Prison Management Research Articles

Disaster risk reduction and emergency management in prison: A scoping study from New Zealand

This research note provides insights on disaster risk reduction (DRR) and emergency management in New Zealand prisons. It draws upon a scoping study that explores the exposure of prisons and identifies vulnerabilities and capacities of prisoners. This study also documents policies and practices for DRR and emergency management. It reveals that increasing awareness at the national level and improved DRR policies and emergency management initiatives may still prove insufficient to deal with increasing exposure and the particular vulnerability of a quickly growing number of inmates. The intrinsic capacities of these inmates also remain untapped. This research note further highlights the critical lack of collaboration between stakeholders of prison management, DRR and emergency management in New Zealand.

Prison management as guarantor of oral health of prisoners

Prison management as guarantor of oral health of prisoners

Protection of Prisoner’s Human Rights in Prisons through the Guidelines of Rule of Law

Punishing the criminals is one of the criminal justice mechanisms to compensation and reparation for victims and society. In this regards some of the punishments are determined by criminal justice systems in every society. Imprisonment is one of these penalties which specified in this regard and through this punishment the convicted persons are detained in prison. However, the guilty is sentenced to prison and restriction of his or her liberties, but she or he has fundamental rights and freedoms that must be protected even if in prison and has the right to how to be punished. All of these rights and freedoms are protected by the rule of law. This issue means that how to be punished is restricted under the definite principles which have to be exercised when the retribution and punishment is ongoing. This matter of criminal law and criminal justice is considered as right on how to be punished. The area of this right and authority of prison’s heads and its personnel is determined by law. In order to do that and protection of prisoner’s human rights and regulating manner with them and also for prison management, the rule of law provided a set of guidelines. According to these guidelines prison is managed in the legal framework as well as in this context the prisoner’s rights are protected effectively. These guidelines are provided in some of international legal instruments. This article investigates these guidelines and in respect of their human rights aspects which related to the environmental, educational, management, health care, personnel and humanistic dimensions of imprisonment these guidelines and instructions are studied and analyzed.

Aiming to Reduce Time-in-Cell: Reports from Correctional Systems on the Numbers of Prisoners in Restricted Housing and on the Potential of Policy Changes to Bring About Reforms

A new report, jointly authored by the Association of State Correctional Administrators (ASCA) and the Arthur Liman Program at Yale Law School, reflects a profound change in the national discussion about the use of what correctional officials call “restrictive housing” and what is popularly known as “solitary confinement.” Aiming to Reducing Time-In-Cell? provides the only current, comprehensive data on the use of restricted housing, in which individuals are held in their cells for 22 hours or more each day, and for 15 continuous days or more at a time. The Report also documents efforts across the country to reduce the number of people in restricted housing and to reform the conditions in which isolated prisoners are held in order to improve safety for prisoners, staff, and communities at large. The 2016 Report is based on survey responses from 48 jurisdictions (the Federal Bureau of Prisons, 45 states, the District of Columbia, and the Virgin Islands) that held about 96% of the nation’s prisoners convicted of a felony. That number excludes people held in most of the country’s jails (housing hundreds of thousands of people), in most of the country’s juvenile facilities, and in military and immigration facilities. Tallying the responses, the new 2016 Report found that 67,442 prisoners were held, in the fall of 2015, in prison cells for 22 hours or more for 15 continuous days or more. The percentages of prisoners in restricted housing in federal and state prisons ranged from under 1% to more than 28%. Across all the jurisdictions, the median percentage of the prison population held in restricted housing was 5.1%. How long do prisoners remain in isolation? Forty-one jurisdictions provided information about the length of stay for a total of more than 54,000 people in restricted housing. Approximately 15,725 (29%) were in restricted housing for one to three months; at the other end of the spectrum, almost 6,000 people (11%) across 31 jurisdictions had been in restricted housing for three years or more. The Report also chronicles efforts throughout the country and the world to reduce the use of restricted housing. In August of 2016, the American Correctional Association (ACA) approved new standards, calling for a variety of limits on the use of isolation, including a prohibition against placing prisoners in restricted housing on the basis of their gender identity alone. The standards also included provisions that pregnant women, prisoners under the age of 18, and prisoners with serious mental illness ought not be placed for extended periods of time in restricted housing. Further, in some jurisdictions, prison systems (sometimes prompted by legislation and litigation) have instituted rules to prevent vulnerable populations from being housed in restricted housing except under exceptional circumstances and for as short an amount of time as possible. As the Report also details, several jurisdictions described making significant revisions to the criteria for entry, so as to limit the use of restricted housing, as well as undertaking more frequent reviews to identify individuals to return to general population, thereby reducing the number of people in restricted housing by significant percentages. In short, while restricted housing once was seen as central to prisoner management, by 2016 many prison directors and organizations such as ASCA and the ACA have defined restricted housing as a practice to use only when absolutely necessary and for only as long as absolutely required.

