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Pentridge Prison was established in 1851 in the Melbourne outer suburb of Coburg in the state of Victoria, Australia. Decommissioned in 1999, the site is marked by 150 years of white colonial violence, trauma, incarceration and death. Twenty-four years on, it has been repurposed to include a mix of residential and commercial developments. More recently, Art Processors have been contracted by the developers to curate new Pentridge tours and visitor experiences. This article will observe how the institutional histories of Pentridge have been curated and represented through the on-site redevelopments and tours. Autoethnographic methods are deployed to document representations of social memory at the site. The framework of hauntology assists to elucidate the affective consequences of erasing landscapes marked by trauma and state-sanctioned violence. The result is a site defined by a deep sense of dissonance, where attempts to memorialise traumatic events, violence and death, are undermined by proximity to what can only be characterised as a prison tourism theme park. Ultimately, Pentridge Prison highlights the highly political process of repurposing penal sites and memorialising difficult histories carry profound implications for addressing contemporary injustices associated with imprisonment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the Constitution of Panama is remarkably progressive in regard to the treatment of incarcerated persons, the actual conditions faced by these individuals are frequently described as inhumane. We collected data from comments on YouTube videos displaying media on Panamanian prisons to investigate public opinion about their condition. We conducted a content analysis of comments, and use regression models to analyse their attitude, engagement (likes and replies) and the displayed characteristics of commenters. We found that comments tended to reflect a negative view of incarcerated individuals, either justifying bad conditions or asking for treatment that is more punitive. These negative comments also received the most engagement, and had commenters who were less mindful of their anonymity, indicating social desirability. We conclude that public opinion is itself a key barrier for prison reform which could account for the gap between legal prescriptions and the actual conditions of incarcerated individuals in Panama. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the impact on recidivism of offenders' misconduct in prison, net of offenders' socio-economic and criminal backgrounds, longer imprisonments, and of other, unobserved factors explaining selection into prison. The data come from representative samples of offenders (N = 4524) and prisoners (N = 1848) convicted of at least one crime in Catalonia, Spain, during a 5-year period (2010–2015). We applied a system of four simultaneous equations to estimate which factors increase the most the risks of reoffending, focusing on the role of prison misconduct, and using better methods than previously to correct for selectivity into prison. We also identify the characteristics of the offenders most likely to misbehave and reoffend – chronic offenders with complex criminal histories. Our results confirm that misconduct significantly predicts reoffending. It is not just a reflection of offender's problematic dispositions imported into prison, but also a sign of maladjustment to imprisonment that undermines its possibly deterrent or capacitating effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To evaluate whether a history of incarceration was associated with increased odds of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts, and to determine if this association was further strengthened when combined with a history of solitary confinement. Methods: We collected cross-sectional data from a general population sample in New York City and Baltimore in March 2017. Participants were categorized based on their history of incarceration and solitary confinement: (1) no incarceration, (2) incarceration-only, and (3) incarceration plus solitary confinement. We compared these three groups, utilizing hierarchical adjustments for sociodemographic factors and adverse childhood experiences. Missing data were accounted for utilizing multiple imputation via chained equation. Results: A total of 1221 individuals were analyzed. Those who experienced both incarceration and solitary confinement consistently had higher odds of suicidal ideation (OR, 2.80; 95% CI, 1.43 to 5.48) and suicide attempts (OR, 6.98; 95% CI, 2.77 to 17.61) than never incarcerated individuals. Those who experienced incarceration without solitary confinement had higher odds of suicide attempts (OR, 3.77; 95% CI, 1.35 to 10.56) than never incarcerated individuals, whereas this association was not evident for suicidal ideation. Solitary confinement increased the odds of suicidal ideation even compared to incarceration without solitary confinement (OR, 2.71; 95% CI, 1.09 to 6.74). Conclusions: Our findings support the need to address the higher likelihood of suicide-related outcomes among those in contact with the criminal justice system, and to consider alternatives to solitary confinement. HIGHLIGHTS: Those who experienced both incarceration and solitary confinement had higher odds of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts than never incarcerated individuals. Solitary confinement increased the likelihood of suicidal ideation, even more so than incarceration without solitary confinement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Texas Substance Abuse Felony Punishment Facility (SAFPF) is a part of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) aimed at reducing crime by treating substance use disorders for individuals with felony charges. This work investigates the lived experience and shared themes of persons who attended SAFPF (N = 8) using phenomenological qualitative methods. The results highlight many strengths including connection through relationships, self-motivation, and aftercare options. Reported weaknesses included treatment provision, curriculum deficits, and operational problems. Results found numerous positive and negative aspects of the person's lived experience that could inform policy and treatment methods of future SAFPF programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractRelational psychodynamic practice, to be useful to folks representing “othered” oppressed populations, must integrate an anti-oppressive stance in relation to the people they serve, learn from them about their unique wants and needs, and strive to align with the sequential order in which they believe the wants and needs should be attained. This paper explores how this can occur, focusing on citizens returning from prison and utilizing an example of an individual who successfully navigates this transition. Anti-oppressive practice approaches aimed at empowerment and liberation are discussed as meeting essential needs beyond education, housing, and work, that make successful navigation of post-incarceration “freedom” possible. Elements of