Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Prison psychology'

In this thesis I am going to explore the relationship between happiness and imprisonment. I will discuss three theories of happiness - hedonism, life satisfaction theories and emotional states theories. I will argue that the main problem of these theories is that they take happiness to consist only of psychological states. Because of this, I will turn my attention towards those theories that evaluate happiness in terms of how well life is going for the person who is living it. I will argue that my Aristotelian account is the most plausible way to understand the relationship between happiness and imprisonment. This is because it takes into account both the external circumstances and the psychological and emotional life of pnsoners. Through this thesis, I will show that my account of happiness in prison accomplishes three tasks: i) it solves the problems encountered by the other theories of happiness in the evaluation of prisoners' happiness, ii) it does not suffer from two of the main objections to the other objectivist theories of happiness, and iii) it can help us to investigate the happiness of prisoners empirically more accurately.

The research question posed within this study is "What are the primary ecological factors that impact successful reentry of ex-offenders from incarceration to civil society?". This question is answered through a thorough study of the literature that investigates the complex relationship between the individual ex-offender and their interfacing ecological system(s). Information gleaned from secondary research will be analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. Thematic analysis is a research approach that provides a framework for identifying relevant resources and outcome information, comparing and contrasting these sources of information, and reporting on themes discovered within this extant literature. For the purpose of this study, thematic analysis was used to describe and organize the data collected and provided a framework to interpret the multifarious factors influencing prison reentry outcomes. Against the current trends of deficit-based and fragmented explanations for the growing trends in poor prison-reentry outcomes, this study introduces and promotes alternate explanations that offer a holistic approach which includes both the ex-offender and ecological system factors as relevant influences to be considered when addressing the social problem of prison reentry. Future recommendations emphasizing the vital role that psychologists play in developing policies and practices that improve prison reentry outcomes are offered, including efficacious approaches that are relevant to each level of the espoused ecological system.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2003.
Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 89-94). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

This study investigated the relationships between problem-solving ability, perceived aversiveness and deterrence of sanctions for institutional misbehaviour, and subsequent institutional and community adjustment in convicted adult offenders. Subjects completed a battery of tests designed to assess certain interpersonal problem-solving skills. They also provided subjective ratings of aversiveness and deterrence value of 10 common institutional sanctions. Institutional conduct was subsequently monitored for 3 months following testing. In addition, further criminal activity was monitored for a period of 1 year following release from incarceration. The results reveal a modest relationship between problem-solving ability and institutional adjustment and a much stronger relationship between problem-solving ability and subsequent recidivism. Poorer problem-solvers incurred more institutional charges in the early phase of incarceration and more followup criminal charges. In contrast, ratings of aversiveness or deterrence were more strongly related to institutional adjustment and in general were not predictive of subsequent criminal recidivism. Perceptions of aversiveness or deterrence of sanctions, though positively correlated, were not identical. For example, a number of subjects rated the sanctions as aversive but not deterrent, indicating that to some extent these factors are independent. Of the two, perceived aversiveness appeared to be a more accurate predictor of actual institutional behaviour, especially where there was a discrepancy between perceived aversiveness and perceived deterrence. There was some evidence of a relationship between problem-solving ability and perceptions of aversiveness. Good problem-solvers tended to rate sanctions as more aversive than poor problem-solvers. Thus, the greater cognitive flexibility that results from well-developed problem-solving skills may potentiate perceptions of aversiveness. In addition, subjective perceptions of aversiveness and deterrence of sanctions were found to be unstable over time. This was unrelated to whether or not subjects had actually experienced the sanction in the interim between pretesting and posttesting. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for deterrence theory and treatment-rehabilitation.

Prison sexual violence is prevalent and impacts the witnesses to it. Previous literature has fully discussed the victims of prison sexual violence; however there remains an important gap in the current literature regarding the experiences of witnesses. The purpose of the present qualitative case study was to explore the lived experiences of witnesses to prison sexual violence. The theoretical foundation of this study was the self-categorization theory linked to the prison code of silence. Four ex-inmates answered semi structured interview questions. Transcripts were coded and themes developed. Five themes that emerged were exposure (to prison sexual violence), ineffective guards, avoidance (of witnessing prison sexual violence), distress, and violence. The themes of this study add more information to the literature regarding witnessing prison sexual violence by expanding information beyond aggression and violence. Recommendations from this research can assist prison administrators with assisting to break the prison code of silence; which would enhance social change.

The sentencing and use of mandated treatment policies throughout the country have heightened the number of inmates incarcerated for drug related offenses. The purpose of this quasi-experimental, archival, correlational descriptive study was to determine whether motivation changes during therapeutic community (TC) treatment among a group of incarcerated adult male offenders, as measured by differences in pre and post levels of motivation. The hypothesis that was tested was that there would be significant differences between levels of motivation as measured upon entry and discharge from treatment. The theoretical framework that guided the study was the stages of change theory. Data were collected from archived pre and post treatment Texas Christian University, Treatment Motivation scale (MOT) scores. The target population comprised adult males, who were incarcerated in the state of New Jersey between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2016, and had completed a TC program. A paired sample t test was completed, which indicated that there was a significant difference between levels of motivation from admission to discharge in the TC program. Discharge MOT scores for motivation were determined to be higher than admission scores, which answered the research question regarding levels of motivation change during a TC program. The study findings lend support to the utility of TC programs in changing offender behavior, thereby making inmates more productive members of society and strengthening public safety.

Denhof et al. (2014) defined corrections fatigue as “a collection of negative an inter-related consequences upon the health and functioning of corrections professionals and the workplace culture as a whole due to exposure to traumatic, operational, and organizational stressors and their interacting consequences” (p. 5) resulting in socially dysfunctional ideology and negative changes in personality, health and functioning, resulting in an average age of mortality established at 59 years (Brower, 2013a, 2013b; Cheek, 1984). Group differences were examined utilizing multivariate statistical tests with archival data. Findings indicate that variables within the correctional environment (age, tenure, gender of staff, security level of the institution and perceptions of assaults and safety) influence the experience of corrections fatigue symptoms. Counselor, administration, and staff implications are discussed.

