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BACKGROUND: Prisons often serve as high-risk environments for drug use, and incarcerated people are at a high risk for substance use-related mental and physical harms. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of non-injection drug use inside the prison and its related factors among incarcerated people in Iran. METHODS: We utilized data from three national bio-behavioral surveillance surveys conducted among incarcerated people in Iran in 2009, 2013, and 2017. Eligibility criteria were being ≥ 18 years old, providing informed consent, and being incarcerated for over a week. Overall, 17,228 participants across all surveys were recruited through a multi-stage random sampling approach. Each participant underwent a face-to-face interview and HIV test. The primary objective of the study was to assess self-reported non-injection drug use within the prison environment within the last month. A multivariable logistic regression model was built to determine associated covariates with drug use inside prison and an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were reported. RESULT: The prevalence of non-injection drug use inside the prison was 24.1% (95% CI 23.5, 24.7) with a significant decreasing trend (39.7% in 2009, 17.8% in 2013, 14.0% in 2017; p-value

Background and objectivesThe incarcerated population is growing older and by the year 2030, more than one third of people incarcerated in the United States will be over the age of 55. This population shift will have a profound impact on correctional health care systems as older incarcerated people often have multiple chronic illnesses and correctional institutions were not designed with aging and disability in mind. Black women experience greater burdens of comorbid conditions and are disproportionately represented among incarcerated women.Research design and methodsWe utilized Black Feminist Epistemological Methodology to explore the intersection of aging, chronic illness, and mass incarceration via in-depth interviews with 13 formerly incarcerated older Black women.ResultsFirst, participants described needing to prove themselves to be trustworthy prior to becoming ill in order to be believed and granted access to care when they report symptoms. Next, participants report being treated, not as patients, but as "inmates." The punitive nature of prison health care disrupted the patient-provider relationship and complicated the ability of patients to maintain autonomy in health care interactions. Finally, I describe how carceral health extends beyond the walls of both the clinic and the institution.Discussion and implicationsFor older Black women, medical care and decision making inside prisons occur within a punitive context, which presents unique barriers when seeking care. Their experiences of health and illness while incarcerated may continue to influence if and how they seek care as they age in the community and thus must be interrogated when discussing aging in the Black community.

The Medicaid Inmate Exclusion Policy (MIEP) prohibits using federal funds for ambulatory care services and medications (including for infectious diseases) for incarcerated persons. More than one quarter of states, including California and Massachusetts, have asked the federal government for authority to waive the MIEP. To improve health outcomes and continuation of care, those states seek to cover transitional care services provided to persons in the period before release from incarceration. The Massachusetts Sheriffs Association, Massachusetts Department of Correction, Executive Office of Health and Human Services, and University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School have collaborated to improve infectious disease healthcare service provision before and after release from incarceration. They seek to provide stakeholders working at the intersection of criminal justice and healthcare with tools to advance Medicaid policy and improve treatment and prevention of infectious diseases for persons in jails and prisons by removing MIEP barriers through Section 1115 waivers.