psychodynamic theory and practice that are particularly relevant to working with returning citizens and individuals representing other oppressed populations are elaborated. Special attention is given to the approach of a therapeutic-participant and client-participant relationship that blends our psychodynamic relational approach and personal reflexivity with a greater understanding of persons coming from an environment where self-agency was not supported and even thwarted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the settler colonial landscapes of tourism in the regional city of Dubbo, Australia. Dubbo is situated on Wiradyuri Country in the Orana region of New South Wales. Focusing specifically on the heritage-listed Old Dubbo Gaol and the Dundullimal Homestead, a former pastoral station, I explicate how these tourist sites offer experiences that normalise settler dwelling and occupation of First Nations Country. The Old Dubbo Gaol and Dundullimal occupy a broader settler colonial landscape where Dubbo is presented historically as 'empty' until settlers exploited the town's 'natural' resources. By occluding the relationship between invasion, pastoralism, and Indigenous dispossession, the sites reproduce for visitors settler colonial metanarratives of dwelling. Using Tim Ingold's notion of taskscape, I show how the tourist sites create taskscapes which invite visitors and consumers to engage in settler forms of dwelling that normalise a settler colonial landscape. Tourist taskscapes consist of the activities and interactions in a heritage site that encourage visitors to take an active role in experiencing place and history. By aligning these experiences and activities to settler narratives and histories, the sites interpellate visitors into the processes of autochthony that were/are used to negate First Nations sovereignties. While these taskscapes are leaky and contain the presence of First Nations in select parts of the heritage sites, the taskscapes dominate heritage tourism and normalise settler colonisation as a feature of place-making that does not require explicit explanation or education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyses the everyday lives and resistance of the political prisoners in F- type prisons in Turkey by referring to the concept of 'tactic' by Michel de Certeau. It discusses how political prisoners resist isolation, separation, and reduction in such total conditions and how they produce communication, connection, and extension. The article claims that total institutions cannot always create a total order. The political prisoners resist being reduced to F-type discipline and extend their own ways of operating that organize their own everyday reality. How paradoxical it seems, the possibility of resistance and creativity is immersed in the everyday reality of F-type prisons. It only takes the practice of the prisoners to emerge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Well-being is defined as the multi-dimensional experience of positive emotions, as well as life satisfaction, autonomy, and purpose. This scoping review examines the impact of musical practices on the well-being of incarcerated individuals and uniquely contributes to the literature by focusing on the relationship between music and power in carceral settings and by expounding on the ways in which musical practices both facilitate and inhibit experiences of well-being. Our review contributes to this body of literature by proposing three distinct ways musical practices may affect well-being: (1) Musical Practices and Psychological Outcomes, (2) Musical Practices and Identity Formation and (3) Musical Practices and Power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although studies have linked judicial intervention to inmate outcomes, it is unclear how the various reasons for which an institution is under court order predict the likelihood of inmate misbehavior, such as violence and other nonviolent forms of rule breaking. Data from the 2004 Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities (SISCF) and the 2000 Census of State Correctional Facilities (CSCF) are used to examine how various prison violations affect inmate misconduct. Hierarchical linear models reveal that sweeping litigation and reforms that pose a greater challenge to correctional authority are associated with greater misconduct, while more targeted approaches appear to have a less pronounced or inverse association with misconduct. These findings have important implications for the operation of the correctional institution and its society of captives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women from European countries have joined ISIS in considerable numbers, whether as perpetrators or passive attendants. Possible reasons for Western recruits have included seeking an identity, searching for excitement, and the romantic aspect of a new life. Despite the unknown numbers, many ISIS-affiliated from different nationalities are currently held in Turkish prisons. This article aims to contribute to women's radicalization and a gap in knowledge of ISIS women. Drawing on first-person 8 interviews at the Istanbul Repatriation Center in October 2020, the study indicates that the romantic aspect works as a catalyzer. The topic would be better elaborated by leaning on personal reasons. Key findings aim to demystify the assumptions of gendered radicalization. Further, discussions emerge from these findings, which have implications for methodology, theory, and policy and open prospects to generate avenues for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Journal of Architectural Education features an interview with Brett Story, Emily Kassie, and Julian Brave NoiseCat, discussing their documentary filmmaking practices within the context of worlding. They explore colonial and capitalist violence through projects like Sugarcane and The Prison in Twelve Landscapes, delving into the politics and radical imaginaries these films evoke. The conversation touches on the importance of storytelling, the impact of residential schools and the prison-industrial complex on communities, and the need for truth-telling and reconciliation. The filmmakers highlight the significance of stewardship, self-determination, and the generational divide in addressing systemic issues and envisioning new worlds. [Extracted from the article]