The article addresses the associative link between reason and the promise of happiness set in the illuminist ideology and questions their influence on the construction of the contemporary subject. Reflecting on the process of subjectivity and its impact in the field of otherness, it is proposed that the logical reason does not recover the truth of the subject. Psychoanalysis is presented as a key resource for reflection on the human suffering at present, given that the prevalence of diseases linked to narcissism reflects a kind of distancing of the subject inrelation to himself. Modernity, which waved opportunities for freedom emphasizing desire as a force of change, loses room to a postmodern culture that prioritizes having over being.
El artículo aborda la asociación entre razón y promesa de felicidad establecida en el idearioiluminista y cuestiona sus influencias en la construcción del sujeto contemporáneo. Reflexionando sobre el proceso de subjetivación y sus efectos en el campo de la alteridad,se propone que la razón lógica no recupere la verdad del sujeto. El psicoanálisis se presenta como recurso fundamental para una reflexión sobre el sufrimiento en la actualidad, dadoque el predominio de patologías ligadas al narcisismo traduce una especie de distanciamientodel sujeto en relación a sí mismo. La modernidad, que señalaba posibilidades de libertad al destacar al deseo como fuerza transformadora, pierde espacio frente a una cultura posmoderna que prioriza el tener en relación al ser.

This study added to the literature on pathways to prison by examining a sample of federal inmates to assess whether the pathways identified predicted future antisocial behavior, i.e., prison misconduct and post-release criminal activity. Previous research has generally focused on only one point in the criminal justice system, either identifying pathways to prison, analyzing behavior while incarcerated, or focusing on post-release offending. This research examined all of these points. The research presented here identified both unique and overlapping pathways to prison for men and women, as well as similarities and differences in the risk factors that predicted prison misconduct and recidivism for women and men.

While the latent class models, which identified the pathways to prison, relied heavily upon indicators highlighted in the gender-responsive literature, the final misconduct and recidivism models included those factors along with traditional, gender-neutral items. The methods in this research moved beyond previous studies that relied primarily on bivariate analyses of female inmates.

Four pathways emerged for both men and women each. Three of the pathways overlapped for both groups: drug, street, and the situational offender pathways. Males and females each had one unique pathway which represented opposite ends of the criminal experiences spectrum. A first time offender pathway emerged for women; a more chronic, serious offender pathway emerged for men. When the pathways to prison were the only predictors in the misconduct and recidivism models, the pathways consistently and significantly predicted antisocial behavior. Once the socio-demographic and criminal history factors were added to the models, however, the vast majority of the pathway effects on antisocial behavior were no longer statistically significant.

Because the current literature presents mixed results as to whether the same factors predict offending for men and women, this study analyzed gendered aspects of prison misconduct and recidivism. There were more differences than similarities in the factors that significantly impacted these antisocial behaviors.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 1998.
Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xii, 130 p. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 109-121).

This thesis examines prisoners’ experiences of imprisonment. Initially, some of the challenges that prisoners face during imprisonment are considered, of which bullying represents a prominent feature. A systematic review of literature exploring bullying within prisons is presented, with emphasis on the nature and prevalence of bullying and the characteristics of those involved. High rates of bullying within prisons are reported, with prisoners tending to have experience in both perpetration and victimisation. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS; Snaith & Zigmond, 1994) is suggested as a useful tool for measuring psychological wellbeing within prisoners. The measure is investigated in terms of its reliability and validity. Finally, an empirical research study exploring the influence of perceived safety and social support on the psychological wellbeing of prisoners in open conditions is described. The study employed a mixed-method design, using both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Results revealed relatively low levels of anxiety and depression among prisoners with high levels of perceived safety. There were some significant differences in social support according to levels of anxiety and depression but prisoners’ concerns about trust and fear of being moved back to closed conditions limited the degree to which they sought support from relationships within prison.

This counseling project examines the issue of recidivism and the need to realign the current system of retribution in favor of rehabilitative services in the United States prison system. Theoretically, this project reviews attachment theory as developed by John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth and ties the central constructs inherent to attachment theory to equine-assisted prison-based programs. Support and evidence of animal-assisted interventions as agents of healing and psychological growth is found in connection between theory and practice in the case study involving the selected hypothetical inmate, Robert. Robert explores his traumatic past using attachment theory based personal therapy sessions in conjunction with working with the horses through the prison-based animal program. Dialogue exchanges in therapy elucidated how Robert’s attachment to the horses and with his therapist developed. The resulting progression and insight building abilities he acquires may serve as preventative measures with respect to re-offense after release.

Because rejoining the workforce may prevent against ex-offender recidivism, securing gainful employment is one of the best indicators of successful societal reintegration for released prisoners. However, the stigma attached to a criminal history, combined with ex-prisoners’ lack of human capital, may threaten their ability to obtain a job. The present study examines hiring managers’ attitudes towards previously imprisoned offenders applying for positions in their workplace. Using a combination of brief, fictional applicant biographies and surveys, this mixed-groups factorial study explores how hiring managers (N= 28) consider gender, type of offense, and race when an ex-offender is assessed during the application process. Results indicated that, regardless of their offense, gender, and race, ex-prisoners were generally perceived to be less employable and less likely to have work-related characteristics such as honesty and the ability to communicate effectively.

