Correctional Agencies Research Articles

Expansion of Remote Supervision Technology in Community Corrections: Lessons Learned from One State During COVID-19

ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic substantially disrupted community corrections work and forced agencies to adapt to continue maintaining public safety and helping clients navigate supervision. During this time, technology emerged as a key innovation to allow agencies to continue to achieve these mandates. The current study sought to better understand the role of technology in supervision during the pandemic with an emphasis on front-line officer perceptions. Using surveys of 184 probation and parole officers, we examined how officers adapted their supervision approach, the role of technology in this process, and the use of a mobile application to continue supervision during the pandemic. Study findings highlight pragmatic, risk-based adaptations that were made to supervision practices and ways technology was leveraged to mitigate the burdens of the pandemic. Additionally, we identified a number of barriers that hindered innovative efforts. This study adds to a growing discussion surrounding the promise of technological innovation in community corrections and how community corrections agencies can proactively prepare for future disruptions.

Mentoring Women in Corrections: Encouraging the Next Corrections Executive

Mentoring can positively influence the mentee, the mentor, and the organization in which both are employed. Mentoring can help employees to overcome workplace challenges, including barriers to advancement, while increasing job satisfaction, enhancing career development, and producing a greater sense of value within the organization, often leading to increased productivity. While mentoring clearly has a multitude of benefits, women have traditionally had difficulty establishing mentorships in the workplace, which appear especially problematic in traditionally male-dominated careers, such as corrections. Based on surveys and interviews with members of the Association of Women Executives in Corrections (AWEC), this study investigates the role of mentorship in women’s advancement within corrections departments. Data show that support, particularly from one’s supervisor, is critical as women consider advancement, regardless of the supervisor’s gender. These results imply that when there are few women in the administrative ranks, limiting the opportunity for female mentorship, women can find equally effective mentorship from male superiors. Moreover, mentorships do not necessarily have to be formalized to be effective and can develop from outside one’s department when none exist within. Corrections agencies interested in diversifying their administrative ranks should plan to establish more opportunities to foster mentoring relationships, which would benefit all employees.

Associations of Racial Equity Training, Policies, and Practices With Routine Supervision Strategies in Community Corrections

Community corrections agencies across the United States are adopting racial equity as a priority in their polices, practices, and staff training, though how racial equity can be translated into the routine practices of probation and parole officers has not been widely discussed. This study examines the associations of perceived racial equity priorities on the supervision strategies reported by probation and parole officers in an online survey ( N = 1054). Approximately one-third of officers reported that their agencies prioritized racial equity. Racial equity scores were stronger in juvenile agencies and in agencies that prioritized evidence-informed practices. Racial equity was associated with reduced accountability-oriented case management practices. Results of this study suggest that racial equity policies and practices may impact client outcomes through changes in general supervision strategies. More research is needed to identify race-conscious strategies that community corrections officers can employ to meet the needs of people involved in the legal system.

Shaping the techno-social landscape of corrections: How values, technology, and culture influence the design of correctional service delivery applications

Over the past decade, a variety of digital platforms have emerged to deliver core correctional services. Understanding the challenges and drivers of correctional agencies’ digitalisation helps us to understand the processes that shape these technologies and their impact on correctional environments and practices. To bridge this gap, we conducted interviews with 26 software developers and other stakeholders involved in the digitalisation of corrections, aiming to explore the challenges encountered in designing and implementing digital service delivery technologies for correctional services. Our findings shed light on some key challenges faced by software developers and other stakeholders involved in the design process, including institutional culture, justice system bureaucracy, and public perceptions. These challenges significantly influence design processes and the availability of digital products for end users. They shape the techno-social landscape of correctional agencies and contribute to the dominance or absence of certain digital platforms or artefacts.

Collaborations Between Community Corrections and Community Organizations: Understanding their Potential for System-Involved Women and Gender Responsive Programming

Central to gender responsive programming is providing holistic resources to women. Here, we examine the possibilities of using collaborations between community corrections agencies and community-based organizations to meet the unique needs of women. We draw on fieldwork at a community corrections agency for women alongside interviews with them, staff, and community organizations. In doing so, we illustrate how different stakeholders viewed the unique benefits of these collaborations in terms of their ability to advance gender responsive principles. Simultaneously, we illuminate how correctional organizational priorities—including those designed to advance gender responsive principles—can stymie the development of these collaborations.