This article deals with the right to make requests and complaints (RCs) inside Spanish prisons. It discusses the European Prison Rules and the principles set forward by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT), examining how the Spanish system respects these. It then introduces the RCs system in Spain. Through research carried out in four prisons, interviews with the directors and with 21 inmates and taking as an example one prison, we were able to discover that the number of requests in one year is 55,000. This result reveals the formalised character of Spanish prisons and raises the question as to how to respond to RCs inside prison. The last part of the article draws on interviews with three Penitentiary Judges and discusses their role in reviewing RCs. In our analysis of 626 of the final decisions we found that 98.6% were denied. Finally, the article provides some explanations for this result and questions whether judges can be said to provide an effective remedy in such cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

Prisons are stressful environments for both people living and working in them. Extant literature suggests that correctional staff have increased stress levels that lead to compromised physical health, mental health, social relationships, and increased emotional strain. This article reports on a project utilizing a modified Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach to understand the mechanisms that lead to increased stress levels among correctional officers who reported working overtime. The analysis utilizes organizational justice and social comparison frameworks to explore predictors of individual levels of stress among correctional officers working overtime in a Delaware prison. The findings indicate that individual-level stress spreads through perceptions of coworker's stress and is inversely related to perceived levels of organizational justice. This analysis is useful to prison administrators, leadership, in suggesting avenues to improve the climate of correctional environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prison reform in Colorado has been halting, despite political and cultural conditions that are broadly conducive to making meaningful changes to correctional policies and practices. These conditions led to Colorado being chosen for the Prison Research and Innovation Network—a five-state consortium given funding to engineer change in one facility in each state through an action research process using community-based participatory methods. This article describes findings from the action research process in Sterling Correctional Facility—the selected project site in Colorado. The management, the staff, and the people incarcerated in this facility have generally welcomed reform efforts, but change has occurred slowly and with less effect than expected. Using an engaged participant observation approach, along with survey and in-depth interview data collected during the research process, we map the ecology of facility-level change and how local conditions have shaped the pace and reach of innovation efforts. We offer recommendations related to the reality of state-level and facility-level prison reform, especially around the need to deeply understand and be responsive to the cultural, political, and institutional environments in which change is expected to occur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was part of a 5-year Prison Research and Innovation Network (PRIN) project to explore the shared perceptions of the prison climate among incarcerated women. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) was used to partner with incarcerated women as equal partners in the project. Focus group interviews were conducted with the incarcerated women in the fall of 2020. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify incarcerated women's perceptions of prison climate in the correctional facility. An item pool was developed from the themes identified, and a new prison climate survey was administered to 436 incarcerated women. Structural equation modeling was conducted to examine the relationship between prison activity, correctional practices, and preparedness for re-entry. The results indicated the importance of prison activities, as incarcerated women who reported that the prison offers sufficient activities were more likely to feel supported and had a more positive view of the board of parole, which were in turn associated with preparedness for re-entry. Policies targeted toward creating prison activities and programs for re-entry should become a priority for prison leadership and the department of corrections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The context of the carceral environment is based on the logic of surveillance and relies on cameras to act as the ever-present eyes of the institution. We explore the investigative roles that cameras play in the institution from the perspective of correctional staff and residents. A qualitative study was conducted in a medium-security institution in the Midwest region of the United States as part of the Prison Research and Innovation Initiative (PRII). The findings are based on semi-structured interviews with people who are incarcerated and correctional staff (including custody and noncustody staff). Upholding accountability was a perceived benefit of reviewing footage from prison cameras during investigations, yet the harms of selective enforcement against the resident population and the perceived misuse of cameras for staff disciplinary actions thwarted the benefits of having and using cameras. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existing research on the prevalence and impact of boredom in prison is extensive. The passing of time and its unique meaning in a prison context has been documented. Missing from the research is an analysis of the ways in which "warehouse" prisons do not prioritize meaningful activity, even when there is agreement between correctional staff and incarcerated individuals about the negative impacts of idle time in prison. Based upon research in a Vermont men's prison, we use data involving incarcerated individuals and correctional staff, including focus groups and interviews, surveys, and qualitative feedback on the meaning of the survey results. Synthesizing these various data forms, this article focuses on the relationship between incarcerated persons' perceptions of how they are able to spend their time in the facility, how prepared they feel for release, lack of opportunities to earn money, and the impacts on their wellbeing. "Warehousing," as it is known in prison terms, contributes to the sense of hopelessness that incarcerated people feel, and acknowledgment by staff that the prison function is incapacitation. As this project is aimed at improving prison climate, addressing idle time in prison emerged as a high priority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Correctional institutions have historically faced challenges in hiring and maintaining a workforce, which only increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Considerable turnover in staff in recent years has led some states to lower the age of hiring eligibility, which in turn increases the number of new and younger officers on the job. This study explores the challenges and opportunities that the unprecedented change in the workforce in one Midwestern prison has had on workplace morale and strain. This study uses data from semi-structured interviews with a diverse group of correctional employees. We find a considerable disconnect between "new" and "old" correctional officers and offer policy solutions for future staffing practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This project sought to understand the present-day experiences of individuals housed in prisons by utilizing Participatory Action Research (PAR) methods that partnered a university research team with individuals incarcerated in an urban correctional facility. The team assessed perceptions of the current environment by surveying people incarcerated in an urban prison. This article discusses the role of PAR methodologies from project initiation to finalization, explicitly focusing on coordination with prison and Department of Correction (DOC) administrative leadership and the value of including incarcerated individuals on the research team for successful change. Throughout the process, the team identified areas for improvement and innovations to improve the prison environment. This article provides a road map, lessons learned from conducting PAR in prison environments, and the power of partnering researchers and members of the researched population on one collaborative research team. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is critical to address hepatitis C virus (HCV) in carceral settings to achieve worldwide elimination of the virus. We describe New Mexico's (NM) experience expanding HCV treatment in state prisons, supplemented with Project ECHO (ECHO; virtual mentorship through guided practice) and the NM Peer Education Program (NMPEP). We describe how using these programs may be a model for expanding treatment in prisons globally. ECHO, NM Corrections Department (NMCD) and Wexford Health Services (WHS) collaborate to treat HCV in state prisons and increase HCV knowledge among incarcerated persons using NMPEP. Each person arriving in prison is tested for HCV and those with active infection receive baseline labs, which are reviewed. Patients not meeting criteria for simplified treatment are presented to ECHO for expert guidance. Otherwise, patients are treated by WHS without consultation. NMPEP provides patient‐to‐patient education in prisons, addressing HCV myths and exploring treatment refusals. From December 2020 to June 2023, 3603 people had HCV viremia. In this study, 1685 people started treatment: 1280 were treated using the simplified algorithm and 405 were presented to ECHO. Of the 988 people who completed treatment and had sustained virologic response (SVR) labs drawn, 89.2% achieved SVR (i.e., cure). Most of the 107 people who did not achieve SVR had presumed reinfection. NMPEP trained 148 peer educators who educated 3832 peers about HCV prevention and treatment. HCV treatment in prisons can be expanded by implementing simplified treatment algorithms, use of the ECHO model for patients with advanced disease and peer education. [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]

This review aimed at evaluating the state of availability, accessibility and model of delivery of oral health services in prisons, globally. Five databases of peer‐reviewed literature and potential sources of grey literature were systematically searched. Inclusion criteria encompassed oral health papers related to prisons globally, with exclusion of certain article types. Selection involved independent evaluations by two researchers, followed by quality assessment. Data on the availability of oral health interventions in prisons came from 18 countries, while information on the model of delivery of the services is scarce. In addition, two sets of individual and organizational barriers toward oral health service uptake in prisons were revealed and discussed in the text. Lack of oral health services in prisons affects people living in prisons and jeopardizes their reintegration. Urgent and concrete international actions are required to ensure the availability, accessibility, and quality of oral health services among people living in prisons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study is to examine interventions implemented to increase vaccine uptake among people who live and work in prisons around the world. Peer‐reviewed and gray literature databases were searched systematically to identify relevant information published from 2012 to 2022. Publications were evaluated by two researchers independently and underwent quality assessment through established tools. Of the 11,281 publications identified through peer‐reviewed (2607) and gray literature (8674) search, 17 met the inclusion criteria. In light of limited data, the identified interventions were categorized into two categories of educational and organizational interventions, and are discussed in the text. The lack of availability of vaccination services and interventions to increase vaccine uptake among people who live and work in prisons, worldwide, is a serious public health