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Person-centered language has increasingly been adopted in criminal legal contexts. Recognizing the harmful effects of stigmatizing language, some states have mandated correctional staff to use person-centered language instead of "prisoner" or "inmate." However, little is known about the implementation of these mandates. To address this, the current study utilized interviews with 87 incarcerated people and 15 staff members in two prisons in a state that recently adopted a mandate. The findings suggest that the mandate has not substantially altered the terminology used or treatment people receive. This research builds understanding of how language affects the carceral experience, highlighting its limitations when unaccompanied by culture change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article draws on the stories of formerly incarcerated people to examine the ways in which the physical and social infrastructures of carceral facilities increase incarcerated people's vulnerability to environmental hazards exacerbated by climate change. We present qualitative data from interviews and focus groups with people who have been incarcerated in prisons and/or jails in Colorado regarding their experiences with incarceration infrastructure, amplifying the voices of formerly incarcerated people to identify vulnerabilities which have been deliberately hidden by carceral social and institutional processes, and adding them to the academic dialogue around incarceration and climate change. By providing testimony on the ways in which incarceration infrastructure—how they are designed, built, and maintained—amplify environmental harm, we identify how incarceration infrastructures create environmental vulnerability along axes of temperature, air quality, and water supply even before incarcerated people are exposed to climate hazards. Then, we illustrate ways incarcerated people encounter limits to their agency to mitigate this vulnerability, suggesting the need for structural change. Finally, we provide evidence that climate-related extreme temperatures, wildfires, and flood events experienced by our participants exploited the axes of vulnerability laid out above, affecting the majority (65%) of our 35 study participants. Overall, we argue current carceral infrastructure creates material realities that regularly cross the threshold of cruel and unusual punishment, and our argument supports decarceration as a necessary public policy intervention for robust, just, and humane climate resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetes is prevalent among incarcerated individuals, necessitating effective management within prison settings. This study aims to assess diabetes management among incarcerated individuals and analyze the methodological aspects of relevant research focusing on incarcerated individuals with diabetes. A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases, with data parameters from 1990 to 2021 and following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines, to investigate diabetes management in incarcerated individuals. The search yielded 706 records, from which 14 English-language quantitative studies meeting inclusion criteria were selected for analysis. These studies were predominantly retrospective with low levels of evidence. However, they consistently demonstrated the beneficial effects of dietary interventions, educational programs, and nursing guidance on diabetes management in incarcerated populations. This study highlights the need for more comprehensive and high-evidence research to further explore health professionals' practices with incarcerated individuals with diabetes and the effectiveness of diabetes management. Such studies are crucial for improving the quality of care provided to this vulnerable population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent longitudinal evidence reveals how sustaining a traumatic brain injury (TBI) increases risk for criminal justice involvement, including incarceration for serious or chronic offending (i.e., violent crime). In 2016, researchers from Correctional Service Canada (CSC) found between 01 July 1997 and 31 March 2011, the incidence of incarceration was higher among federally sentenced incarcerated people with prior TBI; in their sample, both men and women with TBI were approximately 2.5 times more likely to be incarcerated than men and women without TBI. More research is needed to understand how TBI may be related to neurodiversity and shape pathways to criminal justice system involvement, particularly among men who do not identify as White; for example, in 2020/2021, Indigenous men made up 32% of male admissions to federal custody in Canada. Engaging 11 reports produced by CSC which examine rates of TBI and other related factors among incarcerated people, as well as select international literature on TBI and the criminal justice system, our rapid report seeks to explicate the potential relationship between TBI, neurodiversity, and men as evidenced among federally incarcerated men in Canada. Policy, training, education, future areas of inquiry and practical implications for correctional services are discussed.

