Correctional Agencies Research Articles

Adaptations to COVID-19 in Community Corrections Agencies across the United States

ABSTRACT Currently, there are more than 4.3 million Americans are under some form of community supervision. Much of the experience of traditional community supervision relies on face-to-face interactions. Individuals on supervision often require treatment or services typically delivered in face-to-face settings. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced community corrections’ agencies to quickly rethink how they do business, with limited existing research on how to adapt supervision protocols in the midst of a global pandemic. Using surveys of directors of community corrections’ agencies across the United States, the goal of the current study was to examine how community corrections’ agencies have adapted traditional supervision processes to address disease prevention and containment in addition to supporting client needs and community safety as a result of COVID-19. Changes implemented during the pandemic may have implications for the future landscape of community supervision. Understanding how and what agencies prioritize in a time of global crisis can provide a foundation for identifying sustainable changes as well as understanding future impacts on system and client-level outcomes.

The Essence of the Correctional System in the Effort of Recovering the Correctional Assisted Resident

The essence of correctional system in the effort of recovering the correctional assisted resident is a rehabilitation and social reintegration in the implementation of correctional system. The nomenclature changes from the prison system to correctional system, is a progressive step that is conducted to make a new image in the correctional agency.

Body cameras behind bars: Exploring correctional officers’ feelings of safety with body-worn cameras

Amid rising rates of prison violence, corrective service agencies worldwide are increasingly championing body-worn cameras as a tool with the potential of making the prison environment safer. Little is known, however, whether this technology makes correctional officers feel safer while carrying out their duties in an environment with higher rates of violence than most other occupations. Using survey data and interviews with correctional officers in Queensland, Australia, this study shows that for many correctional officers, body-worn cameras do not improve feelings of safety or have a civilizing effect on prisoner behavior. Most correctional officers do believe, however, that the presence of body-worn cameras reduces the threat of false allegations and thereby improves their “professional” safety. This study also considers whether officers’ perceptions of physical or professional safety vary by officer characteristics, body-worn camera usage, and prison type.

How to build an HIV out of care watch list: Remaking HIV surveillance in the era of treatment as prevention

This paper describes how state and local departments of public health (DPHs) in the United States build HIV “out of care” lists using “Data to Care” guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). DPHs use these lists in prevention outreach and contact tracing. DPHs build out of care lists using data sent to them by laboratories every time a clinician orders routine HIV-related bloodwork for a patient. If a person does not report bloodwork, or shows poor results, they can be placed on an out of care list. The processes DPHs use to construct and refine lists show how HIV care data changed during the 2010s, transforming from a class of sensitive information with many restrictions governing its exchange into a class of data that is accompanied by a mandate for public health actors to exchange and utilize it in a variety of programs. Re-uses of HIV care data for prevention follow confirmation that antiretroviral therapy for HIV is an effective way to prevent transmission, a paradigm called “treatment as prevention.” DPH personnel enhance lists by conducting investigations, matching lists against medical records, utilizing people search tools such as LexisNexis, searching social media platforms, and other methods. This can include collaboration with correctional and law enforcement agencies — a concern in jurisdictions where HIV nondisclosure is criminalized. Public health re-uses of HIV data are done without consent. This paper focuses on the labor and ethics of building HIV out of care lists, drawing on archival health policy data, fieldwork with the HIV/AIDS workforce in metropolitan Atlanta, and a literature review.

Building community confidence in community corrections

ABSTRACT It is inevitable that some people granted conditional release will (re)offend, but most will complete their order without incident. Nevertheless, the standard approach adopted by correctional agencies to communicating with the public about community corrections is one of minimal information. We suggest that this may create an impression that offenders are dark shadowy figures incapable of change or redemption. To address this, we set out an agenda for Australian governments to build public confidence in community corrections. We call for more robust program evaluation, publication of the results and regular updates on trends in successful order completion. We also highlight the importance of educating the public about crime and corrections and the need to improve the credibility of community corrections. Finally, governments should do more to humanise offenders. The public has a right to know more about how offenders are managed in the community. They also deserve to hear the stories behind the statistics.

Peculiarities of the Image of Correctional Agencies and Employees

The article examines the character, similarities and differences of the image (or its separate aspects) of correctional agencies and employees perceived by the employees of correctional agencies (n = 342), convicts (n = 361) and the general public representing different age groups (n = 1023), as well as the relations among the image of correctional agencies and employees, experience accumulated by participants, and sociodemographic characteristics.

American Corrections System Response to COVID-19: an Examination of the Procedures and Policies Used in Spring 2020.

This article will explore the federal and state correction system responses to COVID-19 as of early May 2020. Current statistics of infection rates and policy responses will be discussed. In addition, adjustments to inmate activities and staff will be reviewed, as well as responses by community corrections agencies.

Reassessment improves prediction of criminal recidivism: A prospective study of 3,421 individuals in New Zealand.

