Adjustment to short-term imprisonment under low prison staffing

O'Connor, Sarah; Bezeczky, Zoe; Moriarty, Yvonne; Kalebic, Natasha; Taylor, Pamela J.

doi:10.1192/bjb.2020.2

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…However, not all prisoners can, or do, participate in the full range of activities offered in prison, and it can be difficult to maintain meaningful relationships with family and friends outside prison as well as have supportive interactions with those inside (e.g., Dhami et al, 2007;Souza & Dhami, 2010). In a recent study of short-term imprisonment in the UK, O'Connor et al (2020, p. 3) reported that, over time, prisoners moved "towards feeling ever more trapped or 'banged up'."…”

Section: Review Of Recent Research On Experiences Of Lockdown and Impmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are people experiencing the ‘pains of imprisonment’ during the Covid-19 lockdown?

Dhami¹,

Weiss‐Cohen²,

Ayton³

2020

Preprint

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Background: By the end of March 2020, more than a fifth of the world’s population was in various degrees of ‘lockdown’ in order to slow the spread of Covid-19. This enforced confinement led some to liken lockdown to imprisonment. We directly compared individual’s experiences of lockdown with prisoners’ experiences of imprisonment in order to determine whether psychological parallels can be drawn between these two forms of confinement.Method: Online surveys of adults in lockdown in the UK (N = 300) and California (N = 450) were conducted four and five weeks into lockdown in each region, respectively. The UK data was then compared to Souza and Dhami’s (2010) sample of 267 medium security prisoners in England, and the Californian data was compared to Dhami et al.’s (2007) sample of 307 medium security Federal prisoners in California. We measured the effects of Group (Lockdown v. Prison) on five categories of dependent variables (i.e., activity, social contact, thoughts, feelings, and rule-breaking), controlling for demographic differences between the groups.Results: In both regions, people in lockdown thought significantly less often about missing their freedom, as well as missing their family and friends living elsewhere than did first-time prisoners. However, people in lockdown in both regions were also significantly less engaged in a range of daily activities than were first-time prisoners. Additionally, in both regions, people in lockdown reported feeling more hopeless than first-time prisoners.Conclusions: Although Governments introducing lockdown policies do not intend to punish their citizens as courts do when sending convicted offenders to prison, such policies can have unintended adverse consequences. Psychological parallels can be drawn between the two forms of confinement, and ordinary citizens in lockdown have, to some extent, sensed the ‘pains of imprisonment.’

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Section: Review Of Recent Research On Experiences Of Lockdown and Impmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are people experiencing the ‘pains of imprisonment’ during the Covid-19 lockdown?

Dhami¹,

Weiss‐Cohen²,

Ayton³

2020

Preprint

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“…Some men reported sharing group information with cellmates, but not apparently with control men; there was no evidence of contamination between trial arms. Evaluation of men's open descriptions about their experience of imprisonment suggested that this was a dull, restricted routine and similar between trial arms, reported more fully elsewhere .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 91%

A randomized controlled trial of a Group psychological intervention to increase locus of control for alcohol consumption among Alcohol‐Misusing Short‐term (male) Prisoners (GASP)

et al. 2020

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Background and aim Reducing alcohol misuse by male prisoners is an important global issue. Control of drinking behaviour could be a useful target for intervention in this population, and locus of control could be a causal factor in this. We aimed to assess the effect of a clinical psychologist‐facilitated group intervention on male prisoners’ locus of control of drinking behaviour. Design A two‐arm, single‐site, open, randomized controlled trial. Setting A category B local training prison in South Wales, housing about 770 mainly sentenced men. Participants Prisoners serving less than 2 years who met inclusion criteria for pre‐imprisonment alcohol misuse, alone or with drug misuse. A total of 119 were allocated to the intervention arm and 119 to the control arm; 104 and 87, respectively, completed the post‐randomization baseline interview and 68 and 60 completed a second interview approximately 4 weeks later, respectively, after intervention or treatment as usual (TAU) alone. Intervention Nine clinical psychologist‐facilitated groups in the prison over 3 weeks. Range of participants per session was one to seven, with three to five most usual. Measures The primary outcome was locus of control of behaviour (LCB); secondary outcomes included mental state generally (comprehensive psychiatric rating scale/CPRS) and specifically (Beck Depression Inventory/BDI). An integral process evaluation was conducted. Findings LCB scores decreased during the study, but without significant intervention effect [−1.7, 95% confidence interval (CI) = –5.1 to 1.6, P = 0.329]. Change among completers in the control group was from a mean score of 37.4 [standard deviation (SD) = 10.0] to 33.7[SD = 11.7] and in the intervention group from 37.4 (SD = 11.6) to 31.9 (SD = 11.8). Secondary outcomes, including change in mental state, did not differ between arms, but 686 (64%) sessions were lost, most because of ‘prison issues’. Conclusions A clinical psychologist‐facilitated group intervention did not have a statistically significant effect on sense of control of drinking behaviour among men with pre‐imprisonment alcohol misuse serving less than 2 years in a South Wales prison. The study proved coterminous, however, with 40% prison staff cuts which seem likely to have contributed to the high loss of group sessions and possibly overwhelmed any treatment effect. Intervention completion failures, previously cited as harmful, had no effect here, so the trial should be repeated when the prison climate improves.

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“…Moreover, the strict regulations of correctional institutions may limit juvenile offenders' moves, which develops boredom. The prison system often creates restrictions, resulting in boredom (O'Connor et al, 2020). Boredom might also come from depriving goods and services like vocational, educational, and psychological activities (Dye, 2010).…”

Section: Challenges Of Living In the Correctional Institutionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychological Experience of Juvenile Offenders in Correctional Institutions: A Systematic Review Of Qualitative Studies

Juliana,

Hutagalung,

Nor

2024

JPSS

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Juvenile delinquency is at a worrisome rate in every part of the world. The juvenile offenders themselves are in a vulnerable period of development while also living in the difficult situation of detainment. However, challenges that juvenile offenders face in correctional institutions, how they construct their reality about detainment as well as their mental health needs have not been widely addressed. Research on juvenile offenders’ psychological experiences is not sufficiently documented and expressed. Hence, much less attention or programs were directed to address these obstacles. This review aims to present the psychological experience of juvenile offenders in correctional institutions. The systematic review examined qualitative studies over a 10-year period that were published between 2012 and 2022 from five databases, resulting in 16 articles mostly indexed in SCOPUS. The study utilized the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework and the narrative synthesis approach. Moreover, the findings provide empirical evidence that juvenile offenders’ psychological experiences (i.e., negative and positive emotions) are evident throughout their detainment, and interaction with staff and peers is crucial in defining it. Therefore, some of the challenges of living in correctional institutions include the feeling of boredom, strict regulations, and lack of care. Hence, education on adaptive coping, expanded vocational opportunities, and programs providing warmth, safety, and positive environments are crucial to rehabilitating offenders.

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Adjustment to short-term imprisonment under low prison staffing

Cited by 6 publications

References 16 publications

Are people experiencing the ‘pains of imprisonment’ during the Covid-19 lockdown?

Are people experiencing the ‘pains of imprisonment’ during the Covid-19 lockdown?

A randomized controlled trial of a Group psychological intervention to increase locus of control for alcohol consumption among Alcohol‐Misusing Short‐term (male) Prisoners (GASP)

Psychological Experience of Juvenile Offenders in Correctional Institutions: A Systematic Review Of Qualitative Studies

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