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The high level of crime, violence and recidivism reveal the Brazilian public security situation. The purpose of this study is to understand discourses about penitentiary recidivism in order to discuss the relationship between institution, subject and recidivism. A review of the literature and an open interview were carried out, in which six stories of recidivists were heard. The data was operationalized by Categorical Content Analysis. The dissertation is structured in three chapters. In the first chapter, the arrest was presented as a concrete institution that updates force and power regimes of sovereignty and discipline diagrams. Then, in the second chapter, three categories of discourses were constructed based on the analysis of the data found in the literature, namely, the discourse of pathologization, the discourse of institutionalization and discourse of social exclusion. Such categories represent justifications for recidivism from the construction of truths about the recidivist subject and the prison institution. Finally, we present, in the third chapter, speeches elaborated from listening to repeat offenders. That justifies the recidivism through four categories: fatalism, revenge, institutionalization and ostentation. They are different behaviors that express answers to the incarceration situation and to the exercise of criminality. It is concluded that recidivism is multidetermined by social, political, economic, and subjective forces and, as such, it is constituted by conduct that profoundly structures the lives of subjects who have already passed through jail and, for different reasons, no longer distance their trajectories crime and prison institutions.
Os altos índices de criminalidade, violência e reincidência revelam a situação da segurança pública brasileira. Neste contexto, o presente trabalho tem como objetivo conhecer discursos sobre a reincidência penitenciária para discutir a relação entre instituição, sujeito e reincidência. Realizaram-se revisão da literatura e entrevista aberta, em que foram ouvidas seis histórias de presidiários/as reincidentes. Os dados foram operacionalizados pela Análise de Conteúdo Categorial. A dissertação está estruturada em três capítulos. No primeiro capítulo, a prisão foi apresentada enquanto instituição concreta que atualiza regimes de força e poder dos diagramas de soberania e disciplina. No segundo capítulo, três categorias de discursos foram construídas a partir da análise dos dados encontrados na literatura, a saber, o discurso da patologização, o discurso da institucionalização e discurso da exclusão social. Tais categorias representam justificativas para a reincidência a partir da construção de verdades sobre o sujeito reincidente e a instituição prisional. Por fim, apresenta-se no terceiro capítulo, discursos elaborados a partir da escuta de presidiários/as reincidentes, que justificam a reincidência através de quatro categorias: fatalismo, vingança, institucionalização e ostentação. São diferentes condutas que expressam respostas à situação de encarceramento e ao exercício da criminalidade. Conclui-se que a reincidência é multideterminada por forças sociais, políticas, econômicas, subjetivas e, sendo assim, constitui-se por condutas que estruturam profundamente a vida de sujeitos que já passaram pelo cárcere e, por diferentes motivos, não mais distanciam suas trajetórias da criminalidade e das instituições prisionais.

Poor academic performance and low academic aspirations can lead to involvement with the criminal justice system. Therefore, schools play an important role in mitigating risk factors as they create a supportive, accessible opportunity for intervention delivery. The population impacted most by academic zero-tolerance punishments are African-American students, whose current suspension rate is two to five times that of their White counterparts. This disproportionate representation also exists within the juvenile justice system, with African-American youths almost five times more likely to be detained than White youths. Therefore, finding effective school-based treatment interventions is essential to reducing disproportionate minority punishment and confinement. In order to address this need, a randomized controlled trial was conducted to examine the effectiveness of Rational Emotive Education (REE), a REBT school-based intervention, on the reduction of disruptive behavior amongst at-risk, male, African-American adolescents. Nineteen participants were assigned to either the treatment or the control condition. Data measuring disruptive behavior, anxiety, depression, anger, self-concept, and school engagement was collected for both groups pre-and post-intervention. Overall the results of the study revealed contradictory findings. Although participants assigned to the REE intervention saw a larger reduction in disruptive behavior over the course of treatment than the control group, on self-report measures they reported an increase in symptoms related to depression, anxiety, anger and a decrease in self-concept and school engagement. Treatment implications are discussed.

The Stanford Prison Experiment (SPE) was conducted to determine the psychological and behavioural effects of adopting the roles of prisoners or prison guards. In various published research articles Zimbardo reported that he instructed the prison guards to maintain law and order (Haney, Banks, & Zimbardo, 1973). However, in the Quiet Rage video (Zimbardo, 1989), Zimbardo gave the prison guards additional detailed instructions. To examine the effects of these different instructions on expected prison guard role behaviour, first year Psychology students were requested to predict expected prison guard role behaviour under two different conditions. In the order condition, participants received the instructions used in published research articles. While in the fear condition, participants received the instructions from the Quiet Rage video (Zimbardo, 1989). Participants estimated the likelihood of 50 guard behaviours. Participants in the order condition predicted more pleasant behaviour, while participants in the fear condition predicted more unpleasant behaviours. This indicates that the different instructions influenced their intent to perform the different behaviours. There was no significant difference between the fear and order conditions, and the control behaviours. Participants in both the fear and order conditions rated the control items as expected prison guard role behaviour. Participants in both conditions indicated that they would behave in this manner. Gender had no significant influence on expected prison guard role behavior.

Despite a 60-year history of investigation, little is understood of how physical and/or social aspects of the prison environment work directly to influence adjustment behaviour of prisoners. A major study in 1972 by Huns Toch and colleagues led to the development of the Prison Preference Inventory (PPI). This was designed to elicit a prisoner respondent's hierarchy of psychological needs while imprisoned. Based on Murray's needs-press model, Toch argued that each prisoner had a unique configuration of eight major needs (termed environmental concerns) namely Safety, Support, Activity, Social Stimulation, Emotional Feedback, Privacy, Freedom and Structure.

The rate of incarcerated individuals in the United States continues to grow. At midyear 2005 the Nation's prisons and jails incarcerated 2,186,230 persons. (Bureau of Justice 1). Prison systems are in need of a brief mental health-screening tool that rapidly and readily identifies mental illness and co-occurring substance abuse in inmates to improve the approach to mental health diagnosis and treatment throughout an offender's incarceration. This study was designed to assess whether the Modified Mini Screen (MMS) is a valid screening measure for identifying mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and psychotic disorders in newly admitted inmates during the intake and reception process in prisons. For this study, 130 individual's MMS scores were compared with results from the Brief Symptom Inventory to determine the proportion in each group with mental illness. Findings show concurrent validity for age, ethnicity, level of education, and history of substance abuse and mental health. Concurrent validity of the MMS with the BSI was better for females than for males for. Results suggest that the sensitivity of the MMS is somewhat weak, as it only has a 55% chance of correctly identifying a mentally ill individual as being mentally ill. For females, the sensitivity of MMS was 87.5%, while the specificity was 100%. Moreover, for males, the sensitivity of MMS was 46.9%, while the specificity was 95.6%. These results suggest that the concurrent validity of the MMS with the BSI was better for females than for males for in this study sample.