Women who are pregnant and postpartum in prison must deal with their incarceration along with the immense stress of having given birth while inside a total institution. Total institutions can strip individuals of who they are on the outside and disconnect people from the outside world. While the total institution serves to cut people off from the outside, ties between other incarcerated women and those on the outside can persist. For these women, social ties from both with those inside and outside the prison is crucial – positive ties can take the form of friendship, emotional support, practical assistance, or even taking temporary custody of the baby. We consider social ties from those inside and outside the prison in terms of support and strain within the context of the total institution. We consider the effects of positive, negative, and mixed ties and the relationship between incarceration and pregnant and postpartum women's relationships, which has major implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ganhua education has been viewed by some scholars as holding a critical position in the correctional system of the People's Republic of China (PRC), for achieving its primary target of imprisonment: rehabilitation. This article aims to redress this argument. Drawing on interviews undertaken with 30 female parolees/ex-prisoners and 10 prison officers, this article argues that the Ganhua education in prison, which is strongly imprinted with the key concept of Relational-Cultural Theory (RCT) that "connection promotes growth," is ineffective and is unable to empower women to grow, change, and consequently open to rehabilitation at selected female prisons. This article suggests that the RCT is theoretically problematic in producing a "new person," for the reason of its unawareness of contextualized culture, values, and situations in prison. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What role do prison protests play in revolutions? This article examines the prison protests that have occurred since the military coup, situating them as integral and instructive elements of an unfolding revolutionary situation. The analysis explores the character and significance of such protests at a moment of fierce and violent political contestation. It documents and contextualises them and develops an argument about their contemporary significance informed by the academic literature on prisons and revolution and prisons and protest. The article shows how the prison today is a revolutionary battlefront characterised by the activation and vulnerability of prisoners' bodies, the interrelation between collective and individual actions and consequences, and the connection between events outside and inside the prison. Today's protests resonate evocatively with those of the past. They are sometimes a deliberate intervention in bigger struggles and sometimes a response to the everyday and immediate provocation of inhumane conditions. Whatever the range of forms, patterns, drivers, and triggers of prison protests, the most common response from the authorities is violence, often with deadly effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People in prisons have high levels of trauma exposure throughout their lives. Presentations are often complex, with a high prevalence of PTSD and CPTSD and other mental health comorbidities. Prisons themselves can be stressful and traumatising environments. There are challenges in the delivery of effective treatments for PTSD and CPTSD. There is a need for the development of effective clinical pathways for these conditions that are embedded within trauma-informed organisational approaches. Responding to this need, this report is the result of a multidisciplinary expert consensus meeting and review of the research literature on PTSD, CPTSD, associated comorbidities and optimal approaches to trauma-informed practice. The group consisted of 24 expert representatives from psychology, psychiatry, healthcare, academia, social care and Welsh Government. The meeting commenced with presentations on various aspects of the clinical pathway for PTSD and complex PTSD in prisons, and of applications of trauma-informed practice within prisons. Small sub-groups then provided practical recommendations and solutions relevant to their assigned topic. Findings were presented to all meeting attendees for another round of discussion and debate, until consensus was reached. The resulting recommendations provide guidance to improve identification, treatment and support for people living in prison who have experienced trauma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PAMHOP (The Physical And Mental Health of Older Prisoners) is an inter- and transdisciplinary project funded by the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The project has two principal aims: to better understand the physical and common mental health needs of older people within the criminal justice system; and to assess the implementation of some novel tailored interventions that might benefit this community and shape policy, thus reducing costs for the UK’s National Health Service (NHS). One intervention was a historic environment project that involved map-based landscape regression, and historic building recording work. This paper describes this intervention and assesses its impacts, including those related to policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on gender disparities in defiance prison -infractions—an understudied and highly discretionary type of rule violation—which have important implications for individuals' prison experiences and outcomes. Using administrative data on a release population in a large western state (N = 23,818), we employed multilevel modeling techniques to test whether (1) women were more likely than men to receive defiance infractions; (2) whether women received a greater number of defiance infractions than men, and (3) whether the gender differences observed for defiance were unique from other types of infractions (e.g. any infraction, nonviolent, violent) net of individual- and prison unit-level controls. Results confirmed that defiance infractions are uniquely gendered, which subjects incarcerated women to harsh consequences for far less serious behavior than their male counterparts. Our work fills key gaps in the literature and contributes to recent policy reform efforts aimed at prison disciplinary reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Training men and women who live in prison to assist corrections staff with the care of growing numbers of older, sicker, cognitively impaired, and dying people in prison is an innovative and viable option to help meet pressing care demands. The purpose of this paper is to report findings from the usability testing of the fully developed Just Care electronic learning program for training carefully vetted people living in prison to assist staff with geriatric and end-of-life care. Research ethics approvals and informed consent were obtained. There were two rounds of usability testing conducted via videoconference. Interdisciplinary staff (i.e., corrections specialists, supervisors, nurses, and chaplains) and people living in prison were recruited from one men's and one women's prison. Fifteen participants completed the testing in each round. Results include participant demographics, concerns and areas for improvement by severity level of programming, and mean scores for both participant groups on the System Usability Scale. Overall, both the incarcerated and staff participants found the program easy to navigate and the interactive content was useful, engaging, and relevant to caring for aging and dying people who are incarcerated. Findings will be used to refine Just Care before usability testing with a larger sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detecting and monitoring prisoners who present a risk of committing