Correctional Facility (correctional + facility)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Incarcerated Mothers and Fathers: A Comparison of Risks for Children and Families

FAMILY RELATIONS, Issue 5 2007
Danielle H. Dallaire
Abstract: The current study investigates differences between inmate mothers' and fathers' reported rates of incarceration for family members, adult children, predictors of adult children's incarceration, and living situations of minor children. Participants included 6,146 inmates who participated in the U.S. Department of Justice Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities. Mothers were 2.5 times more likely to report that their adult children were incarcerated than fathers; mothers' regular drug use predicted adult child incarceration. Incarcerated mothers reported greater familial incarceration and their minor children were more likely to be in foster and other nonfamilial care situations than incarcerated fathers. As risk factors accumulated, there were greater rates of adult child incarceration, with a more obvious relationship for mothers. [source]


Social learning, sexual and physical abuse, and adult crime

AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR, Issue 6 2009
Richard B. Felson
Abstract This research examines the relationship between childhood physical and sexual abuse and the types of crimes committed by male adult offenders. We use the method of discriminant prediction to determine whether independent and dependent variables are related in ways that theories predict. Our analyses of data from the Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities suggest that offenders model specific behaviors to which they have been exposed. Male offenders who were sexually abused as a child are more likely to commit sexual offenses, particularly sexual offenses against children, than nonsexual offenses. Offenders who were physically abused are more likely to engage in violent offenses than nonviolent offenses. Further analyses show that sexual offenders, and to a lesser extent violent offenders, are likely to specialize in those offenses. Our results are consistent with a social learning approach. They address a heretofore neglected issue: what exactly do children model when they are mistreated. Aggr. Behav. 35:489,501, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


UNDER THE BARRED UMBRELLA: IS THERE ROOM FOR A WOMEN-CENTERED SELF-INJURY POLICY IN CANADIAN CORRECTIONS?

CRIMINOLOGY AND PUBLIC POLICY, Issue 1 2006
JENNIFER M. KILTY
Research Summary: This article examines a chain of policy directives concerning self-injury inside federal correctional facilities in Canada. Specific attention is paid to the impact of these policies on federally sentenced women. I argue that the Correctional Service of Canada's focus on risk assessment fails to address the needs of the women they confine. Instead, women's needs are reconceptualized as institutional risk factors. Policy Implications: Women who self-injure are still routinely disciplined for their behaviour in Federal Canadian prisons through admittance to administrative segregation. This policy challenges two sections of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms (s. 7 and s. 15) and must be changed. In this article, I will recommend a new women-centered approach to replace current practice. [source]


Three-year mortality and predictors after release: a longitudinal study of the first-time drug offenders in Taiwan

ADDICTION, Issue 5 2010
Chuan-Yu Chen
ABSTRACT Aims To assess the possible increase in mortality rate and associated socio-demographic and judiciary determinants among first-time drug offenders during the first 3 years after release from correctional facilities. Setting and participants A total of 22 224 male and 4444 female adults who had served a sentence of at least 1 day in correctional facilities for illegal drug-related offences were identified from the judiciary records of the Ministry of Justice, Taiwan. Design and measurements The underlying causes of death were defined by the International Classification of Diseases, ninth revision. Findings All-cause standardized mortality ratios (SMR) were 7 for schedule I (e.g. heroin) and 3 for schedule II (e.g. methamphetamine) drug offenders, respectively; accidents, suicide and circulatory diseases were three leading causes of death. After release, the risk of death among those drug offenders without subsequent incarceration increased gradually until the 9th month. Those who were aged 30 years or older, had an engagement with a higher-ranked schedule substance or who received severe sentences were two to three times more likely to die. Substantial reduction in the risk of death was linked with re-imprisonment. Conclusions The SMR estimates for external causes were greater than those for disease-related causes in drug offenders, and schedule I drugs-related mortality rate was twice as high as that with schedule II drugs. In transitioning from the correctional setting to the community, the health needs of drug offenders should be addressed by the provision of continuous, adequate medical care tailored to individual background, medical history and drug experience. [source]


The associations among personality disorder symptoms, suicide proneness and current distress in adult male prisoners,

PERSONALITY AND MENTAL HEALTH, Issue 4 2008
Dorian A. Lamis
Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the United States, and the third leading cause of death in US jails and penitentiaries. Research has shown that the presence of an Axis II personality disorder (PD) increases the risk for suicidal behaviour. While many correctional institutions screen inmates for suicidal ideation upon intake, they can neglect to assess for the presence of PD symptoms other than those associated with criminality such as Antisocial PD. The current study examined whether symptoms of various PDs were associated with self-reports of current suicide proneness and distress in a small sample of adult male inmates residing in a medium or a maximum security facility. As hypothesized, elevated scores on numerous PD Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III scales (e.g. Schizoid, Depressive, Sadistic, Schizotypal, Borderline) were significantly associated with both self-reports of current suicide proneness and psychological distress. Once the nature of these associations in inmates is better understood, more effective suicide prevention programs can be designed and implemented in correctional facilities. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Effects of psychoeducation for offenders in a community correctional facility

JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 5 2004
Albert K. Liau
The present study provided a randomized outcome evaluation of the psychoeducational component of the EQUIP program. The psychoeducational curriculum was implemented in a community correctional facility for adult felony offenders. The psychoeducational curriculum is designed to remedy offenders' delays in moral judgment maturity, social cognitive distortions, and social skill deficiencies. The participants were 316 felony offenders, 71% male, aged 18 to 61 years. Relative to a control group, participants who received portions of the curriculum reported fewer serious institutional violations. Female, but not male participants, who received the curriculum were less likely to recidivate than those in the control group at six months. Reductions in mediating factors,cognitive distortion for males and social skills for females,were associated with fewer serious institutional violations. Levels of substance abuse, exposure to violence, and number of serious violations were found to predict recidivism at six months. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comm Psychol 32: 543,558, 2004. [source]


Development of an educational/support group for pregnant women in prison

JOURNAL OF FORENSIC NURSING, Issue 2 2008
Ginette G. Ferszt Ph.D.
Abstract It is estimated that 6,10% of women are pregnant when they enter the prison system. The majority have had little, if any, prenatal care and/or childbirth education. Given economic constraints, the educational and support needs of this population are often not met. In response to these needs, an educational/support group was developed and led by a social worker, a mental health clinical nurse specialist, and a nurse midwife in a women's correctional facility in the Northeast. Women in various stages of pregnancy and early postpartum voluntarily attended. The need for education and psychosocial support was overwhelming. This group fostered a safe space for women to discuss real-life issues in a supportive environment. Meeting the educational and support needs of incarcerated women is paramount. [source]


Assessing the Severity of Hazardous Drinking and Related Consequences Among Incarcerated Women

ALCOHOLISM, Issue 5 2010
David R. Strong
Background:, Recent epidemiological efforts have demonstrated the utility of measuring individual differences in the severity of alcohol use along a single severity continuum marked by alcohol-related problems, symptoms of alcohol dependence, and the social consequences of drinking. Translation of this utility to specialized clinical populations is not assured. The expected inter-relationships among problems, symptoms and consequences, and enhanced sensitivity of combined assessments require confirmation in applied clinical settings. Method:, Subjects were 245 incarcerated women who met Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test criteria for hazardous use of alcohol. Participants were recruited from a statewide adult correctional facility for an ongoing clinical trial testing the effectiveness of brief motivational interviewing on alcohol use and HIV risk behaviors. Participants ranged in age from 18 to 56 (M = 34.1, SD = 8.9), 71.4% were Caucasian, and 65.7% reported <12 years of education. Results:, Analyses suggested that the 6 problems of alcohol abuse, 7 symptoms for alcohol dependence, and 14 alcohol-related social consequences loaded to a single factor (0.38 to 0.85) that formed a continuum of alcohol severity. Contrary to epidemiological studies, physical fights and being arrested were the most prevalent consequences and were associated with lower alcohol severity in this population. Three of the five items that discriminated best between higher and lower alcohol severity were related to familial and relationship consequences. Conclusions:, Consistent with epidemiological studies, alcohol severity can be measured among incarcerated hazardously drinking women on a single continuum that includes alcohol problems, symptoms, and social consequences. Replication of the expected alignment of problems and symptoms supports the construct validity of the continuum and further challenges the proposed hierarchical structure of abuse/dependence distinction. Large differences in rates of specific consequences and observed effectiveness of tailored social consequence items suggest the benefits of cross-sample validation to improve evaluation of clinical outcomes. [source]


The Influence of Religious Participation on the Adjustment of Female Inmates

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY, Issue 1 2009
Lacey Levitt MEd
Incarcerated women at a state correctional facility (N = 213) participated in a study of the relationship between stress, adjustment, institutional misconduct, and degree of personal support derived from religious participation. A series of multivariate analyses of variance investigated differences on adjustment indicators between four groups of inmates who differed on their self-reported support from religious activities, while controlling for self-reported support for other institutional activities. Inmates who received high-level support from participation in religious activities reported significantly less depression, recounted perpetrating fewer aggressive acts, and committed fewer serious institutional infractions than those who did not attend religious activities as well as those who attended but reported receiving low-level support. In addition, inmates reporting a high level of support through their religious activities reported fewer instances of feeling angry, having arguments with inmates and correctional officers, physical fights, and injury than those who reported no participation in religious activities. Results indicate that inmates who perceive that they are receiving personal support from religious activities are better adjusted to the challenges of prison. [source]


A Preliminary Examination of the Relationship between Organisational Structure and Emotional Burnout among Correctional Staff

THE HOWARD JOURNAL OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE, Issue 2 2010
ERIC G. LAMBERT
Abstract: In any nation, correctional staff are the greatest asset of any correctional facility. In an era where rising costs, shrinking budgets, and personnel shortages are common, it is increasingly important to provide a positive work environment to ensure worker stability. The research indicates that job burnout is a negative response that is influenced by the work environment. This study examined the effects of organisational structure on emotional burnout among correctional staff at a state-run prison. Promotional opportunity, integration, formalisation, instrumental communication, and input into decision making are the major forms of organisational structure. In addition to the above forms of organisational structure, the amount of daily contact and the personal characteristics of tenure, position, educational level, race, age, gender, and supervisory status were included as independent variables. In a multivariate analysis, supervisory status, degree of inmate contact, promotional opportunity, formalisation, instrumental communication, and input into decision making all had statistically significant associations with emotional burnout. The results support the postulation that organisational structure influences the emotional burnout of correctional staff. [source]