The Stanford Prison Experiment (SPE) is one of the most studied and celebrated studies within social psychology. The results have long been attributed to the power of the situation and the roles that were given to the participants. The present study was based on research concerning how personality variables influence interest in volunteerism. The research hypotheses center around the belief that individuals who volunteer for a study on prison life (similar to the advertisement for the SPE) would differ on personality variables (Machiavellianism, narcissism, social dominance, authoritarianism, aggression, empathy, and altruism) from individuals who volunteer for a generic psychological study or a helpingbehavior study. The results indicated full support for all of the hypotheses and that the SPE was likely confounded by the recruitment technique used by the SPE creators, which elicited only those participants who have been shown in this study to be more aggressive, emotionally detached, authoritative, and lacking in empathy for others in interpersonal situations.

This study explores the impact a modified therapeutic community has on institutional disorder. Treatment programs are normally evaluated by their ability to prevent recidivism and relapse. This study examines the efficacy of a modified therapeutic community in reducing the number and severity of write-ups of its clients in a medium security male prison. The study describes research findings regarding the relationship between the write-ups of clients in a modified therapeutic community compared with the write-ups of inmates in a non-treatment unit. To carry out this study, the author reviewed the write-up records from the treatment program and a non-treatment unit for the period of March 2001 through October 2005. The results of this study indicated that the write-ups of the modified therapeutic community clients, as a whole, were less severe as compared to the general population clients residing in a similar dorm. They were also proportionally less specifically violent. The implication of this research for corrections administration was also discussed.

This thesis explores the potential for soul-making in the prison violence-prevention program known as GRIP—an acronym for Guiding Rage into Power. The author utilizes hermeneutic methodology to explore the meaning and evolution of the concept of soul-making within the literature of depth psychology. Using heuristic methodology, the author then analyzes what he perceived to be a profound demonstration of soul-making among the members of the GRIP prison group he cofacilitated. The findings indicate that by combining a downward move into the underworld of emotional woundedness and psychopathology with a vertical orientation that includes contact with ego-transcendent archetypal energies, the inmates participating in the GRIP program had an opportunity for deep healing and genuine soul-making.

Background and Aims: Existing literature on working with clients who have anger issues in prison settings is largely outcome related with an emphasis on evaluating anger management programmes. Research offering insight into the therapists‟ subjective experiences when carrying out such work is scarce. Thus, this study aims to explore therapists‟ subjective responses to clients who express anger within prison settings, as well as the impact such responses may have on the therapeutic process. Method: Semi-structured interviews are carried out with eight qualified chartered counselling psychologists who have experience of working with client anger within prison settings. Interview transcripts are analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), a qualitative methodology that focuses on lived experiences and how people make sense of their experiences. Results: The analysis highlights the different ways therapists understand and manage their reactions to client anger. The two superordinate themes are: (1) THREAT, including subthemes: Threat of burnout; Threat of enmeshment with the client; Threat to the therapeutic relationship. (2) CONTAINMENT, including subthemes: Containing own emotional response; The system as a container; Containment through the therapeutic framework. Conclusion: Participants experienced significant challenges in terms of feeling burnt out, dealing with complex interpersonal dynamics and facing ethical dilemmas. They struggled to work therapeutically with clients‟ expressions of anger, as it produced strong countertransference reactions. This highlights the need for training in these areas to enable therapists to prepare for the challenges that working in a prison context brings. Future research investigating supervision and self-care could build on this current study.

The rape of adult males is a subject in need of attention. The rape of men within South African prisons particularly, has been inadequately researched and documented. Investigation is necessary in order to challenge myths which serve to maintain a 'cycle of silence' regarding the male rape, to guide preventative measures, and inform appropriate services. A training programme within Pollsmoor Prison, is described. The initiative addressed the rape of men in prison, upon request of a group of inmates and warders named 'Friends Against Abuse'. This record is a self-reflexive account of a facilitator's experiences of the research and training. It describes a process of reflection and action, its style consistent with the feminist values that informed the work. The methodological blend of Participatory Action Research, Experiential Training, and contributions from psychodynamic thinking, are elaborated. Discussion explores professional and personal challenges to women working within this domain. It raises questions regarding the impact of a feminist agenda on such work and considers issues of sustainability and the impact of similar interventions. Strategies to ensure effective implementation, monitoring and evaluation are suggested, as well as mechanisms to guarantee integrity, such as 'debriefings' and supervision.

The purpose of this research was to analyze a recreation therapy yoga meditation intervention, the Sanatana Yoga Prison Project (SYPP), at a California state prison. The SYPP had three interventions: pranayama (breathing techniques), asana (physical postures), and dhyana (meditation). The research question was, "What are the outcomes of a recreation therapy yoga meditation intervention on prison inmates' spiritual well-being?" This study used a mixed-method approach that included a modified Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS), demographic data sheet, and semi-structured interviews that were face-to-face and audio-recorded. There were 31 participants in the control group and 31 participants in the experimental group. Spiritual Wellbeing (SWB) scores were analyzed using the SWBS manual and SPSS 20. The results indicated significant difference between the groups. That is, the experiment group scored high on SWB compared to the control group that scored moderate on SWB. Ten interviews from the experimental group were analyzed using an existential-phenomenological approach. Two overarching categories emerged with four themes each: (a) concrete outcomes with themes of physical benefits, escape, quieting the mind, and reflection, and (b) psychospiritual development outcomes with themes of epiphany, connection to self and others, psychological and behavioral change, and coping skills.