COVID-19 and the subsequent public health responses disrupted the routines and lives of people globally. The impact was felt by correctional workers who navigated rapidly changing public health policies and many disruptions to operations within both institutional and community correctional services. In the current study, we unpack qualitative findings emerging from an online mental health and well-being survey, during COVID-19, of 571 correctional workers employed in the Canadian province of Alberta. Results emphasize how correctional work was strained by the on-set of the COVID-19 pandemic, creating other risks and vulnerabilities for both staff and incarcerated people. Respondents highlighted impacts to their workload, routine, personal and institutional security, relationships with colleagues and incarcerated people, and their competing perspectives on the enforcement and ethics of ensuing public health measures intended to contain the spread of the virus. We discuss the empirical implications of these findings and areas for future research post pandemic.

We characterized suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among incarcerated people in Iran. We recruited a multistage random sample of 5785 incarcerated people from 33 prisons across Iran. Eligible participants were those aged ≥ 18 years who had been incarcerated for at least one week at the time of the study. Lifetime suicidal ideation and suicide attempts were estimated at 38.2% and 20.5%, respectively. Of participants who reported suicide attempts, 57.6% reported attempts prior to incarceration, 31.5% while incarcerated, and 10.9% both before and during incarceration. Suicide attempt was significantly associated with a younger age, being a woman, being widowed/divorced, a longer period of incarceration, convictions for violent crimes, HIV sero-positivity, lifetime non-injection, and injection drug use. The primary reasons reported for suicide attempts were feeling empty/hopeless and living with substance use disorders. Prison health services should provide a comprehensive, integrated mental health programme, including mental health screening upon arrival and continued care during incarceration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Underserved populations have a wide heterogeneity on healthcare provision and use. They also represent the key populations according to WHO 2030 goals for HCV micro-elimination. Our review evaluated the available literature on HCV diagnosis, staging, and treatment among underserved populations, such as incarcerated people, patients with psychiatric disorders, and migrants. A narrative review of literature was performed using key electronic databases (Scopus, Pubmed—MEDLINE) and search engines (Google Scholar). Peer-reviewed publications, grey literature on HCV, and recent models proposed for micro-elimination in underserved populations were included. An insight into the COVID-19 pandemic and its influence on HCV micro-elimination pathways will be also provided. Regarding prison settings, a progressive reduction in HCV epidemiology among incarcerated people in the last years was found (one-third of the level it had been before). People suffering from psychiatric disorders have a high anti-HCV prevalence, but there is a lack of data on active infections. A bidirectional relationship between HCV and psychiatric disorders was found. Migrants showed a very inconsistent assessment of HCV. Furthermore, available studies recorded data from populations with high heterogeneity of anti-HCV prevalence, Therefore, the reported results need caution in their evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

La question du psychotraumatisme constitue une dimension centrale de la pratique psychiatrique en milieu pénitentiaire. Le trouble de stress post-traumatique (TSPT), en particulier dans sa forme dite « complexe », est en effet largement surreprésenté en prison. Dans cet entretien avec Jean-Pierre Bouchard, Thomas Fovet, Clément Villa, Bettina Belet, Fanny Carton, Timothée Bauer, Suzanne Buyle-Bodin et Fabien D'Hondt s'appuient sur leur expérience clinique et sur de récents travaux de recherche épidémiologique pour proposer une synthèse de la question. Les aspects cliniques spécifiquement retrouvés en milieu carcéral, notamment la question des comorbidités psychiatriques/addictologiques ou du TSPT des auteurs de crime violent, sont développés. L'état actuel des connaissances en ce qui concerne la prise en charge des symptômes post-traumatiques en prison est également discuté et mis en perspective avec la réalité du terrain. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and particularly complex PTSD, is over-represented in prisons and corrections. In this interview with Jean-Pierre Bouchard, Thomas Fovet, Clément Villa, Bettina Belet, Fanny Carton, Timothée Bauer, Suzanne Buyle-Bodin and Fabien D'Hondt draw on their clinical experience and recent epidemiological research to provide an overview of the issue. The clinical aspects specifically found in the prison environment, especially the questions of comorbid psychiatric and substance use disorders or PTSD in perpetrators of violent crime, are developed. The current state of knowledge regarding the management of post-traumatic symptoms in prison is also discussed and put into perspective with daily practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young men in jail and prison are vulnerable regarding sexual health and the fulfilment of their sexual rights. As a response to this, the Swedish Association for Sexuality Education (RFSU) has been providing sex education to young, incarcerated men, via a project initiated by and in cooperation with the Swedish Prison and Probation Services (SPPS). This article is a qualitative exploration of how RFSU educators experienced their work, and of how staff within SPPS experienced the initiative. Eight RFSU educators, and six persons working within SPPS were interviewed, and a thematic analysis was conducted. Overall, the experiences described by RFSU educators and by SPPS staff were similar, they regarded sex education sensitive to what young men wanted to discuss as valuable and the project feasible. Future improvement areas include strategies on how to handle toxic masculinity among young men in jail and prison. Additionally his, the different aims that the organisations RFSU and SPPS have, and how young men navigate them, must be acknowledged. Young men's voices are missing in this study, and examining their experiences of the sex education in future work would be valuable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. The COVID-19 pandemic is one of the most significant public health challenges for this generation. Governments have been forced to undertake different measures to constrain the spread of the virus and protect the people. Restrictive and other measures have also been taken in correctional facilities to control the epidemiological situation. Objective. The aims of this review are: 1) to contribute to knowledge by providing an overview of anti-COVID-19 measures that have been undertaken by the proper authorities in a few selected countries to control the epidemiological situation in prison; 2) to demonstrate proposals made in this respect by international organizations and scientific institutions and 3) to complete the most important bibliographical items for further studies. Review methods. A literature review was carried out of international scientific and grey literature published between 30.01.2020 and 30.07.2021 (with some exemptions). In every correctional system in the countries under scrutiny, the proper authorities introduced many measures to control the epidemiological situation from the very beginning of the pandemic Summary. The COVD - pandemic impacts almost all aspects of social and individual life. Governments were forced to undertake different measures to constrain the spread of the virus. Restrictive and other measures also had to be taken in correctional systems, where more than ten million people are held worldwide. The measures introduced differed regarding details such as time, scope and range, but were generally similar to solutions proposed by organisations such as the WHO or CDC. In most countries, the discussion regarding the reform of the legal system have been observed. One of the most discussed issues was the problem of decarceration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mindfulness-based interventions, an evidence-based stress reduction approach, may help incarcerated people cope with stress-related problems in the challenging environment of prison. However, due to their unique living environment, the duration and instructor guidance required by standard mindfulness-based interventions would be infeasible in most prisons. Therefore, the aims of the current study were to test the effects of two different 4-day interventions (i.e., instructor-guided and audio-based) with content similar to Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for newly incarcerated males, and to compare the effectiveness of the two interventions relative to a no-intervention control group. Using daily assessments, we explored changes in perceived stress, insomnia, and negative affect in the 56 days following the instructor-guided (N = 25), audio-based (N = 21), and control (N = 44) intervention; length of mindfulness practice during the follow-up was also compared between the two intervention groups. Hierarchical linear model results showed significantly greater linear decreases in perceived stress after both mindfulness interventions during the 56-day follow-up (γ11 = -0.011, p < .001, 95% CI [-0.017, -0.004] for instructor-guided intervention; γ12 = -0.013, p < .001, 95% CI [-0.018, -0.006] for audio-based intervention), as compared to the control group. Compared to the control group, the instructor-guided group reported a significantly greater decrease in insomnia (γ11 = -0.007, p < .001, 95% CI [-0.014, -0.002]), but the audio-based group did not (γ12 = -0.002, p = .160, 95% CI [-.007, .004]). Neither mindfulness-based intervention group reported a significantly greater decrease in negative affect compared to the control group (γ11 = -0.002, p = .170, 95% CI [-0.005, 0.001] for instructor-guided intervention; γ12 = -0.002, p = .150, 95% CI [-0.006, 0.002] for audio-based intervention). No significant difference between the two intervention