Interview with Abdoulaye Kaka

AbstractThe Review has chosen to open this edition with an interview with General Abdoulaye Kaka as a representative of State practice in counterterrorism detention. The journal chose to focus on Niger as a State that is affected by an ongoing armed conflict and which arrests, detains and tries suspected members of a non-State armed group under its domestic legal system.General Abdoulaye Kaka has been working as Head of Niger's Central Counterterrorism Agency (Service Central de Lutte Contre le Terrorisme) since 2014. He previously worked for the judicial police in Niger as head of the anti-gang section before opening the first office of the judicial police in Zinder. General Kaka worked for the United Nations (UN) police forces in Ivory Coast between 2006 and 2012, when he became the Commander-in-Chief of the Niger UN police forces.In his current role as Head of the Central Counterterrorism Agency, General Kaka oversees detention operations throughout the country, many of which involve suspected members of the group that calls itself Islamic State's West Africa Province (ISWAP), also known as Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad or, as it is most widely known under its former name, Boko Haram.Niger has suffered the effects of the ongoing conflict between ISWAP and State forces in the Lake Chad region, resulting in casualties, arrests and repeated displacement among civilians. The government of Niger contributes troops to the Multinational Joint Task Force, which conducts operations against the group. At the same time, the government arrests and detains suspected members of ISWAP as part of its counterterrorism efforts. These detention operations are coordinated by the Central Counterterrorism Agency. Established in 2011, the Central Counterterrorism Agency, successor to the counterterrorism section of the judicial police, is made up of representatives from the three primary law enforcement organizations in the country – the national police, the national guard and the gendarmerie – and is principally responsible for counterterrorism investigations in Niger.In Niger, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) helps people affected by conflict in the south-east or fleeing fighting in north-east Nigeria. With the Niger Red Cross, the ICRC delivers aid, treats the wounded, provides water and supports farmers. The ICRC also monitors compliance with international humanitarian law, visits detainees and helps them to maintain contact with their families.The ICRC visits people held by the authorities in at least five places of detention in Niger. After the visits, the ICRC shares its findings on the treatment and living conditions of the detainees confidentially with the authorities and urges them to take steps to address concerns. The ICRC also helps bolster prison management capacities and health services for detainees through technical and material support, and round-table discussions on these topics. The ICRC helps detainees, particularly minors, maintain contact with their families. At the request of foreign detainees, the ICRC informs their families or consular representatives of their detention. Lastly, the ICRC covers transportation costs for security detainees returning home after their release.

Understanding Prison Management in the Philippines

Current prison management models strictly prohibit inmates from assisting with prison administration or governance. This is feasible in developed countries where governments can provide adequate resources, security, and personnel. It is not, however, realistic in developing countries like the Philippines, which is characterized by poverty, corruption, and underresourcing of correctional facilities. In such circumstances, inmate leaders tend to share governance with prison administrators. Despite occurring out of necessity, not by design, this system normalizes social conditions within a prison. This article examines the ramifications of such a shared governance model for correctional management by means of ethnographic research.

The role of art education in adult prisons: The Western Australian experience

Incarceration costs are high; in Australia, for example, each prisoner costs an average of AUD 115,000 per year. Other countries are also feeling the fiscal pinch of high incarceration costs, and a number of jurisdictions are now closing some of their prisons. Most prison costs are non-discretionary (accommodation, meals, etc.). But some of the costs relate to discretionary activities, services and facilities (including schooling). In terms of correctional education, many prison managers try to invest any meagre correctional education resources available to them in those classes and courses which have proven to have the best results, such as improved labour market outcomes and reduced recidivism, minimising subsequent re-imprisonment. Course offers for prisoner-students include vocational training, adult basic education (ABE) and art studies. The two-tiered question this paper asks is: do art classes and courses produce these measurable outcomes and, if not, are there other reasons why they should continue to be funded? Addressing these issues, the authors argue that (1) these measurable outcomes are too narrow and do not reflect the complex but less quantifiable benefits to the individual and the community of studying art in prison, and (2) better measures of all impacts of art studies in prisons are needed, including qualitative and humanitarian aspects.