concern. These interventions reported in this review can be adapted and adopted to mitigate the burden of infectious diseases among people who live and work in prisons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Substance use is a global phenomenon that is particularly affecting the prison population. This study aimed to describe the prevalence of drug use among people in prison before and during incarceration in seven European countries and to compare it with the prevalence in the general population. Individual data collection was carried out between 2014 and 2018 with a model European Questionnaire on Drug Use among people in prison. A total of 12,918 people living in prison filled in the survey. People in prison report higher level of drug use when compared with the general population and the use of drug inside prison exist, although at lower levels when compared with predetention. Prisons can represent a point of access to engage individuals who use drugs in interventions that address drug use and risk factors related to both drug use and imprisonment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the factors contributing to drug‐related deaths in English and Welsh prisons between 2015 and 2020. Based on content analysis of all Prison and Probation Ombudsman 'other non‐natural' fatal incident investigation reports, descriptive statistics were generated. Qualitative analysis explored the circumstances surrounding deaths and key risk factors. Most deaths were of men, whose mean age was 39 years. Drug toxicity was the main factor in causing death, exacerbated by underlying physical health conditions and risk‐taking behaviours. A variety of substances were involved. New psychoactive substances became more important over time. A high proportion had recorded histories of substance use and mental illness. During this period, the prison system was under considerable stress creating dangerous environments for drug‐related harm. This study highlights the process of complex interaction between substances used, individual characteristics, situational features and the wider environment in explaining drug‐related deaths in prisons. Implications for policy and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article considers transformative education in prison as a tool to address cartel violence in Mexico. It begins by examining how the rise of democracy in Mexico is partially responsible for the expansion of organized crime. Data from a participatory action research project with twelve men incarcerated for cartel-related crimes is then used to explore the violence plaguing Mexico. Results emphasize the relevance of structural disparities and stigma as sociocultural barriers that favor the empowerment of organized crime. The article closes with reflections regarding the challenges for prison education in a country where cartels have significant control over the government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research explores the application of controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) in an Australian maximum security prison, aiming to enhance inmate health and wellbeing through improved diet. The implementation of a medium-scale greenhouse demonstrates how CEA can effectively increase the availability of fresh produce in prison settings. By engaging inmates and correctional staff in a co-design process, the project not only promotes better nutrition but also fosters community involvement and empowerment among the participants. This inclusive approach facilitates the development of innovative and practical solutions, transforming the prison environment and encouraging rehabilitation through active participation and skills development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Opportunities for incarcerated persons to connect with their loved ones exist in several forms. Yet, there is limited evidence documenting the scope of state prison family engagement policies beyond visitation. To fill this gap, a systematic policy review and content analysis of nine state prison family engagement policies was conducted. The results provide evidence of both consistencies and inconsistencies in policies across forms of prison contact, as well as opportunities and barriers for incarcerated persons. Important policy and practice takeaways are discussed, particularly the need for more timely, transparent, and clear policies regarding family engagement in correctional settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite its impact on imprisonment, no quantitative study has examined the factors related to people's status on prison incentive schemes. This study addresses this gap by using administrative data to explore the factors related to the status of 405 men on a prison incentive scheme. Results revealed that those who had a prior history of passing prison drug tests at time 1, and spent more time imprisoned during the follow-up period, were more likely to be on the highest level of the scheme one year later at time 2. In contrast, those who had a history of past involvement in misconduct, referrals for serious self-harm/attempted suicide in prison, not taken a prison drug test, property offences, and greater periods of custody at time 1 were more likely to be on the lower levels of the scheme at time 2. The potential implications for theory, policy, and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Very high rates of suicide and self‐harm in prisons worldwide emphasise the need for evidence‐based approaches to prevention. Real world evaluations of organisational changes and service developments within prisons could yield important insights, but there are challenges to achieving this, as we found from an evaluation in a single UK institution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Methods Results Conclusions The reaction time‐based Concealed Information Test (RT‐CIT) can be used to reveal crime‐related memories based on an analysis of response latencies in a computerized task. While laboratory research shows high validity of the RT‐CIT in student samples, only very few studies have been conducted with forensic target groups.We investigated the applicability and validity of the RT‐CIT in prison