groups was found in the change of outcomes (γ11 = 0.002, -0.005 and 0.000, p = .350, .130 and .390, 95% CI [-0.008, 0.011], 95% CI [-0.014, 0.004] and 95% CI [-0.004, 0.006] subsequently for perceived stress, insomnia and negative affect). Daily mindfulness practice was significantly longer for the audio-based group on the first day of follow-up (γ02 = -0.758, p < .05, 95% CI [-1.333, -0.129]), but it gradually decreased to the same amount as the instructor-guided group (t (32) = 0.051, p = .959). Short-term mindfulness interventions, either instructor-guided or audio-based, appear to be beneficial for Chinese prisoners in reducing stress. Live instruction may have potential benefit in reducing insomnia and sustaining daily practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study explored the extent of COVID-19 vaccination coverage and investigated drivers and barriers to COVID-19 vaccine uptake among people in prison. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from July to October 2021 among 517 detained people in the Campania region of South Italy. Results: In total, 47.1% of participants expressed a high concern about contracting COVID-19 after vaccination, whereas 60.6% and 53.8% of respondents reported a positive attitude towards usefulness and safety of COVID-19 vaccines, respectively. Adherence to the active offer of COVID-19 vaccination involved 89.7% of detained subjects. COVID-19 vaccination uptake was significantly higher in females, and in those who reported influenza vaccination uptake, had received information about COVID-19 vaccination from media and newspapers, did not express need of additional information about COVID-19 vaccine, believed that COVID-19 vaccine is safe, were involved in working activities in the prison, and had a high school or university degree. Conclusions: These findings showed a high self-reported COVID-19 vaccination coverage in detained subjects, supporting the effectiveness of the strategy aimed at giving priority to COVID-19 vaccinations in prisons. Further efforts are needed to contrast the hesitancy of those who refused vaccination to increase their confidence about usefulness and safety of COVID-19 vaccines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Library and information science (LIS), as a whole, has not prioritized the information access of people inside of jails and prisons as a central tenet of library practice At the moment, there is growing attention given to states’ attempts to curtail book access for people inside of jails and prisons. Groups that provide free books to incarcerated people -- such as the numerous Books to Prisoners programs across the United States -- have been central to the discussions around access to information and resistance to censorship. These groups have drawn particular attention to the ways that Black, Indigenous, and people of color, as well as LGBTQ people, in prison experience ongoing oppression during incarceration because of limited access to materials relevant to their experiences. By identifying the types of information that are banned or limited, the difficulties people who are incarcerated face in seeking to access information, and the impact that access to information has in the lives of people who are incarcerated, this article explains prison censorship as a form of state-sponsored oppression, which is largely being combated by Books to Prisoners rather than LIS. The article ends by explaining LIS’ lack of attention to information access for people who are incarcerated.

The digitization of society creates both challenges and opportunities for prisons. Previous studies show that prisons' digitization affects interaction between incarcerated people, prison culture and reduces recidivism, however it also poses security risks. In this study, we ask how do barriers to digital inclusion appear among incarcerated people in the prison context, and how do they perceive whether face-to-face interactions with employees can be replaced by digital services. The analytical starting points of the study are rhetorical analysis and Goffman´s micro-sociological analysis. The research material consists of 26 incarcerated people's interviews from different parts of Finland. The results show that gaps in digital skills and access to the internet are key barriers to digital inclusion in prisons. The question of whether digital services can replace face-to-face encounters raised conflicting comments. Interviewees emphasized the importance of social interaction in their desistance, but also the benefits of digitization such as the possibility of anonymity. In addition, the research highlights the tense nature of prison culture, as well as the different aspirations of prisoners. The pursuit of digital agency can also manifest itself in various secondary adjustments. The digitization of prisons means a change in the prison employee's role and work approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: No studies from sub‐Saharan Africa have attempted to assess HIV service delivery preferences among incarcerated people living with HIV as they transition from prisons to the community ("releasees"). We conducted a discrete choice experiment (DCE) to