A dynamic risk factor is a variable that can change across time, and as it changes, there is a corresponding change in the likelihood of the outcome. In corrections, there is evidence for dynamic risk factors when relatively more proximal reassessments enhance predictive validity for recidivism. In this article, we tested the proximity hypothesis with longitudinal, multiple-reassessment data gathered from 3,421 individuals supervised on parole in New Zealand (N = 68,667 assessments of theoretically dynamic risk factors conducted by corrections case managers). In this sample, reassessments consistently improved prediction as demonstrated by (1) incremental prediction over initial baseline scores and (2) improved model fit of the most recent assessment compared with the average of earlier scores. These results contribute to a growing body of evidence that support community corrections agencies conducting repeated assessments of the risk for imminent recidivism using a dynamic risk instrument. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Pregnant inmates with OUD experience inconsistencies in medical treatment

Research findings based on a 2016–17 survey of select state prison and county jail systems suggest that correctional agencies still fall far short of offering the standard of care for incarcerated pregnant women with opioid use disorder (OUD).

Contrasting emotional labor and burnout in civilian and sworn law enforcement personnel

PurposeThis study introduces emotional labor into an analysis of multiple dimensions of burnout in sworn and civilian employees across three law enforcement agencies.Design/methodology/approachUsing data from a survey of law enforcement employees in a metropolitan police department, a full-service sheriff's department, and a state corrections agency located in the western United States (n = 1,921), we test the explanatory power of an emotional labor-based model of burnout.FindingsResults partially confirm the lone prior study to examine civilian and sworn personnel. Sworn and civilian employees experience variant levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, though the underlying emotional labor correlates are significantly related to burnout for both groups. Further, we extend prior results by capturing multiple facets of burnout as well as contributing an emotional labor explanation for burnout, while controlling for individual demographic characteristics and agency type.Research limitations/implicationsLaw enforcement agencies rely upon non-sworn employees to support their missions. The experience of non-sworn law enforcement personnel is under-researched in both the emotional labor and law enforcement organizational literature. Burnout is a phenomenon that has high costs for both employees and organizations, particularly in the law enforcement context. Investigating the emotional labor experience of employees is critical for practitioners who are tasked with effectively managing both groups.Originality/valueOne previous study has investigated the emotional labor of civilians in law enforcement and used community-level predictions for burnout. This study builds on those findings by capturing two facets of burnout rather than the lone gauge of burnout used in the previous study. Furthermore, we use an emotional labor model to investigate emotional exhaustion and depersonalization reported by sworn and civilian personnel.

Initial Reliability and Validity for the Critical Hire® - Screen

Although the use of integrity testing during the application process has become a frequent practice in general business settings, their use has been rather nonexistent in the field of corrections. This limited use may stem from a lack of awareness about integrity tests in corrections, as well as a lack of integrity measures that have been normed and validated for use with correctional applicants. This study outlines the development, reliability, and validity for the Critical Hire®-Screen (CH-S), an overt integrity assessment measure developed for probation, parole, and other correctional officer job applicants. Four separate studies were conducted and provide evidence for the internal consistency, test‒retest reliability, and convergent validity for the CH-S. Results provide initial support for correctional agencies to use the tool to measure various traits of integrity at a pre-offer phase in the hiring process.

Predicting Correctional Officer Job Performance Using the Critical Hire-Screen and Personality Assessment Inventory: An Analysis of Incremental Validity

This article measured the degree to which the Critical Hire-Screen (CH-S), a pre-employment test of integrity, and Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI), a test of psychopathology, correlated with and predicted supervisor ratings of correctional officer job performance. Results revealed that the CH-S provided the strongest correlation with, and prediction of, job performance. Although PAI subscales contributed to the prediction model, relatively few subscales were ultimately selected, resulting in the CH-S explaining the majority of the variance. Implications for correctional agencies and pre-employment evaluators are discussed, and recommendations for the practical application of these results to pre-employment testing process are provided.

Developing Computer-Based Learning on Care of Aged and Dying Incarcerated People.

Corrections agencies are exploring ways to securely and cost-effectively increase access to high-quality, evidence-based educational programs for personnel. Technology-based instructional tools hold strong potential for continuing education. The Institute for Healthcare Improvement's Framework for Going to Full Scale was employed to guide a systematic approach. The purpose of this article is to outline and describe the design and development of a media-rich interactive computer-based learning product, Enhancing Care for Aged and Dying in Prison, which addresses geriatric and end-of-life care issues in corrections. Through an iterative process, the research team developed the computer-based educational program that included program and module-specific objectives in alignment with goals and priorities of the end users, detailed evidence-based content that was engaging and visually appealing, and assessments aimed at testing the user's knowledge. The Enhancing Care for Aged and Dying in Prison contains six modules, created under the careful guidance of the research team and the two advisory boards. Contents, including images and testimonials, were selected purposefully and strategically. Module objectives were developed in alignment with the goals and priorities of each module, and assessments tested user knowledge level pre/post module exposure. Completion of the training product advances the research and development necessary to further the goal of full-scale dissemination of the computer-based education. The goal of this program is to enhance care and improve quality of life for aged and dying inmates. Evidence-based training products are critical in preparing not only forensic nurses who work in corrections but also the broader group of correctional personnel in how to better meet the care needs of incarcerated persons.

