No abstract

Can the same risk classification instrument be used for both female and male prisoners?The authors answer this question using data for federal prisoners by comparing female and male prison violence rates and by comparing the predictive validity of a risk classification instrument used to predict female and male violence. The authors find women commit less violence and less serious violence than men. However, despite these gender differences, they find the same classification instrument predicts violent behavior equally well for women and men. Taken together, these results lead the authors to argue for correctional policies requiring separate classification systems for women and men.

No abstract

This paper employs a large sample to empirically evaluate the Federal Bureau of Prisons' substance abuse treatment program's effectiveness in reducing prisoner misconduct. Results show that program graduates are 74 percent less likely to engage in misconduct over a 14-month period than a comparison group. This benefit is shared by male and female inmates alike. The substantial magnitude of the effect shows that prison-based substance abuse treatment programs provide an effective management tool to correctional administrators.

Perceptions of job advancement opportunities were examined for a large correctional agency that is an equal opportunity employer. The attitudinal data were taken from the 2001 administration of the Prison Social Climate Survey by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Multilevel models were employed that permitted the simultaneous examination of individual- and institutional-level covariates. A sample of 4,037 staff members working at 98 different prisons provided the data. Consistent with prior research, Whites and men believed that minorities and women had greater opportunities for job advancement. The results demonstrated that the gap in equality of opportunities varied significantly from prison to prison, suggesting that the work environment or context does matter. Nonetheless, the gap in how job opportunities were evaluated between men and women and between Blacks and Whites did not vary significantly across prisons, suggesting that the work context had no effect on these differences.!