terrorism is an important objective of prison authorities. A key practice in many prison services is for prison staff to observe prisoner behaviours that may indicate such risk. However, there is a dearth of research that systematically examines which behaviours signify, or prison staff consider to signify, terrorism risk. This study addresses this issue by systematically examining the nature and prevalence of different behaviours indicated across a large and unique international data set of both open and closed sources, which primarily focusses on Islamist groups and ideologies. Reflexive thematic analysis identifies 29 distinct behaviours (subthemes), brigaded under 6 domains of functioning (main themes). Tentative findings suggest that many behaviours are consistently identified across open and closed data sources, indicating these are similar in different jurisdictions – although how they manifest locally may not be – and in both the fields of research and practice. Whilst some behaviours may (also) signify general non-compliance in prisons, others appear more distinct in potentially signifying terrorism risk. Finally, this practice appears over-focussed on prisoner behaviours that signify risk, rather than protection or resilience. Findings are discussed in relation to theoretical, methodological, and operational issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PRACTICE IMPACT STATEMENTResearch suggests that autistic individuals have qualitatively unique experiences of prison social environments, and that these experiences may have implications for autistic prisoners’ mental wellbeing and engagement with offending behaviour interventions. However, this has yet to be quantitatively tested. Using a sample of 177 adult prisoners from two UK prisons that exclusively house individuals with sexual convictions, this study tested a hypothesised double-mediation model, to investigate associations between autistic traits and prisoners’ readiness to engage with treatment, and whether this was mediated by experiences of the prison social climate and mental wellbeing. Results indicated that prisoners with higher levels of autistic traits had poorer experiences of prison social climates, which, in turn, predicted higher levels of anxiety and depression, which subsequently predicted reduced level readiness to engage with offending behaviour interventions. Implications for research and practice are discussed, emphasising the need for increased autism-related awareness and support provisions in prisons.The present study is a novel quantitative study, which is the first to statistically demonstrate that neurodivergence can significantly influence prisoners’ perceptions of prison social climates, mental wellbeing, and ultimately readiness to engage with rehabilitate interventions. As such, these findings emphasise the importance of embedding understanding neurodiversity in prison staff training, as well as considering and accommodating neurodiversity as a key dimension in the development of a prison’s rehabilitative culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prison's culinary sphere is a vibrant social arena where the institution's power structure and dynamics are exposed, enforced, negotiated, and restructured. In Israel, the practice of cooking inside the prison cells is not officially permitted (or forbidden) but is generally tolerated by the prison staff. People in Israeli prisons form ethnic-based in-cell cooking groups, allot resources, and invest skills, time, and effort in cooking their own meals. In this article, we explore the meanings attributed to in-cell group cooking by people incarcerated in Israeli prisons. We applied interpretive phenomenological analysis to interviews with 18 people in prison. Three themes emerged from the participants' narratives: (1) in-cell group cooking as an ambiguous practice, (2) the cooking group as a hub for conflict resolution and maintenance of community life, and (3) the cooking group as an opportunity to preserve some aspects of out-of-prison identity and freedom. In the discussion, we introduce the term "culinary redemption" and argue that prison food is a powerful marker of "being inside," while the substantial efforts invested by people in prison to improve their diet and create alternatives aim at changing their self-perception from inmates to free persons, at least to a certain extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Bourdieusian study interrogates the practices of an Australian-based "user-manufacturer" of image and performance enhancing drugs (IPEDs). Extending the concept of illicit drug "user-dealers", we draw upon a case study of an IPED user-manufacturer, "Meiko", to interrogate steroid-user habitus, the importance of reputation and community trust, and the minimization of risk through referral-only interactions and low-profile branding. Findings reveal a user-manufacturer community engaged in domestic production of IPEDs, aided by Chinese suppliers of raw powders who have set up facilities in Australia. This research highlights the complex dynamics underlying the underground market for IPEDs, emphasizing the interplay between cultural, economic, and bodily capital, and the strategic responses of user-manufacturers to their social context while challenging traditional notions of rational choice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Correctional officers (COs) work under stressful conditions and experience high rates of potentially psychologically traumatic critical incidents, and yet understanding of their mental health is limited. Therefore, the current study aimed to explore how correctional work impacts CO mental health. Twenty-two Australian COs (12 men, 10 women) working predominantly in high security prisons (91%) with male prison residents (50%) were interviewed about their mental health and workplace experiences. Reflexive thematic analysis of these interviews generated three key themes: the job changes you, it's a stressful job, and coping strategies. Officers showed both positive and negative changes to their sense of self, daily functioning, and mental health which were generally consistent with experiences of psychological wellbeing, posttraumatic growth, and burnout. These changes were impacted by a variety of operational and organizational stressors and were managed through adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies like social support, humor, and alcohol consumption. The findings support existing theories of the non-dichotomous nature of mental health and mental illness. Along with deepening understandings of CO mental health, this study provides guidance on how COs can be supported to be healthy and productive in the workplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Restorative justice encourages communication and restoration between individuals or groups where harm has been caused. This article reviews participant and facilitator experiences of restorative justice interventions in the forensic secure estate. During a systematic review we searched six databases acquiring 628 articles. We identified nine studies as suitable for inclusion with a total of 426 participants of restorative interventions. We identified three themes: Underlying Processes, Clinical Applications, and Internal Mechanisms of Change. We conclude that restorative justice can provide benefits to those who are involved in the process but are most effective when certain wider systemic conditions are met. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aims of this research were to explore custodial prison staff and male prisoners' perceptions toward self-harm, prison system responses and environmental impacts on self-harm. Four staff focus groups (thematic analysis) and 12 semi-structured interviews with male prisoners (interpretative phenomenological analysis) took place in three prisons in England. Prison staff attributed manipulative intention to self-harm; self-harming prisoners felt misunderstood. The prison environment and formal response processes were barriers for care access and provision. Recommendations include staff training in understanding and management of self-harm, supported by a care-focused culture, and fostering safety, security, empowerment and value for both prisoners and staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Criminal justice agencies increasingly recruit new personnel online using social media. This paper analyzes correctional officer recruitment videos appearing on YouTube. Engaging with literature on social media representations and authenticity, we examine the content and the themes appearing in these videos. We use a grounded theory approach to data analysis accompanied by a semiotic reading of these video texts. We argue that these video representations convey a sense of fantastical authenticity, meaning there is a mythical or embellished dimension to these depictions and accounts. We also find that these videos communicate establishment narratives about prisons and prison work. We also situate our analysis in broader literature on social media use and communications by criminal justice agencies. We conclude with reflections on what this means for understanding representations of criminal justice as well as social media use by prison authorities in North America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to their close proximity to those serving time, correctional officers may not only be agents of control but also agents of change. Although state departments of correction often target for recruitment those individuals who can fulfill the custodial role of the job, little attention is given to hiring a human service-oriented workforce. To fill that void, we surveyed 673 newly hired correctional officer trainees from three states to determine the extent and sources of their embracement of a rehabilitative orientation. Our findings provide insight for departments of correction concerning the potential facilitators and inhibitors of achieving their rehabilitative mission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a "graying" of the prison population during the last several decades. Little research has been done on the psychological distress symptoms and treatment access of the growing older incarcerated population. This study considers how age affects rates of psychological distress symptoms and mental health treatment for incarcerated persons. Data included state respondents from the Survey of Prison Inmates, 2016. Ordinal logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between psychological distress symptoms and aging in prison. Binary logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between accessing mental health treatment and aging in prison. Older incarcerated individuals were more likely than younger incarcerated individuals to report feeling symptoms of psychological distress if they were not currently accessing treatment. Older individuals who had accessed treatment in prison were more likely to be currently accessing treatment than younger incarcerated individuals, and the longer one was incarcerated the less likely one was to access treatment. How do we ensure that those who need treatment are getting it? Especially those who have been incarcerated for a long time. Overall, this study shows that older incarcerated persons need continued access to treatment tailored to their unique needs as a group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnotheatre is an art-based methodology and a critical and world-making practice through reflexive affect endeavour. It joins a group of people to participate in a theatre production about their symbolic and material world. We will debate the effects of this methodology on making ethnography the punctum of socially engaged performance projects. How can we research combining ethnography's gesture with artistic methodologies to learn common sociocultural riddles or quandaries of marginal and hopefully transitory people? Ethnotheatre effectively elicits the vernacular metacommunicative repertoire veiled in inmates' hidden transcripts. We explore the framing and potentials of the performative interview in a case study of immobile confinement. Combining ethnographic gesture with artistic world-making practice, we better apprehend and understand the symbolic sites where people may speak out. The world emerges when you make someone heard. We will discuss this methodological tool with a case study about confinement immobility, applying ethnotheatre to understand better how inmates live and resist in their prison's "invisible" ruled world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Irish Prison Service, prisoners repeatedly engaged in serious violence are managed under the Violently Disruptive Prisoner (VDP) policy. With the development of the National Violence Reduction Unit (NVRU), practice has shifted from being operationally-driven to the integration of a psychological perspective in the management of these prisoners. Part of an ongoing evaluation of this changing practice, this study explored the experiences of VDP policy prisoners (n = 4) and the prison officers (n = 13) working with them before practice changed. Descriptive thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews identified nine themes: (1) describing VDP policy prisoners, (2) staff characteristics and approaches, (3) describing the VDP policy regime, (4) the social environment, (5) the occupational environment, (6) function of the VDP policy, (7) impact of the VDP policy, (8) factors influencing violence, and (9) responding to violence. Results are interpreted in light of comparable research and the Power Threat Meaning Framework. Implications for policy, practice and research in the NVRU are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following a recent study of disparities in solitary confinement (SC) placements in Florida, we examined related dis-parities in the use of extended restrictive housing in Ohio (SC conditions) while expanding the analysis to short term restrictive housing, a substantially more common prison experience. Analyses of 183,872 incarcerated persons (IPs) revealed substantive disparities in prevalence and incidence of placements in both short- and long-term restrictive housing (RH). Controlling for types of rule violations and other risk indicators, disparities emerged based on an IP's sex, age, race, education, learning skills, substance abuse risk, and mental health. Many findings are consistent with the Florida study and extend to the more routine short term RH. Similar studies will be critical for generating a body of knowledge that may demonstrate the same types and levels of RH disparities regardless of prison system, contributing greatly to RH policy debates and critical criminological perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bringing together methods and perspectives from critical archive studies, African history, social history and critical prison studies, this article considers the opportunities, challenges and ethical considerations that arise when doing social history research on colonial African prisons using official archives. We argue that while such records can provide valuable information, engagement with these documents needs to be grounded in recognition of their 'person-ness'. This involves acknowledging the power dynamics and coercion that shaped the creation and content of official archives, prioritising the experiences of incarcerated people, and using the records in a way that recognises the limits of consent in terms of their origins and use. By turning to a person-centred historical praxis, researchers can not only play a key role in furthering our knowledge of colonial carceral systems but can also help to challenge these systems and their afterlives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hunger strikes have been central to the ways in which Palestinian prisoners confront the Israeli carceral regime; demand changes in the ways prisons are run; and demand their most basic rights. Indeed, the earliest documented hunger strike dates to as early as 1968, with demands that included refusals to address Israeli jailers with 'sir', and having access to pens and notebooks. The recent martyrdom of Khader Adnan on his eighty-seventh day of a hunger strike against his detention highlighted both Palestinian prisoners' continuous resort to hunger strikes, and Israeli violent responses to this act of confrontation whenever it is used by prisoners. Hunger strikes have been analysed and discussed by multiple scholars to shed light on this practice both in Palestine and other global sites of carcerality. The literature on hunger strikes, however, is abundant with analysis that draws on the concepts of biopolitics and necropolitics. Applying these concepts involves conceptualising prisons as sites intended for the civil and social death of prisoners, or depicts prisoners as bare life and objects of modes of management over their life and death. Yet, an approach that centres the power over life and death, and that presents freedom or its negation as that of the moment of approaching death, falls into a trap that Palestinian political prisoner Walid Daka (2021) warns of in his brief discussion of hunger strikes [from a text read as part of a conference on carcerality, entitled 'Control Through Time']. Such an analysis, for instance, views death as the sole space over which the captive body has power, as Achille Mbmebe argues in 'Necropolitics'. My article, however, seeks to investigate and discuss Palestinian prisoners' recourse to hunger strikes in a different vein. To conceptualise hunger strikes and their history in Palestine, the article argues that one has to situate the practice as part of an ever-evolving repertoire of prisoners' responses aiming to constitute political subjectivities that reject defeat, that dream and work for liberation, and that constantly counter attempts at moulding consciousness. Hunger strikes offer yet another example of prisoners' attempts to smuggle freedom from the confines of their cells. The article will engage with the long history of Palestinian prisoners' hunger strikes (collective and individual), with prisoners' own descriptions of hunger strikes, and with several theoretical and conceptual understandings of hunger strikes to shed light on this practice's political meanings. In doing so, the article hopes to situate hunger strikes within the broader sets of confrontation practices used by Palestinian prisoners, and which constantly dream, and work for, a liberated geography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through an examination of the history of settler colonial violence against Indigenous peoples and lands in Canada, Palestine, and Australia, this paper exposes the links between colonialism and the penitentiary, across borders. This paper interrogates the differences and similarities between the use of prisons as a tool in settler colonial expansion in these three states. As a contribution to abolitionist thought and theory, this paper highlights the need for an intersectional analysis of the overlapping consequences of settler colonialism and international carceral regimes. Efforts to resist carceral expansion around the world must include efforts to resist colonial expansion, and the voices of Indigenous peoples must be centred throughout this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper interprets and analyses the concept of stealing away, as a redemptive act, that can be embodied in alternative modes such as writing, painting and drawing. The paper articulates how the pained body – which in this case is understood as the black body – emerges in an oppressive environment. This paper considers prison letters and artwork as redefinition, redress, and reconfiguration of the pained body. The core of this discussion is founded on how Fatima Meer steals away through her writing and artwork while she is imprisoned. These actions constitute self-affirmation over oppression which essentially exemplifies how Saidiya Hartman expresses stealing away as a concept. It is through acts of stealing away that Meer experiences embodied writing, which is about bringing the finely textured experiences of the body to the art of writing. In so doing the pained experiences of the body [Meer] are reclaimed from oppression through writing, drawing and painting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of AI has progressed rapidly in recent years, and the notion of smartness is commonplace. However, while the topic of smart cities has received considerable research attention, there has been a lack of discussion about the use of smart technologies in prisons. While, especially in Eastern countries, AI in law enforcement is mainly used for security and control purposes (in Hong Kong, intelligent CCTV can detect unusual behaviour, and wristbands are used to collect data on prisoners), in Northern Europe the trend is to build smart prisons where AI is used as a rehabilitation tool (in Finland, Virtual Reality is employed to help rehabilitation). Adopting a comparative approach, the aim of this article is to demonstrate that AI is a transformative technology that is provoking structural changes in criminal law enforcement – especially in prisons – and that these changes express two opposing tendencies, that could transform the essence of