Thesis (M.A.)--West Virginia University, 2009.
Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains iii, 60 p. : col. ill. Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 52-54).

En minskning av återfallen till kriminalitet är en viktig uppgift för kriminalvården. Behandling och återanpassning innan frigivning minskar återfallen men detta återanpassningsarbete har försämrats. Forskning har visat att self-efficacy var viktigt för individer gällande att klara av givna uppgifter. Individer som trodde sig kunna leva ett liv utan kriminalitet och hade mer kontroll återföll i mindre grad. Syftet med studien var bland annat att undersöka om self-efficacy har betydelse för att inte återfalla i en kriminell livsstil. Sju deltagare från föreningen KRIS ingick i en tematiserad intervjustudie där deltagarna också fick svara på två korta enkäter. Resultatet visade att self-efficacy har betydelse för att inte återfalla. Genom ökad self-efficacy kunde deltagarna skapa nya liv med mindre risk för återfall.

Prison inmates are more prone to commit suicide than are individuals in the general population. Current scientific research has identified risk factors of suicide in the general population, such as mood disorders, but only a few research studies have examined risk factors that are particularly relevant to the incarcerated population. This study used a quantitative archival research design to examine the effect of primary and secondary psychopathic personality traits on the development of suicidal behavior in the mentally ill male prison inmate population at a U.S. federal prison located in the Southeast. Data on psychopathic traits as measured by the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised, and on depression as measured by the Personality Assessment Inventory, together with information on the number of suicide attempts coming from prison medical files, were gained from an archival database. The sample size was 203 participants where data were previously collected during their pretrial evaluation. The study was guided by Mann's diathesis-stress model of suicide, according to which impulsive-aggressive personality traits, both of which are characteristics of psychopathy, elevate the risk for suicide. Furthermore, depression may serve as the stress component of the model, and thus its effect was also added to the standard multiple regression model in the analysis. During the analysis, a pattern emerged in which the effect of secondary psychopathic traits was moderated by the percent of time spent in solitary confinement. The results of this research contribute to positive social change by helping professionals working with this population to address the issue of suicide prevention in prison settings via more effective treatment programs.

There continues to be an over-representation of female offenders diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD) within UK prisons (Sansone & Sansone, 2009). Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) has shown effectiveness in managing the symptomatology of BPD and has been adapted for a forensic context (Nee & Farman, 2005, Gee & Reed, 2013). There is limited qualitative data available pertaining to the experiences of clients within DBT programmes and none for a forensic context. Seven female prisoners completed semi-structured interviews regarding their experience of completing a 16-week DBT programme. Interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) illuminated six superordinate themes and 19 subordinate themes, which can be understood as features of personality and behavioural change. Superordinate themes were prison life, which highlighted an impact to life in prison through a reduction of prison disciplinary and risk procedures, and an increase in privilege levels. 'It's a struggle' represented the challenges participants faced and overcame. Increased connection to others illuminates the change in personal relationships participants experienced. Emotional awareness represents the participant's gain in understanding and managing emotions. Who am I? Depicts the increased understanding, acceptance and value participants experienced for themselves. The bigger picture represents the participant's ability to reflect upon and re-evaluate a situation, the increased awareness of another person's perspective, their increased understanding of consequences of their actions, and their future outlook on life. Themes are discussed in relation to the potential impact the DBT programme may have for people experiencing emotional and behavioural instability within the prison environment, suggesting engagement with DBT should be based upon individual case formulation rather than BPD diagnosis. The potential of DBT in addressing the government initiative the Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) strategy and recidivism is explored. Finally, the limitations to this study, recommendations for clinical practice, and future research needs are defined.

Prisoner recidivism is a problem of great social importance, as recidivism represents a failure of the rehabilitative goal of incarceration. The problem addressed in this study was the lack of accurate estimates of race as a predictor of recidivism risk in the United States, after taking demographics and criminal variables into account. Applying the life-course theory of recidivism, the purpose of this archival, epidemiological study was to calculate whether recidivism risk varied based on race, across different seriousness levels of commitment offense and number of prior arrests, among a sample of male federal prisoners released from custody. A Cox proportional hazards ratio was applied to determine both the statistical significance and the magnitude of being Black, rather than White, as a predictor of recidivism in six distinct scenarios. Analysis indicated that Black prisoners were more likely to recidivate in some instances, whereas White prisoners were more likely to recidivate in other instances. The results of the study can assist psychologists, parole boards, and other stakeholders in more accurately estimating the role of race in recidivism risk. The results of the study were that race is a significant risk factor in some kinds of recidivism, but not in others, and also that being African-American is not universally associated with higher recidivism risk. The results suggest that race might be a less prominent recidivism factor than previously thought.

his thesis considers personality disorder (PD) within a forensic population. The first chapter is comprised of a systematic literature review of the association between specific offence typologies and specific PDs. Antisocial and narcissistic PD were more prevalent in non-sexual groups, whilst avoidant, schizoid and borderline PD were more prevalent in sexual offenders. However, heterogeneity in the methodologies of included studies meant that robust conclusions could not be drawn. A narrower research question was recommended, along with more comparable studies. The second chapter explores PD within a therapeutic community prison. PD, identified by the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire (PDQ) (Hyler, 1994) was highly prevalent in this sample (86.2%). Intervention was found to be effective in reducing disordered personality traits, such as psychoticism, impulsivity and hostility. Further to this, clinically significant change in personality traits showed a difference between clusters. For example, criminality reduced significantly within cluster B disorders. This research demonstrated the effective treatment of PD offenders within a therapeutic community, but further research is required before robust conclusions can be drawn. Finally, the findings from the thesis were placed in the context of the critique of the PDQ. Findings suggested the PDQ has a tendency to over-diagnose PD. However, the challenges faced in diagnosing PD per se and limitations of the current diagnostic criteria were discussed. Overall, the thesis raises some interesting findings into the effectiveness of a therapeutic community prison with PD offenders. This may be beneficial to guide future research in the area and the development of effective interventions with such a population.