Multisubstance-Using Probationers and the Odds of Arrest While in the Community.

Failed drug tests commonly lead to technical violations and revocation hearings for probationers. The current study extends these observations by examining whether multisubstance-using probationers also have increased odds of arrest in the community. This is important as multisubstance-using probationers may present unique public safety challenges to community corrections agencies and require intensive treatment resources and additional monitoring. Using data from a county-level probation cohort (N = 2,257) from 2009 to 2010, a series of logistic regression analyses estimated the effects of multisubstance use on the odds of being arrested for a new offense while in the community. The findings revealed that multisubstance use and the frequency of multisubstance use increased the odds of arrest while on probation when compared with single-substance users. We discuss how agencies may best supervise multisubstance-using probationers and suggest directions for further examination.

What Are We Talking about When We Talk about Privatization? A Qualitative Assessment of Privatized Corrections

Research on privatized corrections focuses primarily on for-profit prisons and tends to conceptualize correctional services as being strictly “private” or “public.” The current study argues that this conceptualization impedes theoretical and empirical assessments of privatization. To advance this argument, an analysis of data from interviews with individuals who work in or alongside correctional agencies is undertaken. The interviews sought insights about the meaning and implementation of privatized corrections, as well as how privatization compares to public corrections. The findings highlight the diverse nature of privatization. For example, governments, through their monitoring and oversight practices, may have an ongoing influence on the private sector’s operations. Taken as a whole, the study’s findings suggest that a more nuanced understanding of what privatization means may advance scholarship and policy about both private and public corrections.

Initial Reliability and Validity for the Critical Hire - Personality Assessment

ABSTRACT The use of personality testing during the hiring process has become a common practice in general business settings. However, their use has been rather non-existent in the field of corrections. This limited use may stem from a lack of awareness about preemployment personality tests in corrections, as well as a lack of measures normed and validated for use with correctional applicants. The present study outlines reliability and validity for the Critical Hire – Personality Assessment, a Five Factor Model based assessment of personality developed for probation, parole, and other correctional officer job applicants. This study provides initial empirical support for the Critical Hire – Personality Assessment’s internal consistency, test-retest reliability, convergent validity, and criterion validity when measuring job performance ratings. Results provide practical application of the Critical Hire – Personality Assessment for correctional agencies as a tool complementing existing hiring practices.

Developing a risk/need assessment tool for women offenders: a gender-informed approach

Purpose Recently, correctional agencies have argued that there are differences between factors influencing men and women’s involvement in the criminal justice system. The purpose of this paper is to examine the validity of a gender-informed risk/need assessment tool. Design/methodology/approach The sample consisted of 620 women offenders admitted to federal Canadian custody, as well as a matched-comparison group of 647 men. Items were selected from routine assessments in an administrative database based on an extensive literature review of factors related to criminal risk for women. Findings Results showed that the items included in this assessment and the overall rating of risk/need significantly predicted any return to custody for both women and men. As well, ratings incrementally predicted any return to custody over and above other established tools. Practical implications The gender-informed risk/need assessment tool, informed by the literature, performed well for both men and women. The research highlights the complementary, not competing, perspectives of gender-neutral and gender-responsive risk and need factors. Originality/value Factors commonly considered gender-salient predicted risk for men and women. The present study demonstrates that risk assessments tools for men and women should look beyond the factors routinely assessed in the research to identify novel dynamic factors that contribute to risk for men and women and could be targeted for intervention.

‘Not feeling like a caged animal:’ prisoner perceptions of a remote video visitation system

ABSTRACT In recent years, correctional agencies have increased their use of video visitation in an effort to offset costs and increase security, among other objectives. In the present study, interviews (N = 12) and surveys (N = 58) were conducted with prisoners at a jail in the Northwestern U.S. that had replaced in-person, glass partition visitation with remote video visitation. The results suggested that while there were positive aspects of video visitation, such as the ability to visit with loved ones from afar, there were criticisms as well, including technological and access issues. The policy implications of the findings and directions for future research on video visitation are discussed.

Tempered Radicals: Considering Street-Level Community Corrections Officers and Supervisors’ Divergence from Policies

Every day, community corrections staff make complex decisions in an uncertain environment, affecting their workload, supervisees, and public safety. These micro-level decisions have the cumulative potential to influence the overarching goals of the organization as well as probationers themselves. While focal concerns theory is a well-developed explanation of decision-making in courts and policing, within the community corrections context, scholars have only applied the framework to specific reforms or decisions. Using ethnographic data from a community corrections agency and a grounded theory approach we extend the focal concerns perspective, and uncover how and why frontline supervisors and officers diverge from an array of policies. A spectrum of policy divergence themes emerge suggesting collective action between staff and policies. Findings reveal emergent rationale for why staff make micro-level divergent decisions, and how the collective action of officers and frontline supervisors serves as tempered divergence, ultimately altering the implementation and fidelity of policy.

호주 수사기관의 미결수용자 면담 조사 방식에 관한 소고

호주 수사기관의 미결수용자 면담 조사 방식에 관한 소고