Time In Prison Research Articles

ESTABLISHMENT OF GUBA PRISON IN RUSSIA AND FORMATION OF PRISON COMMUNITY

This work continues a series of studies devoted to volost places of isolation for off enders in Russia, who, in their subordination and organization, depended on the local society of a guba, settlement or volost. In the early days of their existence, such institutions were called: cell, dungeon, cold hut and guba hut, but not prison. Only after the unifi cation of legislation in the 17th century such premises began to be called prison. It is worth noting that the provincial or volost isolation institutions were organized at the will of the volost society to protect the rights of the authorities and ordinary people from encroachment: residents of the volost who violated the law or custom, as well as fugitive and dashing people who were able to be detained on the territory of the volost. Due to legal regulations, the entire prison population can be divided into two groups. The fi rst is temporary prisoners from ordinary people who either huddled in prison of their own free will or ordinary people who committed a crime in accordance with the law or custom. The term of imprisonment for such prisoners varied from one day to several months. It was this large group of inmates who maintained contact with relatives helping an inmate survive his time in prison and return to his family. The second group was represented by temporary prisoners who were detained on the territory of the volost for crimes or those who escaped from their master, as well as those who managed to escape from places of detention. According to the decree, such prisoners were to be sent to the volost prison within 30 days. The fi rst and second groups of inmates were united into a prison community organized according to folk custom with the choice of the headman and other representatives of the administration. The strongest and smartest were elected to the elders. Based on the analysis of legal acts, it can be argued that the prison community was not only a recognized initiative on the part of the inmates, which emerged from peasant self-government, but it was also recognized and encouraged by state bodies and the royal persons themselves. A Russian average person is attracted to a community it was determined by the living conditions in prison. Life, traditions and holidays brought up in every member of the community the understanding that he was part of society, without which his life could not be imagined. And when a member of the community went to prison, he had an urgent need to feel himself in his familiar environment - the community. In general, the prison community is a historically established community of people that emerged according to custom, but subsequently received

Treatment utilization among people with drug use disorders in prison: a national longitudinal cohort study

BackgroundDrug use disorders are highly prevalent among people in prison. Nevertheless, treatment coverage for individuals with drug use disorders in prison remains understudied and unknown. The aim of this study was to estimate treatment coverage among a sample of people with harmful and likely drug dependence before entering prison and to investigate the factors associated with treatment utilization.MethodsThis was a longitudinal cohort study using baseline survey data linked to registry data on imprisonment and treatment utilization. The study is based on the Norwegian Offender Mental Health and Addiction (NorMA) cohort (n = 733) recruited in 2013–2014 from 57 Norwegian prisons. At baseline, participants reported drug use the year before imprisonment, using the Drug Use Disorder Identification Test (DUDIT). The outcome of interest was DUD treatment, defined as at least one DUD treatment episode from the specialized health services during baseline imprisonment.Results40% of the sample had DUDIT scores that indicated likely drug dependence (≥ 25) and a need for treatment. Among this group, 64% received DUD treatment while imprisoned. Longer imprisonment (> 12 months; aOR = 8.87, p < 0.001), Nordic country of birth (aOR = 2.85, p = 0.003), daily/almost daily injecting drug use (aOR = 2.58, p < 0.001) and polydrug use (aOR = 2.19, p = 0.002) were positively associated with treatment utilization in prison.ConclusionsMost people with likely drug dependence before entering prison in Norway received DUD treatment during their time in prison. More severe drug use (Injecting drug use and polydrug use), longer imprisonments and being born in the Nordics were positively associated with treatment utilization. People in prison must have access to adequate treatment during imprisonment, and further studies should investigate the possible individual or structural barriers resulting in treatment gaps, especially for people who are foreign born and people with short sentences.

Severity of Depression among Incarcerated Men in Meru, Main Prison

Purpose: Depression is one of the most prevalent mental disorders globally and it is known to cause impairment in cognitive, social, emotional and occupational functioning. In Kenya, a moderate to high prevalence of depression has been established among incarcerated men in several prisons, Meru main prison included. This study, therefore sought to assess the severity of depression among incarcerated men in Meru, Main Prison. Methodology: The study employed a quasi-experimental research design. The study was conducted in Meru, Main Prison. A sample size of 148 inmates was selected using a simple random sampling technique. Quantitative data was obtained from the social demographic questionnaire and the BDI-II. Results: The study found that the severity of depression among incarcerated men in Meru main prison was higher at 46.3% as opposed to moderate depression at 27.9%, and mild depression at 18%. This implied that prisoners going through severe depression are more than those other levels of depression. Conclusion: The study concluded that severity of depression was higher among the participants aged 20 to 30 years compared to other age categories and among the first time in prison. The proportion of clinical depression was higher among young adults aged 20-30 years in prison compared to the middle adults and adults 30-50 years. Therefore, it is recommended that the government of Kenya may engage young adults with job opportunities, and social engagement. This might limit the proportion of young adults languishing in prison instead of utilizing their youthful strength productively in society.