inmates and examined the influence of a response deadline (RD) on RT‐CIT validity. In a within‐subjects design, participants memorized a criminal activity and subsequently underwent two identical RT‐CITs differing only in the length of the RD (2000 ms vs. 1000 ms). In the first experiment, the 2000 ms condition was always presented first and in the second experiment the order was switched.Results revealed large effect sizes and classification accuracies with both RDs and strong order effects with larger effects in the respective first RD conditions.In sum, the RT‐CIT has the potential for detecting concealed knowledge in forensic settings and even a relatively demanding RD of 1000 ms seems feasible for such samples. Further research should extend this investigation of the RT‐CIT in forensic settings, preferably investigating the effects of faking attempts and increasing the ecological validity of the research design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The atmosphere is one of the game elements that can significantly influence player's emotions. However, creating an immersive atmosphere that effectively influences player emotions poses several challenges, necessitating the utilization of various elements, such as audio-visual coordination and gameplay design. This paper introduces a general framework for procedurally generating dungeons with joyful and horror atmospheres in games, providing an abstract perspective to address these challenges. The proposed framework introduces a categorization system for game elements based on their role within the game. Leveraging this categorization, the Comprehensive Arrangement of Game Elements (CAGE) pattern is introduced, which facilitates the appropriate placement of elements within the dungeon environment. Subsequently, the General Framework for Generating Dungeons with Atmosphere (GFGDA) is employed to procedurally create the dungeon using the Feasible–Infeasible Two-Population (FI-2Pop) algorithm. To enhance gameplay experience, similar elements in the dungeon environment that impact gameplay are grouped and their coordination is evaluated by creating a graph based on the CAGE pattern. The transition and coordination of audio-visual elements along the path between these impactful elements are assessed in order to generate an immersive atmosphere within the dungeon. To ensure diversity, examining the variety of dungeons generated over 100 runs demonstrates that our method consistently produces distinct results in each iteration. Moreover, two comparative studies were conducted, one with 51 volunteers and another with 10 volunteers. In the first study, the Game Experience Questionnaire (GEQ) was utilized to assess the emotional impact of dungeons generated by our method. These were compared to dungeons created using a uniform random approach, alongside relevant research. The results suggest that our method significantly influences player emotions across the four components of the GEQ—sensory and imaginary immersion, flow, negative effects, and challenge—when compared to dungeons generated by the uniform random approach and another researched method. In another study, the emotional impact of two dungeons, one generated with joyful elements and the other with eerie elements, was evaluated using the GEQ. The findings indicate significant differences between the two components of the GEQ—tension and positive effects—when players interacted with the level containing joyful elements compared to the one with eerie elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prisons, due to various risk factors, are environments that are conducive to infectious disease transmission, with significantly higher prevalence of infectious diseases within prisons compared to the general population. This underscores the importance of preventive measures, particularly vaccination. As part of the international project "Reaching the hard-to-reach: Increasing access and vaccine uptake among the prison population in Europe" (RISE-Vac), this study aimed to map the availability and delivery framework of vaccination services in prisons across Europe and beyond. A questionnaire designed to collect data on the availability and delivery model of vaccination services in prisons was validated and uploaded in SurveyMonkey in July 2023. Then, it was submitted to potential participants, with at least one representative from each European country. Potential participants emailed an invitation letter by the RISE-Vac partners and by the European Organization of Prison and Correctional Services (EUROPRIS). Twenty European countries responded. Vaccines are available in European countries, although their availability differs by country and type of vaccine. The first dose is offered to people living in prisons (PLP), mostly within one month, COVID-19 is the most widely offered vaccine. In all countries, vaccines are actively offered by healthcare workers; in most countries, there is no evaluation of vaccination status among people who work in prison. The survey shows variance in vaccine availability for PLP and staff across countries and vaccine types. Quality healthcare in prisons is not only a matter of the right to health but also a critical public health investment: enhancing vaccine uptake consistently among PLP and staff should be prioritized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For decades, American courts have taken for granted that the separation of powers severs the judiciary from prison administration. In its more stringent forms, this idea characterized the so-called "hands-off doctrine." Under the hands-off doctrine, courts would decline to intervene in prison government, even when presented with claims that conditions of life inside prisons were so bad that they violated inmates' constitutional rights. This stringent view fell away over the course of the 1960s and 1970s. But the gist of it survives. The separation-ofpowers principle is a pillar of contemporary prison law. It supports vast judicial deference to prison administrators. It tends to rule out injunctive orders that might aim to regulate or remedy conditions of confinement. Courts find prison management to be all but exclusively the political