characterize releasee preferences for transitional HIV care services in Zambia to inform the development of a differentiated service delivery model to promote HIV care continuity for releasees. Methods: Between January and October 2019, we enrolled a consecutive sample of 101 releasees from a larger cohort prospectively following 296 releasees from five prisons in Zambia. We administered a DCE eliciting preferences for 12 systematically designed choice scenarios, each presenting three hypothetical transitional care options. Options combined six attributes: (1) clinic type for post‐release HIV care; (2) client focus of healthcare workers; (3) transitional care model type; (4) characteristics of transitional care provider; (5) type of transitional care support; and (6) HIV status disclosure support. We analysed DCE choice data using a mixed logit model, with coefficients describing participants' average ("mean") preferences for each option compared to the standard of care and their distributions describing preference variation across participants. Results: Most DCE participants were male (n = 84, 83.2%) and had completed primary school (n = 54, 53.5%), with 29 (28.7%) unemployed at follow‐up. Participants had spent an average of 8.2 months in the community prior to the DCE, with 18 (17.8%) reporting an intervening episode of re‐incarceration. While we observed significant preference variation across participants (p < 0.001 for most characteristics), releasees were generally averse to clinics run by community‐based organizations versus government antiretroviral therapy clinics providing post‐release HIV care (mean preference = –0.78, p < 0.001). On average, releasees most preferred livelihood support (mean preference = 1.19, p < 0.001) and HIV care support (mean preference = 1.00, p < 0.001) delivered by support groups involving people living with HIV (mean preference = 1.24, p < 0.001). Conclusions: We identified preferred characteristics of transitional HIV care that can form the basis for differentiated service delivery models for prison releasees. Such models should offer client‐centred care in trusted clinics, provide individualized HIV care support delivered by support groups and/or peer navigators, and strengthen linkages to programs providing livelihood support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Justification for, and implementation of, jail and prison library service is often based on philosophies that aim to ostensibly "correct " a person's moral character and "improve" their potential as a productive member of society. These models tend to overlook people's racial and cultural knowledges, ignore people's existing humanity, and disregard or fail to acknowledge the racist systems of policing and institutionalization that are often responsible for someone landing in a carceral setting. Models that do not normalize policing, criminalization, and incarceration are needed in order for jail and prison library services to be meaningful to incarcerated patrons. This chapter draws from the authors' experience with local level jails to develop a patron-centered model of library services. Patron-centered services prioritize the humanity and interests of patrons who are incarcerated. By centering a recognition of patrons' humanity and engaging in collection development as a shared process, patron-centered services resist white supremacy and the reiteration of carceral logics of rehabilitation or punishment. The chapter includes a description of on the ground services, a review of the overarching approaches to library services in carceral settings, the ways in which librarians dehumanize their patrons through narratives of exceptionalism, and a model for implementing and evaluating patron-centered services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study explored the extent of COVID-19 vaccination coverage and investigated drivers and barriers to COVID-19 vaccine uptake among people in prison. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from July to October 2021 among 517 detained people in the Campania region of South Italy. Results: In total, 47.1% of participants expressed a high concern about contracting COVID-19 after vaccination, whereas 60.6% and 53.8% of respondents reported a positive attitude towards usefulness and safety of COVID-19 vaccines, respectively. Adherence to the active offer of COVID-19 vaccination involved 89.7% of detained subjects. COVID-19 vaccination uptake was significantly higher in females, and in those who reported influenza vaccination uptake, had received information about COVID-19 vaccination from media and newspapers, did not express need of additional information about COVID-19 vaccine, believed that COVID-19 vaccine is safe, were involved in working activities in the prison, and had a high school or university degree. Conclusions: These findings showed a high self-reported COVID-19 vaccination coverage in detained subjects, supporting the effectiveness of the strategy aimed at giving priority to COVID-19 vaccinations in prisons. Further efforts are needed to contrast the hesitancy of those who refused vaccination to increase their confidence about usefulness and safety of COVID-19 vaccines.