A UK survey of young people's views on condom removal during sex.

Non-consensual condom removal (NCCR) refers to the act of removing a condom during sex without the other person's permission. It poses physical and psychological risks to women's health. Views and attitudes regarding this sexual practice are not well understood in the UK. This study aimed to explore young people's views on the morality and criminality of NCCR and how their views are affected by negative health outcomes, relationship status, and socio-demographic characteristics. A quantitative online survey of people aged 18-25 living in the UK was conducted. The survey consisted of two NCCR scenarios, varied by health outcome and relationship status, followed by questions about the morality and criminality of NCCR and respondents' socio-demographic characteristics. Statistical analysis included Chi-square testing and logistic regression modelling. Most of the 1729 respondents considered NCCR to be a violation of consent to sex (97.4%-98.1%), to be wrong (99.3%-99.5%), and to be sexual assault (86.3%-89.2%). Respondents were more likely to support prison time for NCCR if the victim got pregnant (52.1%) (rather than depressed (41.6%)) or was part of a casual hook-up (53.9%) (as opposed to a long-term dating relationship (47.2%). Respondents who were female or non-heterosexual were more likely to view NCCR as sexual assault and support prison as a penalty for NCCR. The majority of young UK adults in this survey considered condom removal during sex without the other person's permission to be a violation of consent, morally wrong, and a form of sexual assault. Support for prison as a penalty was lower. These findings can inform future campaigns on consent in sexual relationships and legislation to provide support for women affected by NCCR.

Idle Time in Prison: The Emotional, Social, and Practical Impacts of Incapacitation

The existing research on the prevalence and impact of boredom in prison is extensive. The passing of time and its unique meaning in a prison context has been documented. Missing from the research is an analysis of the ways in which “warehouse” prisons do not prioritize meaningful activity, even when there is agreement between correctional staff and incarcerated individuals about the negative impacts of idle time in prison. Based upon research in a Vermont men’s prison, we use data involving incarcerated individuals and correctional staff, including focus groups and interviews, surveys, and qualitative feedback on the meaning of the survey results. Synthesizing these various data forms, this article focuses on the relationship between incarcerated persons’ perceptions of how they are able to spend their time in the facility, how prepared they feel for release, lack of opportunities to earn money, and the impacts on their wellbeing. “Warehousing,” as it is known in prison terms, contributes to the sense of hopelessness that incarcerated people feel, and acknowledgment by staff that the prison function is incapacitation. As this project is aimed at improving prison climate, addressing idle time in prison emerged as a high priority.

Work like any other but like no other: Labour rights for working prisoners in Sweden

In Sweden there is no minimum wage legislation. Wages for 88% of workers are governed by collective agreement, and for the remainder, they are set by individual employment contracts. The lowest wage levels in collective agreements for adults were about SEK 19,000 in 2022, and the median wage was about SEK 34,200, which corresponds to SEK 119 and SEK 214 per hour, respectively. Wages not set by collective agreement or employment contract are supposed to be ‘reasonable’. A reasonable wage is a wage in line with the level laid down in the sectoral collective agreement. Incarcerated workers earn SEK 13 an hour in Sweden. They are not categorised as workers, however, and therefore are not covered by labour law or collective agreements. But the products of their work – goods and services – are either sold on the open market or used for the benefit of the Swedish Agency for Prisons and the Probation Service, as the services or goods do not have to be bought on the open market. Such low pay would be considered unreasonable for any other work. However, work has been a central aspect of serving time in Swedish prisons for a very long time. Over time, such work has been motivated and governed by different principles and aims, such as the work-first principle, meaning, i.e., that work is both a societal duty and a right, and the aim of disciplining the incarcerated workers for internal and external purposes (resocialisation). The rehabilitative aspect of work has been emphasised. Proposals to raise the pay level have been rejected as being too expensive and counteracting the rehabilitative function of serving time in prison. This article seeks to explain the perceived rationale behind this state of affairs and to bring a human rights perspective into the picture and reflect on its implications.