branches' business. This Note discovers an earlier, more reasoned regime. In the thirty-odd years following American independence, the judicial power uniformly came to encompass supervisory authority over prisons. Judges could second-guess the warden. Sometimes they had to. Judges were called upon to appoint prison inspectors, to act on those inspectors' presentments, to frame rules of internal prison government, and to review a sheriff's selection of jailers. In some jurisdictions, on their own motion, they could remove a prison keeper for misbehavior. Nor is that all. The statutes vesting these powers in judges went on the books amid sustained debates over the meaning of the separation of powers, as Founding Era constitutions enshrined that principle. Its major exponents, Thomas Jefferson among them, were sometimes responsible for drafting these statutes and then lobbying for their passage. Across the germinal period of our constitutional and penological history, a ubiquitous, cohesive body of law gave force to the following view: supervision of prison government is consistent with, if not an incident of, a separated judicial power and its exercise. I call it the eyes-on doctrine. This Note argues for its studious revival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article delves into Jabbar Collins' journey to overturn his wrongful conviction for murder after over 15 years in prison. Topics include Collins' self-led legal efforts to secure his release, such as learning law and filing appeals; the role of prosecutorial misconduct by lead prosecutor Michael Vecchione; and the systemic issues in the justice system, highlighted by Collins' case, which reveal the need for accountability and reform in prosecutorial practices.

People in prison have no choice but to use the banking systems that prisons operate. Rather than use an outside bank account or have family or friends meet their daily needs directly, people in prison must rely on what are often called “inmate trust accounts” to pay for goods and services within the prisons. These accounts have long been vulnerable to asset seizure by the prisons that run them. The money in these accounts comes from prison wages and deposits by friends and family members of incarcerated people. Prisons take this money in a variety of ways: they impose fees for a wide variety of services (like making a phone call, receiving mail, participating in educational programming or treatment, or even using the banking system itself), sell commissary items at highly marked up prices, exact fines as punishment for disciplinary infractions, divert money at the behest of courts and other criminal system agencies to pay other fines and fees, and collect interest from the pooled accounts. Sometimes prisons seize large portions of an incarcerated person’s trust account balance under the rationale that the individual owes the prison system for their daily room and board. Sometimes the money simply disappears as a result of embezzlement or error. In 2021, the problems inherent in prison management of individuals’ money became apparent when COVID-19 stimulus checks intended for incarcerated people began disappearing from their accounts. Prisons and jails offered a variety of rationales, and some individuals raised legal challenges, but few questioned the basic authority of prisons to disburse money to themselves and other government entities, or the legitimacy of the prison banking system overall. Prisons have a significant conflict of interest in managing these banking systems, and the accounts are subjected to little transparency and oversight. Statutory and administrative regulation of these accounts is minimal, compared to the tightly controlled regulation of money management in the free world. Given the direct access that prisons have to these accounts and the ease with which they can seize funds, inmate trust accounts are a site of substantial wealth extraction, often with the blessing and penological deference of the courts. This Article examines the history and legal status of inmate trust accounts and the vulnerability of these funds. The Article places prison banking within the broader landscape of racialized wealth extraction through the criminal system and challenges the assumption that prisons and jails—subject to little regulation despite apparent conflicts of interest—should be permitted to operate a low-transparency banking system with exclusive control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The renewed growth of immersive "faith-unit" programs operating inside U.S. maximum-security prisons has brought with it a heightened emphasis on the practice of religion in correctional settings. Modeled from a prototype Christian seminary planted inside Louisiana State Penitentiary Angola, newer programs utilize outside religious educators for the credentialing of inmates into work assignments on behalf of prisons. As resource-challenged wardens deploy religiously credentialed inmates for leading new forms of prison ministry inside state facilities, research has not kept pace with the rapid growth of programs. Based on previous research, this article offers a retrospective account of the establishment of "offender ministries" at the Angola prison seminary planted at Louisiana State Penitentiary in 1994. While correctional leaders are obliged to accommodate the diverse religious identities of prisoners, private sponsors of immersive religious programs must balance doctrinal fealty with religious pluralism. Drawing from fieldnotes and on-site interviews in previous research, lessons from the history of Angola's ecumenical prison seminary and "inmate ministry" programs are discussed while strengths and weaknesses are also highlighted. [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 article explores the concept of home as a site of revolutionary potential within the context of disability politics and housing crises. Topics include the definition of home as a practice of collaborative survival and freedom; the impact of the Reagan administration's policies on public housing, highlighting the stark reversal of funding from housing to prisons; and the ways in which disabled activists engage with the paradox of home.