This study sought to explore how men experienced their transfer from prison in the criminal justice system, to being detained indeterminately in mental health services, under the Mental Health Act, for treatment and rehabilitation. An exploratory qualitative method using thematic analysis was adopted throughout the research process. Eleven participants were recruited with each participant engaging in one semi-structured interview. The data was collected and analysed employing a six-stage process, following the guidelines by Braun and Clarke (2006). Four main themes were constructed, with some themes consisting of smaller subthemes: Shifting Identities, Understanding and Negotiating, Engaging with Therapy, and Making Sense of Time. The core of the thematic analysis constructed suggests that individuals found that the process of transfer had a direct impact on their perception of self, causing shifts in identity. The main features which supported their view of self was that of ‘being a patient’ in a system; a system which held power to make important evaluations about them as individuals. This linked directly to a second theme where participants described a process of familiarisation and adaptation to their environment. This was constructed as a strategy which supported participants to set up assumptions and expectations about being detained for treatment in a high secure hospital. The process of transfer and adjustment was underpinned by existing hierarchies of power. This research offers a unique contribution to the current literature by illustrating that the process of transfer has a significant effect on individuals, highlighting the need to support individuals to make sense of this process and their new environment. Given the limitations of the study future research incorporating a wider constituency of participants, including those who may have moved on from high secure services would add useful insights into this experience. The clinical implications suggested by the study include the need for psychological therapy in this setting to focus more upon the impact of transition, with wider consideration by clinicians of the impact of social identity on the process of treatment and rehabilitation for this population.

This study was designed to determine the effectiveness of filial therapy with incarcerated mothers as a method of increasing empathic behaviors with their children, increasing attitudes of acceptance toward their children, and reducing stress related to parenting. Filial therapy, a method of training parents to respond and interact therapeutically with their children, focuses on enhancing the parent-child relationship. The sample population of 22 volunteer subjects was drawn from a pool of incarcerated mothers in the Denton County Jail who had children between three and ten years of age. The experimental group parents, consisting of 12 incarcerated mothers, received 2-hour filial therapy training sessions biweekly for five weeks and participated in biweekly 30-minute play sessions with one of their children. The control group parents, consisting of 10 incarcerated mothers, received no treatment during the five weeks. The three written self-report instruments completed for pretesting and posttesting purposes by both groups were The Porter Parental Acceptance Scale, The Parenting Stress Index, and The Filial Problem Checklist. The parents were also videotaped in play sessions with their child before and after training as a means of measuring change in empathic behavior. Analysis of Covariance revealed that incarcerated mothers in the experimental group had significant change in 9 of 13 hypotheses, including (a) a significant increase in their level of empathic interactions with their children, (b) a significant increase in their attitude of acceptance toward their children, and (c) a significant reduction in the number of reported problems with their children's behavior. This study supports filial therapy as an effective intervention for enhancing the parent-child relationship with incarcerated mothers and their children. Utilizing instruction and practical application of positive therapeutic methods, filial therapy training empowers parents by increasing their parenting knowledge and skills, and indirectly empowers children who experience the parent-child relationship with an increase in unconditional acceptance and positive regard.

The aim of this investigation was to assess if there was a correlation between touch avoidance and hierarchical position, perceived degradation, number of years spent in jail and age amongst men at a correctional institution. In addition, a possible correlation between hierarchical position and the amount of perceived degrading treatment was also explored. In the collection of the data a questionnaire containing 27 open and closed answer alternatives was utilized. A multiple regressional analysis was conducted to find possible correlations between touch avoidance and the other underlying variables. Also an independent t-test explored the possible effects of the control variables: place of birth and girlfriend. A correlational analysis was applied to investigate the other two control variables: physical and psychological abuse during childhood. An oneway-ANOVA-test was used to investigate the possible correlation between hierarchical position and the amount of perceived degrading treatment. The results of the study showed that a high amount of degrading treatment, a low hierarchical position and the longer the time served correlated with a high degree of touch avoidance. Age proved to have no correlation with touch avoidance, which is contrary to previous research. Regarding the inmates’ hierarchical position and the amount of perceived degrading treatment, a negative correlation was found; the higher hierarchical position an inmate had, the smaller was the amount of degrading treatment he was subjected to.

Keywords: Touch avoidance, hierarchies, degrading treatment, inmates, prison

Dual-diagnosed female offenders (DDFOs) present direct care providers with complex psychosocial needs and challenges that result in a serious lack of motivation to attain, sustain, and continue treatment after release from prison. Unsuccessful treatment of DDFOs represents a significant public health and safety risk including continuing criminal acts, increased health care costs, accidents related to substance abuse, and poor reintegration. Through in-depth semistructured interviews with direct care providers, this phenomenological study's focus was on examining the motivational facilitators associated with treatment adherence, barriers to treatment adherence, and approaches for enhancing treatment motivation. Nine major themes emerged from this research, including the importance of an empathetic approach and a strong therapeutic alliance as motivational facilitators; lack of insight and acceptance of the need for treatment, lack of resiliency, and the role of external system factors in barriers to treatment adherence; and using an empathetic approach, building rapport, instilling hope, and avoiding confrontation as approaches for enhancing treatment motivation. These findings may inform theory and practice related to the treatment of DDFOs in U.S. prisons. These findings contribute to social change by identifying outcomes related to treatment attendance, continuity of care, and completion and may help reduce recidivism associated with DDFOs, decrease costs of care, and lower public risks such as accidents related to substance use. The study provides reference points that may inform recommendations to state correctional departments regarding effective programming strategies for DDFOs.