penalties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humanitarian logics enable the unfree labour of racialized capitalism by making visible the beneficence of those who profit. Understanding the structure of feelings undergirding these imaginaries will help us to recognize why capitalism feels so right. This paper theorizes from the case of the Made in Prison company selling luxury clothing under the brand, Carcel, to explain how linking consumption with 'helping' remakes exploitation into gendered solidarity. Combining ethnography in Peru, political economy and narrative analysis, the paper explores how prison-produced fashion is made 'ethical' through intimization of the relationship between feminine labourers and their 'sister' consumers. The paper does two things: (1) it charts how the imaginary of commodifying compassion works through three movements around the company, products and workers of Carcel and (2) it argues that love and sisterly solidarity connect the company, workers and products in ways that are then commodified for profit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature on terrorism and the rehabilitation of terrorists is growing continuously, but primary studies of high quality are still scarce. In many countries, the number of clients convicted of terrorist offences is increasing. As such, prison and probation services serve as important actors in the prevention of recidivism and radicalisation. This scoping review identifies viable management and treatment methods and approaches to (a) prevent violent extremism in prison and probation services, and (b) manage violent extremist clients in prison and probation services. The findings of twenty-seven primary studies highlight the importance of so-called soft approaches by building trust and resilience among violent extremist clients, and facilitating their prosocial engagement. Strength-based models could be considered as an alternative to the predominant risk-oriented practices in prison and probation services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines whether rehabilitation delivered to women in prison in Aotearoa New Zealand can be considered trauma-informed. The ability of Corrections departments to implement trauma-informed rehabilitation in prison has been questioned by feminist criminologists. This paper finds there is scope for prison rehabilitation to address the effects of interpersonal violence on women's offending in ways that build women's agency and control. For this to happen in a trauma-informed way that doesn't render women responsible for their trauma, a rethinking of responsibility is needed that is more attuned to the realities of women's lives and the constrained circumstances they're living in. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The majority of women in prison have experienced prior traumatic events. Imprisonment can also be considered a traumatic experience. Research exploring how imprisonment affects women with trauma histories is scarce. To examine this, qualitative interviews were conducted with 50 participants imprisoned in three women's prisons in England. Four overarching themes were identified using thematic analysis: the traumatizing prison system; triggering power dynamics; trust in relationships; and surviving and thriving. Aspects of the prison environment and staff behavior were experienced as triggering and traumatizing, while peer relationships provided some mitigation of these difficulties. These findings have implications for the design of women's prisons, improvements in staff recruitment and training, and the implementation of trauma-informed care for individuals in women's prisons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Older adults are the fastest growing age sub-group in prison. Prison, health and social work staff are required to provide support for complex health and social care issues including Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). Dementia care for those living in the community is a national priority. There is, however, a lack of empirical evidence regarding service provision for those living in prison. This study was the first national survey of England and Wales to establish current service provision. Questionnaires were distributed to heads of healthcare and governors of all prisons in England and Wales. Our response rate was 85 (78%) for governors and 77 (71%) for healthcare managers. Reported prevalence of dementia/MCI from respondents was well below prevalence estimates from research. Furthermore, only 23 prisons (30%) had routine screening, and the majority reported that they did not have a defined care pathway (53; 69%) for dementia/MCI. Overall, the provision of services for those experiencing symptoms of dementia and MCI in prison is sub-optimal; however, many respondents reported aspirations to enhance services for this group. The forthcoming Ministry of Justice's national strategy for ageing prisons should include recommended care pathways for dementia and MCI to strive towards equivalence of care to community settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Only about 21% of adult inmates in Jamaica participate in formal rehabilitation programmes.1 As such, the government has taken steps to make in-prison rehabilitation mandatory. By drawing on interviews with 73 formerly incarcerated persons, this article explores the viability and practicability of mandatory in-prison rehabilitation. The evidence suggests that if made mandatory, in-prison rehabilitation may not support the effective reintegration of inmates who value agency. Coercion could also amplify change-resistant behaviours, and limited administrative capacity might also challenge the effective enforcement of the mandate. Towards achieving the effective reintegration of newly released persons and lowering the recidivism rate, the article proposes some correctional reforms which the Jamaican state can pursue in the absence of adequate capacity to implement mandatory in-prison rehabilitation. Such reforms include the need to bolster and enhance good governance systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although prior research documents a positive relationship between religious involvement and emotional well-being among incarcerated individuals, the salutary effect of religion on mental health remains in need of scientific scrutiny. To examine this understudied issue, we hypothesized that prisoner religiosity is positively associated with virtues, which are in turn inversely related to negative emotions. To test this hypothesis, we applied structural equation modeling to analyze data from a survey with a convenience sample of 139 males housed at a Colombian prison. As hypothesized, we found that both public (religious service attendance) and private religious behaviors (praying and reading a sacred book) were positively associated with the virtues of forgiveness, self-control, and gratitude. Additionally, we found that forgiveness and self-control were inversely related to state anger, depression, and anxiety. Finally, self-control was central in explaining the relationship between religious