Prison labour as punishment

Mandatory prison labour is not classed as part of the offender's punishment. The sentence is the years to be served in prison and on licence in the community. I argue that there is reason for reclassifying or reforming the current regime of prison labour in England and Wales. The argument for reclassification draws analogy to the place of labour in community orders and suspended sentences. If there is reason to reclassify prison labour, consideration of proportionality would require significantly reduced time in prison. However, there are important difficulties with establishing what reduction should be offered and operationalising any such reduction in a fair way. If prison labour is instead to be reformed so as to be non-punitive, this may require an overhaul, giving the offender a choice of whether to work and wider labour protections. Prison labour is lost when classed as neither punishment nor as employment.

‘Voluntary’ prison labour in the Netherlands

As of 2021, work in prisons in the Netherlands is voluntary, at least to some extent. In this article, I examine the protection of working prisoners’ labour rights after the shift to a voluntary work scheme for prisoners in the Netherlands. Work in Dutch prisons may be freely chosen to some extent, but the Dutch scheme for work in prison raises questions about offenders’ rehabilitation. Having work opportunities while in prison is said to contribute to the learning of skills, promote rehabilitation and societal reintegration and provide prisoners with income. However, prisoners in the Dutch prison perform their work for low pay and have limited meaningful options for the work they perform. This has a profound impact on their time in prison and on their reintegration into the labour market after having served their sentences. I argue that these issues demand an in-depth examination if prisoners’ rights are to be protected. I describe working prisoners’ labour rights in the Netherlands and address the normative question of the rights that working prisoners should have based on the principle that imprisonment itself is the punishment and that extensions of prison sentences in society are illegitimate. My proposal for considering the amendment of the approach to prison labour in the Netherlands aims to be useful for the analysis of prison labour in general.

How do parole boards respond to large, societal shocks? Evidence from the 9/11 terrorist attacks

We provide the first evidence of the impact of 9/11 on outcomes for Muslims in the US criminal justice system. We focus on parole outcomes of Black Muslim men in the state of Georgia, and find large post-9/11 declines in the likelihood of being granted parole and a subsequent 23% relative increase in prison time for Muslim inmates. These impacts persisted for several years after 9/11 and were larger for inmates with higher levels of recidivism risk. We argue that these effects reflect unwarranted disparities driven by the decision-making of parole board members post-9/11.

The Cage of Days: Time and Temporal Experience in Prison, written by K. C. Carceral and Michael G. Flaherty

The Cage of Days: Time and Temporal Experience in Prison, written by K. C. Carceral and Michael G. Flaherty

Tidligere kriminalitet og psykisk helsehjelp hos personer med soningserfaring som blir dømt til tvungent psykisk helsevern

In the period 2002-2020, a total of 431 people were sentenced to coercive mental health care. Many of these had served time in prison, either previously or in connection with the criminal acts that led to the current sentences. This study examines the background, criminal history and mental health status of individuals before they committed the offences that led to their imprisonment. Data from the Norwegian Correctional Service's Register of Imprisonments, the Register of Convictions, the Norwegian Patient Registry and Statistics Norway were used to study former prisoners who were sentenced to coercive mental health care in the period 2002-2020, who had served prison terms. Among 286 former prisoners who were sentenced to coercive mental health care, 246 (86.0%) had previous convictions, and 140 (49.0%) had previously had criminal charges dropped due to doubt as to criminal culpability. Previous psychiatric illness in the last two years was studied in 186 individuals. Of these, 151 (81.2%) had undergone treatment in the mental health service, with psychotic disorders (106/186 (57.0%)) and substance use disorders (109/186 (58.6%)) being the most common diagnoses. Former prisoners who are sentenced to coercive mental health care tend to have an extensive criminal and mental health care history prior to committing criminal acts that lead to coercive mental health care.