A Cadeia Pública de Bragança Paulista (São Paulo) passou a ser administrada, desde primeiro de janeiro de 1996, através de um convênio com o Governo do Estado de São Paulo, por uma Associação Civil sem fins lucrativos chamada Associação de Proteção e Assistência Carcerária (APAC), que conseguiu reduzir os custos de administração prisional e investir o dinheiro excedente na melhoria das condições físicas e na contratação de profissionais técnicos (como psicólogos e assistentes sociais). Os voluntários desta Associação, organizados em grupos de trabalho, passaram a conviver intimamente com os presos. Esta Cadeia passou a ser vista como um exemplo bem-sucedido de administração prisional conjunta entre Estado e comunidade, capaz de promover a ressocialização dos presos, e foi escolhida como modelo para a construção dos Centros de Ressocialização - unidades de segurança mínima - pela Secretaria de Administração Penitenciária de São Paulo, apresentando-se como um exemplo de concretização da moderna utopia penitenciária. No presente trabalho, de cunho exploratório e descritivo, esta unidade prisional foi estudada por método etnográfico e documental (visitas semanais durante aproximadamente três anos) com o pesquisador adotando o papel de voluntário. Buscou-se caracterizar as relações estabelecidas entre os agentes institucionais (voluntários, presos, carcereiros, funcionários da APAC) e entre a Cadeia Pública de Bragança Paulista e o sistema penal como um todo. Defende-se que a existência desta experiência não constitui um caso isolado, tanto porque é possível encontrar outros exemplos de unidades prisionais reformadas quanto devido à relação intrínseca entre esta unidade e o restante do sistema penal. A ordem era mantida a partir de uma aliança entre voluntários e galerias (líderes prisionais) que impedia os presos comuns de exercerem os valores prisionais. A transferência para outra unidade era usada como cerimônia punitiva máxima. A dependência da transferência implicava na necessidade de um sistema penitenciário \"falido\" usado como ameaça para os presos menos obedientes. As principais características de seu funcionamento - isolamento administrativo, preponderância econômica, ênfase gerencial, participação comunitária, regime de legalidade, limitação da subcultura carcerária e diminuição da violência física - trouxeram como conseqüência uma maior capacidade crítica para os presos, desvinculada, porém, de maior autonomia de escolha, o que impedia a concretização de seus objetivos ressocializadores. A função social desta experiência era a reposição dos ideais penitenciários (pena de prisão como elemento ressocializador), o que a inseria preferencialmente na instância ideológica do funcionamento social. A dependência frente à transferência mostrava que esta experiência havia se inserido estrategicamente no sistema penal auxiliando sua reprodução ao justificar sua existência como necessária para presos mais perigosos. A conversão da Cadeia Pública em Centro de Ressocialização implicou em uma reapropriação desta experiência pelo Estado, que havia cedido \'para a APAC parte de seu poder de polícia. A maior formalização do cotidiano prisional decorrente desta transferência deixou claro que anteriormente os contatos com os voluntários traziam conotações transformadoras e, assim, contraditórias com o sistema penal. Defende-se, enfim, a impossibilidade de que uma intervenção técnica no sistema penitenciário possa produzir transformações nas relações sociais ali estabelecidas, sendo imperativo resgatar o aspecto político destas intervenções. Palavras chave: psicologia social; detentos; controle
The jail located at Bragança Paulista (São Paulo, Brazil) started been administered, from January first, 1996, by a non-governmental organization in accordance with the government of the state of São Paulo. The Association for the Protection and Assistance of Prisoners (APAC) reduced the prison budget, improved the jail cond itions and hired professionals like psychologists and social servers to work with prisoners. The volunteers from this association developed a close relationship with the prisoners. This jail has been seen as a successful example of prison joint administration between the community and the state, capable of rehabilitating prisoners, and was chosen as model for the building of the Centers of Rehabilitation - minimum-security unities - by the state government, thus presenting itself as the realization of the modern penitentiary utopia. This present research - of an exploratory and descriptive type - uses the ethnographic method to study this jail. The researcher visited the jail once a week during three years, and took the role of volunteer. The aim of this study was to describe and analyze the relationship established between the institutional agents (volunteers, prisoners, prison guards), and to understand the links between this prison experience and the penal system as a whole. The study concludes that APAC was not a unique experience (it is possible to find other similar experiences). Order inside was sustained by an alliance between volunteers and prisoners\' leaders that stopped prisoners from making use of prison values. The transfer of prisoners to other prisons was seen as the most important punitive ceremony in the institution. It implied necessarily the existence of a failed penitentiary system used as a threat to disobedient prisoners. The main characteristics of this experience were: administrative isolation, economic preponderancy, management emphasis, community participation, legality regime, limitation of prison subculture, and reduction of physical violence. They led to an improvement of prisoners\' judgment capacity, but they didn\'t produce more autonomy, thus failing in the aim of rehabilitation. The social function of this experience was the re-establishment of the penitentiary ideal (imprisonment as rehabilitation), thus serving an ideological function. Transfer as punishment showed that this experience strategically helped the reproduction of the penal system, justifying its existence as necessary for dangerous prisoners. The transformation of the jail into a Center of Rehabilitation implied a re-appropriation of this experience by the state, whic h had assigned its police power to the association. The formalization of the relationship between prisoners and volunteers that followed the transformation made clear the prior revolutionary characteristics of this relationship, showing its contradictions in face of the penal system. This research states that a technical intervention is not capable of changing social relations within the penitentiary system, being necessary to restate the politic aspect in these interventions.