Effects of Correctional Body-Worn Cameras on Responses to Resistance: A Randomized Controlled Trial in a Jail Setting

Little is known about the scope of use-of-force incidents in carceral settings, nor the impact of efforts to control it. Correctional agencies have recently begun adopting body-worn cameras (BWCs) to mitigate such incidents and improve institutional management. We conducted a one-year randomized controlled trial of BWCs among the 12 housing units in the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center in Virginia. We collected data on the 97 response-to-resistance (RTR) events that occurred during our study period, including deputies’ control methods (physical controls, restraints, weapons) and residents’ resistance levels (passive, active, aggressive) during these events. Using negative binomial regression, we found a 40% decrease in RTR events in unit-months with BWCs. We also found 37% and 52% reductions in the use of physical controls by deputies and the occurrence of resident active resistance, respectively. We situate these findings in the correctional context and discuss their implications for policy and future research.

FIGHTING FOR THEIR PLACE IN BRAVE SPACES: UNCOVERING THE TRAVAILS OF THE CLOSETED POLICE OFFICERS

<p>In law enforcement and correctional agencies, sexual orientation and gender identity-based harassment and employment discrimination remained persistent until today. Moreover, there is stereotyping involved in the issue of being closeted in the law enforcement agency. This study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the experiences, challenges, and struggles faced by closeted officers in law enforcement organizations. The study’s participants are closeted police officers, who were chosen through snowball sampling, while data were collected via interview guide questionnaires. The study employs a qualitative phenomenological research approach, focusing on what people experience concerning certain significant life events and how they perceive those occurring. Thematic analysis was employed as the chosen qualitative data analysis approach. The study revealed that closeted gay police officers needed to adjust and adapt themselves to the workplace dynamics to fit in while balancing their values to stay true to themselves. The participants also experienced discrimination, stereotypes, and bullying. The significance of this study is to understand better the experiences, challenges, and struggles of closeted police officers; specifically, to explore their lived experiences in law enforcement organizations, document the difficulties the respondents have faced and the coping techniques they used to overcome the significant challenges in their professions and document how the closeted police officers project themselves during police operations.</p><p> </p><p><strong>JEL: </strong>J15, J71, J78, Z13<strong></strong></p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0758/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Experiences of quitting smoking in prisons: A qualitative study of people in custody.

Smoking prevalence among people in custody (PIC) is extremely high, and prison-based smoking cessation interventions are needed. The study explored the quitting experiences of PIC who participated in the 'Quit to Win' contest (QTW). This qualitative study, conducted from 2019 to 2021 in two Hong Kong prisons, included semi-structured individual interviews with 26 PIC (13 men and 13 women) who were participants in QTW and two correctional staff who coordinated QTW. A semi-structured interview guide with open-ended questions was developed to examine multilevel factors that promote or impede smoking cessation in prisons. Maximum variation sampling was used to ensure a diverse range of social, demographic, and smoking profiles. Data were managed and analyzed using thematic analysis. Two themes were identified from the data: 1) quitting in prison: barriers and facilitators; and 2) QTW in prison: a trigger for behavior change. Barriers (i.e. stress, boredom, isolation, lack of self-autonomy, nicotine dependence and lack of cessation medication, barriers to moving to a different wing) and facilitators (i.e. concerns about health, money savings, and the smoke-free wing) that impeded or supported smoking cessation during incarceration were identified. QTW provided health education, quitting incentives, and social support that helped PIC overcome the barriers of quitting by serving as a trigger for behavior change. Notably, social visits with family were identified as key drivers of PIC's quitting success, whereas their suspension during the COVID-19 pandemic disincentivized their abstinence. This study introduced the QTW contest to prisons and provided qualitative evidence on the multilevel factors promoting or impeding smoking cessation in prison. QTW helped PIC overcome the barriers of quitting by serving as a trigger for behavior change. Future prison-based interventions should leverage social support, enhance stress-coping skills, facilitate access to pharmacotherapy, and collaborate with correctional services agencies.

Agency Directors’ Reflections on “Success” in Community Corrections: The Role of Traditional and Alternative Measures

Community corrections has risen in popularity as a method to reduce incarcerated populations. Although researchers have pointed to the value of thinking about success outside of the traditional recidivism metric, many of the agencies that engage in this sort of work are evaluated by oversight agencies based on traditional metrics such as recidivism and program completion. To understand how alternative measures of success are integrated into different dimensions, we surveyed a sample of leaders across community corrections agencies in six states and asked them to share their perceptions about the goals of their agency, the programming they offer, and the metrics to which they are held accountable; we also examined their mission statements. Responses from more than 30 agencies indicate there is a cultural space and a pragmatic use for agencies to integrate alternative measures more formally into their assessment processes but that strictures from oversight agencies are a notable obstacle.