service attendance and state anger. Implications and limitations of the present findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the longstanding issues within the correctional officer occupation (e.g., high turnover, absenteeism), decades of research have tended to focus solely on the negative consequences of correctional officer work, rather than on the unique personal characteristics of the officers themselves. This omission is surprising as it is highly probable that each person experiences correctional work differently, with variation potentially hinging on the unique views and characteristics individuals bring with them to the job. Just as the "importation model" of prison adaptation recognizes the importance of pre-prison characteristics in explaining offender behavior, we argue that the unique personal experiences and social histories correctional officers import with them might shape the way they react to prison work. Thus, by thematically, descriptively, and multivariately examining three theoretically germane pre-prison work characteristics of 673 pre-service correctional officers (career motivations, attitudes toward prisoners, occupational histories), this call for research aims to raise awareness of the less studied factors within the correctional officer literature. Understanding the backgrounds and attitudes of newly hired correctional officers may potentially assist in the recruitment and retainment of these crucial employees in the prison system both in the United States and abroad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prison staff face situations with conflicting interests and values. To strengthen craftsmanship Dutch prison staff reflected upon personal moral dilemmas during Moral Case Deliberation (MCD) sessions. This research aims to gain systematic insight into themes and moral dilemmas Dutch prison staff encounter. Evaluation-forms of 171 MCD-sessions were collected (N = 1065 MCD-participants, N = 171 MCD-facilitators) from 22 teams of different professional disciplines at 3 locations. Our qualitative thematic content analysis included 154 moral dilemmas. We noted the organizational level and professional disciplines the moral dilemmas related to, and how dilemmas were formulated. All professional disciplines within prison work show to encounter a wide range of moral dilemmas, which emerge in and between all organizational levels. "Security" and "cooperation" were frequently mentioned themes, while dilemmas relating to the rehabilitation of prisoners were underrepresented. Some formulations of moral dilemmas were based on frustrations toward colleagues or the organization, expressed "powerlessness" to change practice, or contained normative arguments instead of an open formulation. These insights call for structural facilitation of methods for prison staff to deal with moral dilemmas. Ethics Support Services (ESS), such as MCD-sessions, can be used to further strengthen the moral craftsmanship of prison staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A main goal of the Spanish National Counter-Terrorism Strategy is to improve the detection and control of inmates who may participate or collaborate with terrorist groups after release convicted and detained inmates linked to terrorist acts, as well as of those individuals involved, during their stay in prison, in violent extremist recruitment or indoctrination. This manuscript introduces an instrument for assessing the risk of violent jihadist radicalization in prisons, the Detention of Violent Jihadists Radicalization (DRAVY-3 for its Spanish initials). This instrument was built on tools already existing, a review of the literature, the experience of the prison staff, indicators suggested by researchers from two institutions, a field study conducted with Muslim inmates (jihadists and non-jihadists), and the results of six implementations of two preliminary versions. The DRAVY-3 was tested by evaluating 570 inmates from five groups (related to jihadist terrorism and controls). The analyses showed that the indicators are distributed into three scales: violence in general, violence of jihadist aetiology, and radicalism. Analyses also informed that a combination of indicators confirm an index of prediction of the level of danger. Results demonstrate the internal strength of the instrument and its capacity to detect potential radicalization leading to violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Participatory processes are a democratic tool in the field of cultural heritage, but what happens when the whole process revolves around a set of expert premises? How symbolic and authoritative would such participation be? This article will reflect on the dynamics of citizen participation and the power of institutional narratives focused on urban cultural heritage. Thus, this work proposes a methodological review and discussion through a case study where citizen participation is addressed as a process within the service of citizens: the refurbishment and design of new spaces within La Model prison complex in Barcelona. The aim is to explore whether institutionalised participation continues to be a symbolic tool that supports the authorised heritage discourses or if, conversely, it is enabling the embodiment of the multivocality of the stakeholders involved in the heritage management process in an effective way. This study concludes with a discussion that invites cultural heritage researchers to reflect on the difficulties involved in organising less-authorised proposals in the field of cultural heritage management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How does the closure of prisons impact local communities where the prison is sited? The paper compares three prison closures in northern and central Kazakhstan through field observations, interviews, and focus groups at the sites. We find that respondents unanimously opposed closure by appealing to the apparent good performance of the prison. Beyond the economic loss incurred by closure, respondents reported a loss of communal identity, as well as prestige connected to the presence of the military at the colony. The paper analyzes these responses by examining the logics by which the prisons came to be opened in the Soviet period as well as investigating how the relationship between punishment, economy, and society in Kazakhstan has changed since that time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study is to explore the influence of prison experience and place attachment on recommend intention and subjective well-being in the context of dark tourism. A survey was conducted within the scope of Sinop Historical Prison in Sinop/Turkey. Data were collected from a total of 143 visitors using the convenience sampling technique. The collected data were analysed using Partial Least Square (PLS). According to the findings, prison experience and place attachment have significant effects on recommending intention and subjective well-being. Moreover, the study provides empirical contributions to the literature in terms of measuring the prison museum experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]