Offender management in and after prison: The end of ‘end to end’?

In 2013 a joint report by the Inspectorates of Probation and Prisons in England and Wales concluded that offender management in prisons was ‘not working’ and called for a fundamental review. This article considers why existing arrangements have failed and draws upon theory and research on resettlement, case management and desistance from crime, to define what a more effective system of ‘rehabilitative resettlement’ – both inside prison and ‘through the gate’ – might look like. It also comments on emerging proposals for radical change, including abandonment of the ‘end to end’ model of offender management by an outside probation officer and the development of ‘rehabilitative prisons’, in which more responsibility is placed on prisoners for managing their own rehabilitation, and a formal motivational role is created for large numbers of prison staff.

CBT in a Caribbean Context: A Controlled Trial of Anger Management in Trinidadian Prisons.

Anger causes significant problems in offenders and to date few interventions have been described in the Caribbean region. To evaluate a package of CBT-based Anger Management Training provided to offenders in prison in Trinidad. A controlled clinical trial with 85 participants who participated in a 12-week prison-based group anger management programme, of whom 57 (67%: 16 control, 41 intervention) provided pretrial and posttrial outcome data at Times 1 and 2. Intervention and control groups were not directly comparable so outcome was analysed using t-tests. Reductions were noted for state and trait anger and anger expression, with an increase in coping skills for the intervention group. No changes were noted in the control group. The improvements seen on intervention were maintained at 4 month follow-up for a sub-group of participants for whom data were available. Several predictors of outcomes were identified.

Use of telemedicine in the European penitentiaries: current scenario and best practices.

Background: Telemedicine has demonstrated to improve access and quality of health services in underserved area, curtailing the costs, therefore its application to the delivery of health care in prison would be desirable. Little is known about its use across European penal institutions. Our study aimed to assess the state of telemedicine within the European jails. Methods: To maximize data availability, we used two different approaches. A bottom-up approach was used by gathering information directly from prison directors of every single penal establishment of the 28 European members. A top-down approach was used to collect information from persons involved in prison administration or project leaders at national level. In both approaches questions were sent by mail. Results: Information gathered directly by contacting prison directors and/or persons in charge come from all the 28 EU members. In total, we contacted 211 prison directors and 116 persons in charge, with a total response rate of 67%. We have found that telemedicine, as additional healthcare delivery model, is used only in 11 countries, especially among members of Northern and Western Europe. Only Romania showed to have a pilot project for a nationwide program of telemedicine. Conclusions: Telemedicine services among European penitentiaries appear still poorly developed. Given the numerous and demonstrated advantages of this technology, it would be desirable to implement its utilization in penal healthcare and to integrate it in the routine services, as benefit not only for prison environments but also for the whole community of each country.

The Influence of Rehabilitative and Punishment Ideology on Correctional Officers' Perceptions of Informal Bases of Power.

Maintaining order is a key goal for prison managers. Much of the research on order maintenance focuses, however, on disruptions of order, even when order is more common. Examining factors related to perceptions on how officers get inmates to comply is, therefore, an important consideration. Using a survey of correctional officers from a Mid-Atlantic state, this study considers three dimensions of French and Raven's theory on the bases of power. The focus is to examine correctional orientation and compliance regarding three dimensions of power that rely on informal control and relationships. The results indicate that officers' belief in rehabilitative ideals is consistently related to the dimensions of legitimate, referent, and expert control. Other individual and organizational factors are also related to dimensions of power. Implications for policies and for future research are discussed.

Exemplary prisoner management

This paper focuses on the initiatives of a few idealistic prison managers in different countries who at different times braved the punitive tide to apply reformative principles. In support, it cites a growing number of compelling research studies from prisons and other places of confinement that bear on fair custodial management. It is presented in the hope of inspiring more managers to follow suit and to persuade administrators, personnel selectors, staff trainers, and others within the penal system to countenance systemic reform as their raison d'être. Following the halting progress of central and local governments in matters of penal reform, it could be seen as a third way of tackling a most vexatious humanitarian issue.