Policing and incarceration are feminist issues that stand to be interrogated through examinations of carceral practices. This essay positions the management and withholding of information and the observation of communications as instances of carceral specific practices that shape possibilities for incarcerated people and their communities. The author draws from their experience as a librarian in carceral facilities to outline how State-enacted violence occurs through the regulation and management of information access. As carceral facilities utilize third-party ICT providers, it is difficult to ascertain what information is or is not available. The introduction of new and evolving ICTs has led to increased opportunities for the State to monitor people who are incarcerated and their communities, positioning incarcerated people and their networks not only as sources of information but as data to train technologies of policing and surveillance. Instances of resistance to these practices reveal some ways that people who are not incarcerated can act in solidarity with people who are incarcerated and people who are subject to State surveillance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A need to correct the behaviour and deeds of people who have been incarcerated has been part of the plans of the South African government for a number of years now. Shifting from being punishment to rehabilitation centres, the correctional centres aim to rehabilitate and prepare inmates to be included and accepted by society beyond their incarceration period. Correctional library and information services provide a critical structure and support point by facilitating the attainment and improvement of education and providing rehabilitation and occupational skills to inmates during their time in these centres. This paper seeks to illustrate that correctional service libraries can be a critical support structure for rehabilitation and social inclusion of inmates in South African correctional centres. The paper also suggests how the correctional service libraries could be mainstreamed for correctional and developmental goals of inmates in South African correctional centres. This conceptual paper also adds to the body of knowledge that advocates for the important role of correctional service libraries in the rehabilitation of inmates. Finally, the paper aims to provide insights to policymakers on the role of correctional service libraries in shaping the lives of the inmates and people development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A need to correct the behaviour and deeds of people who have been incarcerated has been part of the plans of the South African government for a number of years now. Shifting from being punishment to rehabilitation centres, the correctional centres aim to rehabilitate and prepare inmates to be included and accepted by society beyond their incarceration period. Correctional library and information services provide a critical structure and support point by facilitating the attainment and improvement of education and providing rehabilitation and occupational skills to inmates during their time in these centres. This paper seeks to illustrate that correctional service libraries can be a critical support structure for rehabilitation and social inclusion of inmates in South African correctional centres. The paper also suggests how the correctional service libraries could be mainstreamed for correctional and developmental goals of inmates in South African correctional centres. This conceptual paper also adds to the body of knowledge that advocates for the important role of correctional service libraries in the rehabilitation of inmates. Finally, the paper aims to provide insights to policymakers on the role of correctional service libraries in shaping the lives of the inmates and people development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The digitization of health care and social welfare services creates many opportunities for the rehabilitation of incarcerated people and their preparation for release from prison. A range of digital platforms and technology solutions have been developed that offer multiple opportunities to handle private matters either by video conference, email, or some other digital format during imprisonment. However, incarcerated people have limited access to digital health care and social welfare services, and face challenges related to shortcomings in their digital skills and self-efficacy.Objective: This article assessed the significance of incarcerated people's self-efficacy in terms of their sense of control over the use of digital health care and social welfare services.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a questionnaire. Research data were collected from 11 prisons in different parts of Finland, and a total of 225 incarcerated people responded to the survey. Statistical analyses were conducted using the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient, 2-tailed t test, linear regression analysis, and Hayes bootstrapping method.Results: The results showed the significance of both general and internet-specific self-efficacy, which appear to be more important for the use of digital health care and social welfare services than factors related to a person's socioeconomic background or sentence. Age was negatively correlated with perceived control over the use of digital health care and social welfare services. Furthermore, the study emphasized the importance of support from family and friends, as well as prison employees.Conclusions: The digitalization of prisons offers many opportunities, but special consideration should be given to how the digitization of health care and social welfare services responds to the needs of incarcerated people in terms of their integration into society and the prevention of recidivism. During imprisonment, attention should be paid to strengthening the digital skills of incarcerated people, with support provided by prison employees. In addition to providing guidance on the use of individual digital services, the study recommends strengthening the general digital skills of incarcerated people, as well as developing their life management skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the growth rate for HIV/AIDS for incarcerated people is nearly six times the rate of the U.S. population, AIDS education programs within the corrections system have been slow to develop. A quasi-experimental research study found that a 10-session psychoeducational group intervention was effective in increasing knowledge of AIDS and decreasing depression, anxiety, and trauma symptoms among male inmates in a large southeastern jail facility. The group intervention consisted of both AIDS education topics and psychological support. Results indicated significant differences between the experimental and comparison group participants. Implications for future research and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]