A Multilevel Analysis of the Relationship Between Cell Sharing, Staff–Prisoner Relationships, and Prisoners’ Perceptions of Prison Quality

Abstract

Prisons worldwide operate under crowded conditions, in which prisoners are forced to share a cell. Few studies have looked at the relationship between cell sharing and the quality of prison life in Europe. This study aims to fill this gap with a multilevel analysis on the link between cell sharing and quality of prison life, using results from a Dutch prisoner survey. Findings show that cell sharing is associated with lower perceived prison quality, which is partially mediated by reduced quality of staff-prisoner relationships. Cell sharing thus undermines the Dutch penological philosophy, which considers staff-prisoner relationships to be at the heart of prisoner treatment and rehabilitation. It is recommended that prisoners are held in single rather than double cells.

Doing Gender as Self-Improvement: An Exploration of How Incarcerated Men and Women Interpret the Advice From Prison Employees

“…They believe that the help they receive has contributed to their rehabilitation effort; it has improved their lives and made them "better people." While others show that male inmates are often uncomfortable talking about their problems because traditional gender norms prohibit this kind of expression (Hobbs & Dear, 2000;Molleman & van Ginneken, 2015), we find that at least some men benefit from doing so.…”

Examining External Support Received in Prison and Concerns About Reentry Among Incarcerated Women

“…To calculate this rate, the 259 non-contacts were included; there is no error in eligibility because all excluded individuals met the requirement for inclusion (i.e., they were incarcerated at the facility at the time of the study). This response rate is on par or higher than those reported in similar studies gauging perceptions and experiences of incarcerated people (e.g., Kerley, Matthews, & Blanchard, 2005;Liu, Pickett, & Baker, 2014;Molleman & van Ginneken, 2014;Pickett, Metcalfe, Baker, Gertz, & Bedard, 2014). The cooperation rate was 65% based on the Cooperation Rate 4 (COOP4) formula (AAPOR, 2008).…”

A New Instrument to Measure Prison Climate: The Psychometric Quality of the Prison Climate Questionnaire

“…Another way to assess construct validity is to check the rationality behind group differences. From previous research, it is known that prison climate can vary between prison regimes (Molleman & Van Ginneken, 2015). Outcomes of a series of one-way ANOVA analyses showing the scores on the prison climate scales across different prison regimes were presented in another publication (Van Ginneken et al, 2018), and the full table of results can be accessed in that publication.…”