Powstanie i organizacja pruskiego więzienia w Sztumie

In 1911 started a construction of Central and Youth Prison in Sztum (Zentral und Jugendgefängnis) for East and West Prussia. This was the result of efforts of local authorities of the city and a favorable decision of the Prisons Management in Berlin. The construction of prision complex, which consisted of a settlement for prision officials and walled prision buildings with building of prison board, was completed in 1915. The prison was considered to be modern, because of its amiliesion of watter supply, sewerage, central heating and lighting. The right numer of prison cells, created residential pavilion for quarantine purposes, bath, infirmary, class and workshop rooms, provide persons deprived of liberty, not just good social conditions, but also creates opportunities for the educational function of prison. The prision was provided for 400 juvenile criminals. Next to the prison was located a settlement for prision officials amilies, which provided a very good social conditions. Staff consisted of 50 people, headed by a Director. The prison in Sztum was subjected to the prosecutor of the Court of Appeal, and indirectly to the Prison Management in Berlin. It should be noted that the Prussian prison in Sztum was a modern prison facility, well-protected, providing good living conditions to prisoners and adapted to implement cel system already declining and introduced progressive system of serving a penalty in prison.

An Empirical Analysis of Public Enforcement of Directorss Duties in Australia: Preliminary Findings

The preliminary findings presented in this paper indicate that criminal enforcement was more prevalent than civil enforcement and there was a significant emphasis on incapacitative sanctions such as prison sentences and management disqualification orders. Monetary sanctions were less frequently imposed and tended to be of a low magnitude relative to the statutory maximum sanctions. Criminal and civil enforcement had similarly high success rates and the civil enforcement process was only slightly faster than the criminal process, suggesting that criminal enforcement is as effective as civil enforcement from a procedural perspective. In sum, both ASIC and the CDPP play a significant role in enforcement of directors’ duties and there is a strong focus on enforcement via incapacitation.

A longitudinal study of mental health symptoms in young prisoners: exploring the influence of personal factors and the correctional climate.

BackgroundDespite the high prevalence rate of mental health problems among young prisoners, little is known about the longitudinal course and covariates of their mental health symptoms during incarceration, especially the influence of the correctional climate. The current study aimed: (1) to examine changes in young prisoners’ mental health symptoms during incarceration, (2) to identify personal factors associated with their mental health symptoms and perceptions of the correctional climate, and (3) to test the incremental effect of perceptions of the correctional climate on mental health symptoms.MethodsData were obtained from a sample of 75 youths (aged 17 to 22 years) detained in a Portuguese young offender prison. Data were gathered 1, 3, and 6 months after their admission in this facility. Socio-demographic, clinical and criminological variables were collected. Mental health symptoms and perceptions of the correctional climate were assessed through self-report assessment tools. Linear and logistic (multi-level) regressions and tests for differences between means were performed to analyze the data.ResultsOverall, mental health symptoms marginally declined by the sixth month in prison. Prisoners with a history of mental health treatment were more likely to have increased symptoms. Higher levels of mental health symptoms were associated with a history of mental health treatment, remand status, and a lower educational level. Better perceptions of the correctional climate were associated with Black race and participation in prison activities. A negative perception of the correctional climate was the strongest covariate of young prisoners’ mental health symptoms and had incremental validity over that of personal variables.ConclusionsThe results highlight that both characteristics of the prisoners and of the prison environment influence young prisoners’ mental health. Prison management can try to reduce young prisoners’ mental health problems by developing scientific procedures for their mental health assessment and creating a more beneficial correctional climate.