The thesis examines the background, theory and effects of imprisoning young, male adult offenders (aged 18-21) with adult male offenders (over 21 years). The Introduction forms Chapter 1. The initial ‘needs analysis’ is described here; how Young Adult Offenders are currently being incarcerated with adults, from a little established research base evaluating the practice. The Systematic review is described in Chapter 2 and scopes the literature from journals held in selected databases of published research relating to the topic of integrating young offenders with adults in adult prisons. Searches yielded reports of the target population imprisoned with adults and these informed on the effects of mixing the different-aged populations. This included a qualitative study examining the young people’s views, and quantitative research reporting how they conducted themselves and coped in prison. Seven papers were included in the final review and each was critically appraised based on type of study and methodology followed. The Empirical research study is set out in Chapter 3 and follows qualitative methodology, specifically Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). From analysis of the participants’ views, it details over-arching themes concerning locus of control, coping styles and issues relating to the development of identity. The results highlighted five main themes: 1. Elements of vulnerability; how the self and others are perceived and protected and how weaknesses are exploited, 2. The complexities of adjusting to prison, 3. Being concerned about safety in prison, 4. How activities are perceived and utilised and 5. How help is identified and accessed. These are discussed in terms of the literature and theory. Limitations are discussed. A Psychometric assessment: the Emotional Problems Scales (EPS: Prout & Strohmer, 1991) is critiqued in Chapter 4, selected for its utility with the target age group. The Discussion of the whole thesis is presented in Chapter 5, with practical implications for future practice and effective management of young people held in adult prisons.

Syftet med studien var att undersöka kvinnors attityder till fängelsevistelsen. Forskning kring kvinnors kriminalitet och fängelsevistelse är mycket bristfällig både internationellt och nationellt. Tidigare forskning utgår främst ifrån män och deras kriminalitet, vilket blivit normgivande för synen på brottslingar och kriminalvårdens uppbyggnad. Studien inriktades på kvinnliga interners attityd till fängelsemiljö, kommunikation och upplevelse av stämpling under fängelsevistelsen. 256 interner var vid tillfället placerade på olika anstalter i Sverige. Alla erbjöds delta enligt etiska rådets principer. Enkäter med frågor och påståenden på en 5-gradig ordinalskala skickades till samtliga anstalter, varav 76 ifyllda enkäter returnerades. Svaren skiljde sig åt beroende på anstalt och om man befann sig på en öppen eller sluten avdelning. Slutresultaten visade att flertalet hade en relativt positiv attityd till fängelsevistelsen.

The aim of this study was to examine women’s attitudes to their stay in prison. Research about women and crime is insufficient, both nationally and internationally. Previous research concentrates on men and their crimes, and this has created the standard within the correctional system. The current study concentrates on women’s attitudes to the prison environment, communication and the experiences of conspiracies. 256 Swedish female inmates were in prison at the time the study was in progress. Each of them was invited to participate in accordance with the guidelines of the Ethical Council. Questionnaires with statements and questions using a five-point ordinal-scale were sent out to all prisons resulting in the return of 76 questionnaires. The results differed depending on the institution where the prison sentences were served and whether or not it was a high- or low security prison. The final result revealed that women in Swedish penal institutions have a relatively positive attitude to their imprisonment.

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The present work investigates the scientification of transgressive sexualities in Brazil, exposing how psychological knowledge integrated this process. For this purpose, it historicizes the Brazilian psychological ideas about transgressive sexualities, from its emergence, in the colonial period, until the appearance of the Brazilian Circle of Sexual Education (CBES), in the 1930s. The objective is to understand the process that brought medical-psychological knowledge to the quasi-monopoly of knowledge about transgressive sexuality in Brazil. To do so, we carried out a bibliographicdocumentary study in which we used academic productions pertinent to our subject, besides the set of criminal codes in Brazil from the colonial period to the 1930s and some doctoral theses, used as primary sources. The results indicate two historical forms of approaching transgressive sexualities in Brazil: a religious-Christian form and a scientifical and medical-psychological one; the penal codes express the ideas, values and practices considered transgressives of the sexual norms in vogue during the historical formation of Brazilian society; the medical-psychological knowledge composes the criminal-legal domain, becoming an aspect of the prison sentence; the Society of Jesus was the precursor, in the religious-Christian approach, of psychological ideas about sexuality; the concern with the psychological aspects of transgressive sexual practices is developed within medical knowledge during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries; sexuality has become a medical-legal category; the CBES is the expression of the consolidation of the scientifical and medical-psychological treatment of sexuality in Brazil. These results may contribute to the reflection on the articulation between psychological knowledge and transgressive sexuality in Brazil and its forms of manifestation, as in "crimes against sexual dignity".
O presente trabalho investiga o movimento de cientifização da sexualidade transgressora no Brasil expondo de que maneira os saberes psicológicos integraram esse processo. Historiciza, para tanto, as ideias psicológicas no Brasil sobre a sexualidade transgressora, desde seu surgimento, ainda no período colonial, até o aparecimento do Círculo Brasileiro de Educação Sexual (CBES), na década de 1930. Neste trabalho, objetiva-se compreender como se deu o processo que levou o conhecimento médico-psicológico à condição de quase monopólio do saber sobre a sexualidade transgressora no Brasil. Para tanto, realizamos um estudo bibliográfico-documental em que lançamos mão de produções acadêmicas pertinentes ao nosso objeto, além do conjunto dos códigos penais vigentes no Brasil do período colonial à década de 1930 e das teses de doutoramento utilizados como fontes primárias. Os resultados indicam que as formas históricas de abordar a sexualidade transgressora no Brasil foram a religiosa-cristã e a científica médico-psicológica; os códigos penais exprimem as ideias, os valores e as práticas consideradas transgressoras das normas sexuais em voga no decorrer da formação histórica da sociedade brasileira; o saber médico-psicológico compõe o domínio jurídico-penal, tornando-se um aspecto da pena de prisão; a Companhia de Jesus foi a precursora, na abordagem religiosa-cristã, das ideias psicológicas sobre a sexualidade; a preocupação com os aspectos psicológicos das práticas sexuais transgressoras é desenvolvida no interior do saber médico durante o século XIX e início do século XX; a sexualidade tornouse uma categoria médico-legal; o CBES é a expressão da consolidação do trato científico médico-psicológica da sexualidade no Brasil. Esses resultados podem contribuir nas reflexões sobre a articulação entre o conhecimento psicológico e a sexualidade transgressora no Brasil e suas formas de manifestação, como nos “crimes contra a dignidade sexual”.