval and modern periods. Even the current prison conditions are woeful, requiring a change in the system. The first prison reformation in India began under Lord Macaulay in 1835. Human rights for prisoners have been vehemently advocated and protected by the Indian Constitution and Judiciary. Because of these factors, human rights movements related to prisoners have continued to grow in India. In this article, the authors analysed the evolution of the prison system in India through the lens of human rights.

Lesbian convict in women’s prison: a description of rational choice

Same sex behavior does not only occur in society, this behavior also occurs in prisons, include all women's prisons in Indonesia. Conditions in prison for a long time made them interact very often and it was exacerbated by the number of inmates exceeding the occupancy capacity. Previous research, mentioning this theme is still very rarely raised considering that lesbian behavior is considered a taboo behavior to be discussed. Focus this research how the process and dynamics of lesbians in Women's prison. With qualitative methods, and Rational Choice Theory. Data collection techniques through triangulation namely interviews with 8 informants, field observations, and literature studies. This research was conducted in two women's prisons with overcapacity conditions. The results of the study show that the process in prisons is influenced by culture in prisons which greatly influences the occurrence of lesbian behavior. For convicts who before they entered prison were heterosexual and being homosexual in prison was rational choice. There are 2 large groupings of lesbi convicts in prison with their respective processes and dynamics as well as several factors that push them to become lesbi based on profit and loss or rational considerations.

The Relevance of Convict Punishment in Sukamiskin Class 1 Prison, Bandung

The phenomenon in society when talking about the theme of prisons in Indonesia is focused on overcrowding imprisonment in Indonesia and is quite concerning when looking at prisoners who are not taken care of in prisons. However, this discussion does not apply to the situation of Class I Prison, Sukamiskin, Bandung which has complete facilities provided in the prison and the condition of prisoners who can be said to be prosperous. Therefore, the author will discuss the relevance of the punishment received by prisoners in Sukamiskin Class 1 Prison comparable or not to all the complete circumstances and facilities in Sukamiskin Class 1 Prison by seeing that the punishment can have a deterrent effect on the perpetrators, preventing the crime from happening again.

Conditions of Confinement and Incarcerated Women’s Mental Health

Research on incarceration and mental health from a deprivation perspective has focused primarily on incarcerated men, rendering the links between prison deprivations and women’s mental health largely unknown. Previous research indicates, however, that women experience prison differently than do men, making it important to examine how prison conditions impact women’s mental health. Here, we use national data on 1490 women incarcerated in the United States and the 60 state prisons in which they reside to examine the links between prison conditions and symptoms of mental health conditions, net of individual-level factors. Hierarchal negative binomial regression models indicate that the punitiveness of the prison environment, the recent occurrence of a suicide in the prison, and fewer prison programs are all associated with symptom count. These results have important implications for understanding the mechanisms through which prison deprivations are linked to women’s mental health.

“Shamba”: understanding and responding to the drivers and dynamics of same-sex sexual activity, sexual violence, and HIV risk in the Malawi prison system

ABSTRACT Consensual same-sex relations and transgender expression are prohibited in Malawi. In-depth interviews (eight professionals, 30 former prisoners) were conducted to garner unique insights into the dynamics and complexities of prison conditions, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission, same-sex sexual activity and sexual violence. Reflexive thematic analysis yielded six themes: Covert same sex sexual activity behind the walls of the Malawi Prison System; Survival-based sexual transactions; Consensual and forced same-sex sexual activity; Sexual urges and crossing the homosexual Rubicon; Health consequences; and Inadequate and insufficient vocational development and rehabilitation. The government is recommended to repeal its laws and improve standards of detention (safety, space, food), healthcare and provide trauma-informed rehabilitation/reintegration for all. Advocacy efforts are warranted to scale up the HIV comprehensive package. PRACTICE IMPACT STATEMENT The Malawi prison system is advised to resource, deliver and scale up the United Nations HIV comprehensive package of 15 interventions in order to uphold the humane treatment of prisoners and protect them from sexual violence and sexually transmitted infections.

PRISON ESCAPE VIEWED FROM ISLAMIC LAW PERSPECTIVES (A Case Study at Muara Labuh Prison)

In Indonesia, there have been numerous cases of people escaping from prison including the Muara Labuh Prison. This research analyze the prison conditions, the cases that occurred there, the motives behind the escape, the responsibility of the warden, and how Islamic law views escape. Data were collected through observation of prison conditions and interviews. Data analysis was performed in several stages, including data reduction, display, and verification techniques, then, narrated using a qualitative approach and Islamic law. The results revealed three cases of inmates escaping from this prison. They have a variety of reasons for this, including an inability to restrain sexual desires, being unable to serve very long sentences, depression, and poor prison security, which is the warden's responsibility. Prison escape is not justified in Islamic law due to the necessity to obey state rules that are not specifically regulated in the Qur'an and Sunnah.