Investigating prison factors related to literacy and numeracy skills of incarcerated adults

Incarcerated adults in the United States are a vulnerable group with substantially low skills and educational attainment. However, the extent to which various, malleable prison factors are related to the skills of adults from diverse backgrounds remains scarcely explored. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to explore such factors in order to examine which prison programs and activities are associated with higher skills for incarcerated adults in the United States. The sample included 1247 inmates who participated in the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies survey. Regression analysis results revealed that completing more than high school education in prison was linked to higher performance in literacy and numeracy. Also, higher performance was associated with more time in prison, suggesting that program benefits for inmates with shorter time in prison might go unnoticed. Lastly, the most notable differences in performance were related to participation in prison job training. Even though many incarcerated adults partake in various prison programs and activities, participation in these programs was not consistently associated with higher literacy or numeracy skills. Potentially, prison programs might not be providing sufficient applied opportunities for enhancing skills. Findings from this study suggest a need for a closer evaluation of the malleable prison factors and programs relating to the literacy and numeracy skills of incarcerated adults in the United States.

Detection of the synthetic cathinone N,N-dimethylpentylone in seized samples from prisons

Drug use is prevalent in prisons with drugs associated with depressant effects found to be more prevalent than stimulants. Synthetic cathinones (SCats; often sold as “bath salts”, “ecstasy”, “molly”, and “monkey dust”) are the second largest category of new psychoactive substances (NPS) currently monitored by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) and are commonly used as substitutes for regulated stimulants, such as amphetamine, cocaine, and MDMA. N,N-dimethylpentylone (also known as dimethylpentylone, dipentylone, and bk-DMBDP) was detected for the first time in the Scottish prisons in seven powder samples seized between January and July 2023. Samples were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QToF-MS), and nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMR). Dimethylpentylone was detected alongside other drugs in four samples, including the novel benzodiazepine desalkylgidazepam (bromonordiazepam) and the synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs) MDMB-INACA and MDMB-4en-PINACA.

Sentenced to shame: Moral injury exposure in former lifers.

A significant increase in the release of individuals who served life sentences (i.e., lifers) in California has created the opportunity to study aspects of their psychological wellness for the first time. Moral injury may be a particularly relevant factor to consider in this population but has not been previously studied. This study is the first to explore the concept of moral injury within a currently or formerly incarcerated population. Former lifers currently in reentry in California (N = 41) completed a survey that measured their moral injury exposure (MIE), MIE-related guilt, MIE-related shame, MIE-related rumination, religiosity, attempts at making amends, and flourishing. As expected, a high rate of lifetime MIEs was endorsed (97.6%). Events linked to life sentence crimes (75.6%) and time in prison (56.1%) were very common. Lower levels of MIE-related shame (r = -.58, p < .01) and higher levels of religiosity (r = .35, p < .05) were significantly associated with greater flourishing. By contrast, degree of MIE exposure, MIE-related guilt, and MIE-related rumination, and making amends were all weakly associated with flourishing. Our results highlight that MIE is pervasive in this population and extends beyond life sentence crimes. Moreover, our findings suggest that it is lifers' self-concept following MIEs that appears to affect well-being upon release, rather than the extent and nature of moral injury exposure. Further research exploring moral injury in incarcerated and formerly incarcerated populations is needed to improve their well-being and chances of successful reentry. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Bobby pins, belts and diets: Survival strategies of women political prisoners within the gendered carceral regime at Alderson Prison, 1944–1960

AbstractThis article examines the gendered carceral regime at the Federal Industrial Reformatory for Women at Alderson, West Virginia that was created by its first superintendent, Mary Belle Harris and the experiences of three women political prisoners – Grace Holmes Carlson, Helen Bryan and Elizabeth Gurley Flynn – who served time at Alderson between 1944 and 1960. It offers a critical analysis of Carlson's, Bryan's and Flynn's firsthand accounts of their time in prison to reveal these women's strategies for surviving Alderson's reforming mission that included, paradoxically, both a rejection of the middle‐class femininity inherent in that mission and, at times, an accommodation to it.

Backgrounds and perspectives of San Antonio street sleepers

BackgroundThe question of what brings someone to homelessness and keeps them there has many varied and complex answers. The authors believe the answers lie within the persons experiencing homelessness (PEH). MethodsThis is an interpretive approach study based on convenience sampling of the San Antonio, TX, unsheltered population, utilizing semi-structured interviews from January 2022 through November 2022. ResultsThe six most common themes that emerged from the subjects’ backgrounds were 1) jail or prison time or other personally significant legal issues; 2) personal substance abuse or addiction struggles; 3) physical and mental health challenges as an adult; 4) disdain of shelters and preference for rough sleeping; 5) a problematic childhood; 6) did not enjoy school as a child or young adult. ConclusionTo gain more insight into a situation as complex as the state of homelessness, researchers should meet with those on the frontline of this epidemic and hear first-hand their personal histories, challenges, successes, and suggestions. Though not a novel approach, the researchers found limited previous literature in regard to approach, scope and in relation of causation related to homelessness, especially about the U.S. unsheltered population. The ultimate goal is for such research to help guide outreach services and legislation related to PEH.