“The COVID-19 pandemic and operational challenges, impacts, and lessons learned: a multi-methods study of U.S. prison systems”

BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to examine how the COVID-19 pandemic changed U.S. prison operations and influenced the daily work of prison staff.MethodsIn collaboration with the National Institute of Corrections, we administered a survey to 31 state correctional agencies in April 2021 and conducted five focus groups with 62 correctional staff.ResultsUsing a framework of bounded rationality, we find that daily operations were strained, particularly in the areas of staffing, implementing public health policy efforts, and sustaining correctional programming. While prison systems and staff were under-prepared to respond to the pandemic, they attempted to address complex problems with the limited resources they had.ConclusionsResults underscore a need in corrections for prioritizing further developments and reviews of collaborative policies and practices for managing crisis situations. Seeking avenues for leveraging technological innovations to improve operations and facilitate enhanced communication are especially warranted. Finally, meaningful reductions in the prison population, changes in physical infrastructure, and expansions of hiring and retention initiatives are critical for positioning prisons to manage future emergencies.

No health without access: using a retrospective cohort to model a care continuum for people released from prison at an urban, safety net health system

BackgroundRelease from prison is characterized by discontinuity of healthcare services and results in poor health outcomes, including an increase in mortality. Institutions capable of addressing this gap in care seldom collaborate in comprehensive, data-driven transition of care planning. This study harnesses information from a data exchange between correctional facilities and community-based healthcare agencies in Colorado to model a care continuum after release from prison.MethodsWe merged records from Denver Health (DH), an urban safety-net healthcare system, and the Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC), for people released from January 1 to June 30, 2021. The study population was either (a) released to the Denver metro area (Denver and its five neighboring counties), or (b) assigned to the DH Regional Accountable Entity, or (c) assigned to the DH medical home based on Colorado Department of Healthcare Policy and Financing attribution methods. Outcomes explored were outpatient, acute care, and inpatient utilization in the first 180 days after release. We used Pearson’s chi-squared tests or Fisher exact for univariate comparisons and logistic regression for multivariable analysis.ResultsThe care continuum describes the healthcare utilization at DH by people released from CDOC. From January 1, 2021, to June 30, 2021, 3242 people were released from CDOC and 2848 were included in the data exchange. 905 individuals of the 2848 were released to the Denver metro area or attributed to DH. In the study population of 905, 78.1% had a chronic medical or psychological condition. Within 180 days of release, 31.1% utilized any health service, 24.5% utilized at least one outpatient service, and 17.1% utilized outpatient services two or more times. 10.1% utilized outpatient services within the first 30 days of release.ConclusionsThis care continuum highlights drop offs in accessing healthcare. It can be used by governmental, correctional, community-based, and healthcare agencies to design and evaluate interventions aimed at improving the health of a population at considerable risk for poor health outcomes and death.

OPTIMALIZATION OF THE APPLICATION OF ACT NUMBER 22 OF 2022 CONCERNING COMPANIES IN OVERCOMING PROBLEMS OF MANAGEMENT OF CORPORATE INSTITUTIONS (LAPAS) IN INDONESIA

<p>The purpose of correctional systems is to improve the quality of personality and independence of inmates so that they are aware of their mistakes, improve themselves, and not repeat criminal acts, so that they can be accepted again by the community, can live normally as good citizens, obey the law, be responsible, and can play an active role in development. However, this correctional goal cannot be realized properly and optimally if the problems that exist in prisons are still not resolved properly. The type of research used in this paper is a type of empirical normative research. Collecting data using literature study methods and also interviews through the Forum Group Discussion (FGD), with the type of approach to legal systematics and Non-Judicial Case Study as well as data analysis in the form of qualitative research. Based on the research that the author did, can conclude that problems related to overcapacity, prison facilities and infrastructure, and human resources (prison officers) can be overcome by the establishment of Law Number 22 of 2022, but problems related to <em>halinar</em> cannot yet be resolved by Law No. 22 of 2022. The form of optimization strategy that can be done to overcome problems in prisons is to optimize the coaching activities provided to inmates, where prisoners become more active, not just as observers, apply restorative justice in prisons and one example is by providing a special room for mothers and children, as well as forming the National Correctional Agency (BAPASNAS).</p>

Building an implementation framework to address unmet contraceptive care needs in a carceral setting: a systematic review

