Federal Correctional Institutions Research Articles

Are native offenders treated differently in the granting of temporary absences from federal correctional institutions?

Are native offenders treated differently in the granting of temporary absences from federal correctional institutions?

Characteristics of Homicide Victims and Victimizations in Prisons: A Canadian Historical Perspective

This article presents an analysis of some of the characteristics of homicide victimizations in Canadian federal correctional institutions. Two historical periods are compared; from 1967 to 1978 and from 1979 to 1984. The findings suggest the incidence of prison homicides has increased over the years, and the character of victims and victimizations has changed. More recent prison homicides were more likely to have been carried out by multiple assailants, were more commonly associated with revenge motives or drug and gambling debts, and involved victims were more likely to have violent backgrounds. The article concludes that a more complete understanding of the causes of prison homicides will require detailed analysis of the process of conflict escalation in these settings.

A Survey of Job Attitudes of Federal Prison Employees

Turner and Johnson attempted to determine the attitudes of federal prison employees regarding job satisfaction and personal safety. They designed a questionnaire to measure these factors and sent it to 147 workers in 19 federal correctional institutions. The results of the questionnaire, which had a return rate of 80%, generally indicate a high level of job satisfaction and relatively little concern about safety among employees who completed the questionnaire.

Age and Prison Violence

This project assessed the impact of increasing inmate age heterogeneity on violent and assaultive behavior at two Federal Correctional Institutions. The project spanned a period of two and one-half years. The results indicated that the strategy may be viable for establishing and maintaining a relatively nonviolent institutional environment.

A Test of the Effectiveness of a Differential Treatment Strategy At the Robert F. Kennedy Center

The effects of an experimental program of differential classification and treatment were studied by comparing releasees from two Federal Correctional Institutions. In-program outcomes were statistically different at the two institutions. Overall, and for each treatment type, releasees from the experimental institution, the Robert F. Kennedy Center at Morgantown, West Virginia, had more paroles, fewer mandatory releases or expirations of sentences, and more escapes or transfers than the comparison institution, the Federal Correctional Institution at Ashland, Kentucky. Comparisons of post-release outcome at six-month intervals up to 36 months yielded no differences between the institutions. Statistical adjustment of 36-month outcome to compensate for differences in the two populations slightly increased the difference between the institutions, but the results still failed to reach significance. Possible weaknesses in the research design are discussed.

Psychometric Characteristics of Megargee's Work Performance and Interpersonal Adjustment Rating Schedules

Since their introduction in 1972, the Megargee Interpersonal Adjustment (IAR) and Work Performance Rating (WPR) forms have been adopted at a number of state and federal correctional institutions to facilitate the systematic recording of quantifiable observations of inmate behavior. Interpretation of these forms has been hampered by the lack of information regarding the psychometric characteristics of those instruments. In this report, approximately 2,500 reports filed on a cohort of 1,344 young adult offenders at a medium security Federal prison were analyzed; means, standard deviation, T-score equivalents, skew, kurtosis, and intercorrelations of the items on each form are reported. Factor analysis yielded one general factor for each instrument and factor weights are provided for those wishing to calculate a composite factor T-score for each instrument.

Drug and Alcohol Dependencies in Prisons

The scope of drug and alcohol pro blems in prisons is deter mined. Criminal justice statistics on arrests, convictions, and dispositions are reviewed, and surveys of the prevalence of substance abuse in state and federal prisons are reported. The review documents statistics supporting the findings that major investments of law enforcement energy are being spent in arresting substance abusers, that significant numbers of these are being convicted (roughly 20 per cent to 50 per cent of prison inmates have major drug or alcohol problems), and that the rates of such problems among parolees have been rising. Existing treatment capacities for substance-abusing inmates in state and federal correctional institutions are reviewed. Pris on programs either do not exist or are inadequate, with prob ably fewer than ten states having made any long-term com mitment. The federal NARA program has not been effective and the Bureau of Prisons' response to incarcerated drug and alcohol abusers is less adequate than the efforts of many states. For all jurisdictions, the level o f treatment response is in no way commensurate with the size of the problem. If treatment of substance abusers continues to be seen as a useful response to chemical dependencies among prisoners, more attention must be paid to providing sufficient resources to prison programs. Only then can the issues o f ineffectiveness and inefficiency in the present correctional system response be addressed.

Medical Care Activities of Full-time Health Departments

THERE has long been a need for more adequate data concerning the medical care activities of full-time health departments. In response to many requests for information, the Subcommittee on Medical Care of the American Public Health Association instructed its staff to undertake an inquiry into the extent to which health departments provide therapeutic services in their specialized health programs, the degree to which they administer general medical care services and the type and extent of health department relationships with hospitals.* A review of the functions of federal and state health agencies indicates that they have substantial responsibilities for the provision of medical care. The U. S. Public Health Service operates a network of 24 marine hospitals, 18 dispensaries, and 96 medical relief stations for merchant seamen, members of the U. S. Coast Guard and their dependents, federal employee compensation cases, and other beneficiaries. The Public Health Service also operates 2 hospitals for drug addicts and mental patients, provides medical service for 27 federal penal and correctional institutions, and is administratively responsible for Freedmen's Hospital in Washington, D. C. In addition, the Public Health Service

Connecticut State Prison: Report of the Commitee Appointed by His Excellency John H. Trumbull, Governor, to Investigate Conditions at the State Prison at Wethersfield, December 30, 1930.Federal Penal and Correctional Institutions, Annual Report for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1930.Federal Prisoners and Penitentiaries.Federal Probation Law.

Connecticut State Prison: Report of the Commitee Appointed by His Excellency John H. Trumbull, Governor, to Investigate Conditions at the State Prison at Wethersfield, December 30, 1930.Federal Penal and Correctional Institutions, Annual Report for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1930.Federal Prisoners and Penitentiaries.Federal Probation Law.