The Status of HIV/AIDS Management Strategies in Correctional Settings in Kenya: A Case Study of Lang'ata Women and Kamiti Maximum Prisons

The study examines how the transmission of HIV/AIDS is mitigated by Kenya Prison Service and is guided by four objectives: (a) To measure the perception of Kenyan prisoners on the scourge of HIV/AIDS in prisons; (b) To assess the capacity of Kenya Prison Service in the prevention, control and management of HIV/AIDS in Kenyan prisons; (c) To identify the common practices of managing HIV/AIDS in Kenyan prisons and (d) To evaluate the efficacy of HIV/AIDS management in Kenyan prisons. A survey research of 142 inmates was conducted in 2012/2013. Of these, 98 (69%) were males from Kamiti and 44 (31%) were females from Lang'ata prison. The findings of the study show that, a) More than half 79 (56%) of the total sample in the prisons studied self-reported being infected with HIV b) the reported prevalence of HIV/AIDS is higher among the male respondents as opposed to their female counterparts and c) mean duration of imprisonment was 6 years 2 months. This is not surprising noting that the study was carried out in maximum security prisons where long term inmates are incarcerated. This implies inmates were more knowledgeable about HIV/AIDS. The main obstacles to effective implementation of HIV management programs in Kenyan prisons include a) high prevalence of HIV by inmates; b) lack of clear and proper mechanism of identifying the HIV-positive inmates; c) congestion in prisons; d) poor access to health care services; e) inadequate knowledge about HIV; and f) lack of elaborate discharge planning programs.

Views of Iranian prison staff towards needle-exchange program in prison

Aims: Prison staff members have a core role in the provision of harm reduction strategies in prison. This study aimed to evaluate the attitudes of prison directors, managers and health staff toward Needle Exchange Program (NEP) among people who inject drugs in Iranian prisons. Methods: With a grounded theory design, this qualitative study was conducted in 2011 in Iran. The study population included directors of provincial prison organisations, prison managers, heads of health departments in prisons, prison health officers, physicians, counsellors and healthcare workers in prisons. Participants’ responses were collected via focus group discussions. Results: Attitudes of the participants could generally be categorised in three including: Health-related aspects; Behavioural and social aspects; and Legal, organisational and financial aspects. Those who were in line with the existence of NEP in prisons mentioned some pre-requisites for supporting this program in prisons. Conclusion: Positive and negative views of Iranian prison staff toward NEP in prisons suggest that there are many obstacles to the provision of harm reduction strategies in prison. Consideration of socio-cultural parameters of the target community as well as combination of NEP and other harm reduction strategies might help to improve the effectiveness of harm reduction in prisons.

"We are free to choose the institutions which we visit"

The role of the Controller General of Places of Deprivation of Liberty (CGLPL) is to ensure the proper management of future prisoners and the guarantee of their fundamental rights. This role concerns the legal framework of measures as well as the conditions of their application and the environment of the person entering a detention centre, a prison or a specially equipped hospital unit (UHSA), for prisoners with psychiatric conditions. Interview with Adeline Hazan, a CGLPL since July 2014.

Incarceration Incentives in the Decarceration Era

After forty years of skyrocketing incarceration rates, there are signs that a new “decarceration era” may be dawning; the prison population has leveled off and even slightly declined. Yet, while each branch of government has taken steps to reduce the prison population, the preceding decades of mass incarceration have empowered interest groups that contributed to the expansion of the prison industry and are now invested in its continued growth. These groups, which include public correctional officers and private prison management, resist decarceration-era policies, and they remain a substantial obstacle to reform.This Article scrutinizes the incentives of these industry stakeholders in the new decarceration era. Drawing on interviews with a wide range of industry actors, it develops a “taxonomy of resistance” to identify how and why these actors resist reform efforts and uncovers understudied parallels between private and public prison stakeholders. This fine-grained analysis grounds the Article’s recommendations for changes to compensation and assessment structures to better align industry incentives with decarceration-era goals. Ultimately, the future of the decarceration era is precarious but not doomed. The detailed incentives unearthed by this study demonstrate the significant hurdles facing emerging decarceration policies and the urgent challenge of accounting for, overcoming, and co-opting entrenched prison industry stakeholders.

Assaults by Mentally Disordered Offenders in Prison: Equity and Equivalence.

Managing the violent behaviour of mentally disordered offenders (MDO) is challenging in all jurisdictions. We describe the ethical framework and practical management of MDOs in England and Wales in the context of the move to equivalence of healthcare between hospital and prison. We consider the similarities and differences between prison and hospital management of the violent and challenging behaviours of MDOs. We argue that both types of institution can learn from each other and that equivalence of care should extend to equivalence of criminal proceedings in court and prisons for MDOs. We argue that any adjudication process in prison for MDOs is enhanced by the relevant involvement of mental health professionals and the articulation of the ethical principles underpinning health and criminal justice practices.