BackgroundThe provision of contraceptive care for incarcerated individuals has been largely inconsistent and has contributed to, at best, inadequate care, and at worst reproductive abuses, violence, and coercion. While previous research has identified strategies to remedy known issues, to date, very few recommendations have been implemented across the carceral system. To address this, we conducted a systematic review of policy and practice recommendations to improve contraceptive care to reproductive-aged, incarcerated individuals in the United States.MethodsWe conducted this systematic review utilizing the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and framed it within the National Implementation Research Network’s (NIRN) Exploration stage. We searched PubMed, PSYCInfo, SCOPUS, ProQuest, Web of Science, MedLine, Social Science Citation Index and reference sections of included materials. Basic study information, explicitly stated policy and practice recommendations, and discussions and conclusions that subtly provide recommendations were extracted in full text. We utilized a thematic analysis approach to analyze the extracted text.ResultsA total of 45 materials met the inclusion criteria. Seven overarching themes were identified: 1) policy changes needed to implement care; 2) need for contraceptive care in carceral systems; 3) justice agency barriers regarding contraceptive care provision; 4) policy barriers to contraceptive access; 5) funding strategies to improve care; 6) patient preferences for contraceptive care delivery; and 7) healthcare provider knowledge regarding contraceptive care. The seven themes identified shed light on the need for, gaps, barriers, and facilitators of current contraceptive care provision to incarcerated individuals.ConclusionThis systematic review accomplished two goals of NIRN’s Exploration stage. First, the compiled evidence identified a clear need for change regarding policies and practices pertaining to contraceptive care provision to incarcerated individuals in the United States. Second, our findings identified several evidence-based solutions supported both by research and professional healthcare organizations to address the identified need for change. This study provides an initial blueprint for correctional agencies to implement the necessary changes for improving contraceptive care provision to incarcerated populations. The correctional system is in a unique position to deliver much-needed care, which would result in many potential benefits to the individuals, correctional system, and community at large.

Body-Worn Cameras in a Correctional Setting: Assessing Jail Deputy Attitudes Before, During, and After Implementation

Body-worn cameras (BWC) have become ubiquitous in law enforcement but are nascent in correctional settings. There is little research on the attitudes of the corrections personnel expected to wear these devices, even though their buy-in is critical for successful implementation. We address this gap by examining the perceptions of deputies from the Loudoun County, Virginia Adult Detention Center (LCADC) who participated in a 12-month BWC pilot program. We survey LCADC deputies at three periods (pre-, mid-, and post-implementation) and analyze mean changes in their perceptions of BWCs and staff-resident relationships. We find that LCADC deputies were neutral or did not agree that BWCs would improve efficiency and accuracy, have a civilizing effect on incarcerated residents, or lead to work-related disruptions. These attitudes remain largely consistent across the three survey periods. We also find that deputies had more negative perceptions of their relationships with residents at both the mid- and post-implementation periods, compared to the pre-implementation period. The results suggest that, when developing a BWC program, corrections officials should involve front-line personnel early in the planning process. Officials should also ensure policies are tailored to the unique needs of their correctional agency, rather than merely adapting policies created for law enforcement.

A Comparison of HIV Knowledge, Sex Risk Reduction, HIV Services & Testing, and Risk Reduction Skills in the WaySafe and StaySafe Interventions

Justice-involved people with substance use disorders are an at-risk population for health risk behaviors, particularly those related to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and other sexually transmitted infections. Risk-reduction programs provide correctional agencies with a practical solution in to reducing HIV-related health risks in justice-involved populations. This study compared two interventions (in-prison, group-based WaySafe with self-adminstered, tablet-based StaySafe for people on probation) to determine whether one intervention was more effective than the other in terms of common outcomes. Multi-level analyses compared effect sizes from outcome studies testing WaySafe and StaySafe. Results showed the interventions had similar effects with regard to measures of HIV Knowledge, HIV Services and Testing, and Risk Reduction Skills. Collectively, this study suggests the StaySafe intervention can be used in situations where the more intensive WaySafe intervention is not feasible and affords correctional agencies the flexibility to implement the curriculum that best meets their organization’s goals and needs.

Gender-Responsive Probation During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Learning from Justice-Involved Women and Their Supervising Officers

ABSTRACT In the Spring of 2020, the COVID19 pandemic forced community corrections agencies to adapt their day-to-day processes for supervising individuals and maintaining public safety. These forced adaptations allowed the authors to explore how these changes (i.e., tele-supervision) impacted women and those who supervised them at a probation agency in a large metropolitan county in a Western U.S. state. To date, limited research surrounds how COVID-related adaptations impacted gender-responsive, or women-centered, community supervision caseloads. To address this gap in the literature, the current study utilizes a qualitative approach to explore the experiences of 17 community corrections staff and clients on gender-responsive probation supervision during the pandemic. Their narratives suggest both positive outcomes (e.g., accessibility, reducing tendencies to over-supervise) and challenges (e.g., accountability, lacking a relational component) with tele-supervision and tele-treatment models. It is critical to utilize the lived experiences of those directly impacted by COVID-related changes, including community corrections staff and clients, to help shape gender-responsive supervision moving forward.