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]

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the feasibility of capturing antimicrobial usage data from prisons for inclusion in the Antimicrobial Use and Resistance in Australia (AURA) surveillance system and to analyse 2021 and 2022 South Australian (SA) usage data for notable trends. Methods: Monthly antimicrobial supply data for eight SA prisons were collected. Antimicrobial volume was converted into the World Health Organization metric, defined daily doses (DDD). Usage rates were calculated relative to prison occupied bed days (OBD). Results: Annual usage of systemic antimicrobials across eight SA prisons totalled 26,448 DDD and 23,526 DDD in 2021 and 2022 respectively. Antibacterials accounted for 80.6% of all antimicrobials dispensed during the study period. The average antibacterial usage rate in female prisons was higher on average than in male prisons. The state-wide systemic antibacterial usage rate in SA prisons declined by 11.3% from 23.8 DDDs/1000 OBD in 2021 to 21.1 DDDs/1000 OBD. Doxycycline, amoxicillin, flucloxacillin, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, and cefalexin accounted for 72% of the total systemic antibacterial usage rate. Variation in the oral and topical antifungal agents used and the rate of use was observed between prisons. Conclusions: This SA pilot study demonstrates the feasibility of including prisons in routine national antimicrobial surveillance using similar methodology to hospital surveillance. The contributing facilities comprised 6.1% of all Australian prison beds, and extrapolation of the results suggests that the identified gap in surveillance may equate to over 400,000 DDD per annum in prisons nationwide, equating to approximately 5% of hospital inpatient antimicrobial usage. What is known about the topic? Surveillance of antimicrobial use is a useful tool to identify overuse or inappropriate use and enable targeted interventions to optimise antimicrobial prescribing and reduce the risk of antimicrobial resistance. What does this paper add? The methodology currently used to monitor antimicrobial use in Australian hospitals could be utilised to conduct facility-level surveillance in Australian prisons and would provide a mechanism to benchmark use between facilities and identify unexpected or inappropriate use. What are the implications for practitioners? Surveillance of antimicrobial use in prisons would support prison healthcare workers to monitor use over time, identify any increasing or unexpected trends in use, and target educational interventions to ensure compliance with antimicrobial prescribing guidelines. [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]

Why does interpersonal violence erupt? A key source is conflict over resources and a little-studied mechanism for solving such cases concerns the availability of credible information about individuals' abilities and willingness to use force. Its core prediction is that when such credible information abounds, the outcome of a potential struggle can be anticipated and thus there is no need to fight. I test this prediction using a nationally representative survey of male prisoners (N inmates = 10,768, N facilities = 207) incarcerated in US state correctional facilities. I also make two methodologically orientated contributions. First, recent research highlights the important consequences that data analysis choices can have in determining quantitative findings. To overcome this, I draw on multiverse analysis and specification curve analysis to map out the key analytical decisions I make and run 262,144 plausible regression models. By doing so, I classify associations that are robust, mixed, or entirely frail according to analytic decisions and find partial support for the informational mechanism of interpersonal violence. Second, in contrast to much quantitative prison research, which uses only official or institutionally punished assaults data, I compare self-recognized fights to self-reported institutionally punished fights and highlight key differences. [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]