Paradoxes of experiencing time and functioning in Prison – longitudinal studies and their implications for psychological interventions

The following work presents a study of a group of 10 men serving a prison sentence, concerning temporal dispositions of their personality (i.e. time perspective, hope, future anxiety, acceptance of the past). The research was longitudinal—it was repeated after one year in order to check whether and to what extent these variables changed under the conditions of a specific situation—a stay in prison. In the course of the research, slight, statistically significant changes in the profile of temporal variables were noticed in the group of respondents after one year. There were also significant differences in the level of these variables compared to the validation groups, which shows the specificity of this group of prisoners. Based on in-depth analysis of two case studies, exemplary directions for social rehabilitation and psychological support for prisoners, which consider their temporal experiences, were proposed.

Moral foundations in gender violence cases decided in Portuguese courts

Gender violence encompasses a multitude of morally problematic psychological, physical, and sexual behaviors that, in most countries, constitute criminal offenses. In this study, we investigate the association between moral foundations ( Care, Fairness, Loyalty, Authority, and Sanctity) and punitive responses to gender violence offenses. Our case study focuses on gender violence in Portugal, a country in which these offenses are a prevalent social problem. We collected data on gender violence legal cases decided in Portuguese courts between 2002 and 2022, and we used a latent class cluster analysis model to identify the complex patterns in the data and reduce such patterns to a distinct number of clusters. Four main clusters unravel latent relations between the foundations mapped in the legal narratives and corresponding punitive responses: (i) Affirmative with suspended prison time (moral rhetoric rooted in Authority); (ii) Mixed outcomes but no prison time (moral rhetoric rooted in Sanctity); (iii) Affirmative with lengthy prison time large compensation (moral rhetoric rooted in Loyalty and Care); and (iv) Affirmative with court fines (moral rhetoric rooted in Fairness). The moral foundations provide a valuable lens to understand the problem of gender violence, but further research is needed to establish the causal mechanisms between morality and punitive responses to gender violence.

Time Experiencing in Men Serving the Term of Imprisonment – a Semantic Differential Study

Abstract This paper proposes a semantic differential-based research method called Prison Time. The study with this tool was conducted on a group (N = 161) of men serving time in Polish prisons. The analysis revealed a two-factor structure accounting for 49.1% of the variance, with Cronbach’s alpha greater than 0.74. The Perceptual-Formal factor reflects formal aspects of perceiving time – pace, dynamics, and changeability. The Emotional-Valence factor captures both the emotional load and assessment related to experiencing imprisonment time. The measure is likely to be used by both academics and practitioners interested in assessing the subjective attitude to time as experienced in prison.

The Struggle for Reconciliation: Trauma and Memory in Abdulrazak Gurnah’s By the Sea

Abdulrazak Gurnah, a Tanzanian-British Nobel Laureate, is a celebrated name in modern literature. His sixth novel, By the Sea (2001), delves into the aftermaths of migration and displacement, particularly highlighting the impact of imperialism on native culture and identity. In the novel, Gurnah explores the complex interplay between trauma and memory in the context of migration and displacement. The novel's central characters, Omer and Latif, are both marked by experiences of trauma, and their struggles to reconcile these experiences with their present lives are a major theme of the work.At the heart of the novel's exploration of trauma and memory is the idea that memory is a site of ongoing struggle and negotiation. Both Omer and Latif are haunted by memories of their past, which exert a powerful influence on their present lives. For Omer, memories of his childhood in Zanzibar are deeply intertwined with the trauma of his father's death, while for Latif, memories of his time in prison are a constant source of anguish.Gurnah's novel suggests that acculturation is inherently traumatic, as it involves a rupture with one's past and the need to forge a new identity in a foreign land. However, the novel also suggests that memory can be a powerful tool for healing and reconciliation. By revisiting the past and confronting their traumas head-on, both Omer and Latif can find a measure of peace and acceptance. Through an analysis of the novel's characters and their struggles with memory and trauma, this research paper explores how trauma and memory impact the experiences of migrants and refugees, and how cultural sensitivity and awareness can inform trauma healing practices.