Building accountability and client–officer relationships through videoconferencing: Exploring best practices for community corrections

The COVID-19 pandemic forced community corrections agencies worldwide to use remote technologies to prevent the spread of the virus. A growing body of the literature suggests that video-conferencing is poised to be a core practice within community correctional settings. However, little is known about the best practice strategies for incorporating videoconferencing into routine supervision. We address this gap by interviewing and conducting focus groups with a sample of community correction officers from the US ( N = 16). We identified the presence of the law enforcement—social work dichotomy in remote settings, reflected in challenges and opportunities when holding clients accountable and establishing client–officer relationships. Our findings show that officers relying on evidence-based practices (EBPs) were able to use videoconferencing tools to overcome remote challenges. We suggest that establishing in-person relationships, adapting EBP, and taking care of logistics are critical steps to strengthen remote accountability and client–officer relationships. We conclude by discussing future research areas.

Differences in intent to refer buprenorphine among community correctional and treatment staff: A set of cross-lagged models predicting efficacy beliefs and familiarity with buprenorphine for opioid use disorder.

Despite high rates of individuals with opioid use disorder, community correctional agencies underutilize medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). Knowledge about the mechanisms which motivate correctional employees to refer buprenorphine remains underdeveloped, and differences in these patterns by employee status are unknown. This study has two objectives: (1) investigate the presence of a reciprocal relationship between familiarity with buprenorphine and efficacy beliefs among community corrections and community treatment staff and (2) identify whether this relationship differs by staff status in referral intentions. Data were used from the Criminal Justice Drug Abuse Treatment Studies 2 (CJ-DATS 2) among correctional and treatment employees (N = 873). Four models investigated whether a reciprocal relationship existed between buprenorphine familiarity and efficacy beliefs. Then, the best fitting model was used to test the influence that prior training had on future referral intention through familiarity and efficacy beliefs among the analytic sample (n = 612), by comparing two separate structural equation models (SEMs) among correctional staff and treatment staff, respectively. The fully cross-lagged model provided a significantly better fit to the data than other models ( (1) = 7.189, p < .01). The results of the multigroup SEM show that training had positive, indirect effects on future referral intentions that significantly differed between treatment and community correction staff. Findings show that training may influence correctional staff intent to refer individuals to receive buprenorphine through familiarity. Tailored training for MOUD treatment for specific staff populations may prove more beneficial than existing approaches.

Modeling Shifts in Community Corrections Populations following COVID-19: Evidence from a Midwest Metropolitan Area

ABSTRACT The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in short-term strategy shifts by criminal justice agencies, including population reductions and early release in institutional settings and restricting in-person check-ins in community corrections, among many others. Years into the pandemic, the impact of how local criminal justice agencies navigated these changes in practice is still coming into focus. This paper models shifts in community corrections populations in a Midwest US metropolitan community corrections agency following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using monthly population data from early 2017 to mid-2022, we employ Bayesian interrupted time-series models to describe changes in probation, parole, and supervision absconder populations over this period. The results suggest that both probation and parole populations, as well as absconders, were in decline leading up to March 2020, but then exhibited varying trends following the pandemic. Probation populations decreased markedly, while parole absconding increased.

Increasing client motivation ratings across violence rehabilitation are promising predictors of reduced post-custody recidivism

ABSTRACT In forensic practice, clinicians often need to apply risk assessment results to complex correctional decisions, but a strong empirical base to support some practices (such as assessing strengths or measuring change) is limited and still emerging. Using data from 195 adult men (M age = 32.02, SD = 8.53) who completed a custody-based violence prevention rehabilitation program, we supplemented existing static and dynamic risk factor ratings recorded prospectively by correctional staff by conducting retrospective file reviews and coding additional dynamic risk factors and strengths (including motivation and program engagement). We observed small average reductions in dynamic risk ratings and increases in strength ratings. After controlling for static risk scores, increases in client motivation and program engagement predicted reduced violent recidivism. Results from multivariate models suggested clients’ interest in engaging with post-custodial support for staying crime-free was critical for post-release success. Although our methodology was innovative in this context, inconsistent interrater reliability (ICC1 = .05–.74) and results suggest clinicians should cautiously interpret change scores and strength factor ratings. Rehabilitation research would benefit from partnerships with corrections agencies to design rigorous prospective research on client motivation and program engagement.