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With increasing numbers of prisoners, research on Swedish prison officers' perceptions of management and support at work is warranted. Previous studies have mainly used a variable-centered approach, identifying several individual and organizational factors that influence prison staff's evaluation of their job. The present study adopted a person-centered approach, exploring the heterogeneity in a Swedish national sample of prison officers. Based on an extensive survey of the quality of prison job, 10 key predictors for overall prison regime evaluation were identified. Following latent class analysis, three distinct subgroups were discerned from the entire sample. Remarkably, a sizable subgroup with a relatively negative evaluation of the prison regime was observed. While most background covariates did not associate with the subgroup membership, prison officers who experienced violent or threatening incidents tended to report a negative evaluation of the prison regime. Intra-organizational social support, communication and loyalty are highlighted as key components of overall regime evaluation. Our findings suggest that enhancing collegial, management, and supervision support and communicative skills may increase prison officers' job satisfaction. Beyond the organizational level of prisons, we also discussed the challenges that the Swedish prison system faces, along with the portrayal by social media of a violence-dominated environment. [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]

In recent years Scotland has been experiencing a disproportionally high number of drug related deaths compared to other European countries, causing significant individual, societal and economic burden. A possible cause of this is the increase in average number of substances involved in Scottish drug related deaths, as well as the changing pattern of substances involved. Opioids, cocaine, and alcohol have been consistently involved in the culture of drug use in Scotland, however recently National Records Scotland have identified that designer benzodiazepines such as etizolam, and prescription drugs such as gabapentinoids are increasingly being detected in Scottish toxicology reports. A systematic literature review following PRISMA guidelines was conducted through searching PubMed and Google Scholar to identify peer-reviewed articles published in English between 2013 and 2023 that investigated Scottish population data on gabapentinoids and etizolam to establish their contribution to the rise in Scottish drug related deaths. 18 studies were included in the review. A high use prevalence of etizolam and gabapentinoids in Scotland has been identified, with both substance-related deaths showing recent increase, marked since 2015. This pattern is replicated in the Scottish prison system. There has also been a significant increase of gabapentinoids prescriptions in Scotland. Polydrug use was identified as the most common determinant of both etizolam and gabapentinoids related adverse effects and fatality in Scotland, especially concurrent opioid use. The results indicate the literature on individual characteristics of Scottish at-risk users of gabapentinoids and etizolam is limited, however the data shows both substances are being used by older cohort, with adverse effects seen more in older women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reviews the design of the criminal justice system and trends in crime in Russia over the last two decades (2000–2020). First, we argue that the criminal justice system is built upon the idea of meeting quotas, which ensures its accountability to the Russian state and downplays its transparency and crime-control efficiency. Second, we analyse recent crime trends and argue that Russia has experienced a long-term drop in crime. Finally, we overview the available evidence on the enforcement of drug laws and the operation of the prison system in Russia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reconstructs the earliest known movement for sex workers' rights in US history. It interprets collective assertions of due process as a strategy to overturn vagrancy laws, which permitted municipal officials to summarily commit 'common prostitutes' to the penitentiary for months. Mass arrests sparked an anticarceral movement of 'streetwalkers' who refused to be contained. Unlike the middle‐class Woman's Rights Movement, which sought equal rights for their own sake, streetwalkers acted to build a world in which they could control their own labour, have sex without punishment and move freely through their city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the legal issues related to pay-to-stay statues of U.S. states, particularly the provisions allowing the seizure of inherited property to recompense for a person's incarceration costs. Also cited are the claim that property seizure is an interference by states on a decedents' freedom to choose their beneficiaries, and the alleged disadvantages of said statutes like perpetuating a cycle of poverty and reducing the urgency of decarceration.

Reentry programs represent an increasingly popular method to reduce recidivism for individuals exiting prison and jail systems throughout the United States. Most evaluations tend to focus on recidivism as the primary outcome of interest. Attrition, however, can function an important supplementary measure that complements recidivism outcomes. To demonstrate, we analyze a jail reentry program built around peer navigators serving as staff members that refer participants to necessary support services while also serving as a mentor to participants exiting jail. We use a combination of general linear models (GLMs), Mahalanobis distance matching (MDM), and panel regression to both predict attrition and compare recidivism outcomes between three attrition groups: program completers, program quitters, and matched controls. Participants that successfully completed the program did not avoid new convictions or reincarceration significantly more or less than matched controls. Participants that quit the program, however, saw significantly higher conviction and reincarceration rates compared to matched controls. The nuance added to our program evaluation by adding attrition as a differential factor is worth consideration by other reentry programs who may not be realizing the full picture of their results by presenting recidivism outcomes alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Criteria for the evaluation by the Constitutional Court of decisions on the execution of sentences. Methodology: Descriptive, documentary and content analysis. Findings: According to the Section 27 (1) of the Act on the Constitutional Court, the decision on the merits, i.e. the decision on the substance of the charge and the decision on criminal responsibility, or the decision on the guilt and the acquittal, can be the subject of a constitutional complaint. The final decisions -- the order not to proceed to trial and the order terminating the proceedings -- cannot be considered as decisions on the merits within the meaning of the Constitutional Court Act. However, these decisions can be examined in the context of a constitutional complaint, because they correspond to the Section 27 (1) of the Constitutional Court Act, the other decision ending the court proceedings. Value: So far, no academic article has been published that analyses which decisions of the penitentiary judges can be challenged by a constitutional complaint following the latest amendments to Act CCXL of 2013 (Act XCVII of 2023). The study gives an overview of the investigative criteria applied by the Constitutional Court in the reception and assessment of decisions on the execution of sentences. It also records the tests that the Constitutional Court has applied over the years. It presents the Constitutional Court's practice in prison cases, some of which it decided before and some after the entry into force of the Fundamental Law. An analysis of the decisions taken under the credit system introduced in the framework of the penitentiary system, from the point of view of whether these decisions can be challenged by means of a constitutional complaint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent crisis of violence in Ecuador raises the question of the reasons for the failure of a penitentiary system and its conversion into an export platform for criminal activities. Issues such as the quality of the governance of prison systems or the characteristics of the prison population are decisive in explaining the reasons why prison systems collapse and cease to guarantee the fulfilment of their role which is none other than custody and reintegration. At the same time, it denotes the need to revisit the theories that explain the way in which power relations are configured between the penitentiary institution and the people in its custody, and those that are established in turn between the subjects in custody and society. This theoretical review raises the question of whether it is possible to speak of an export theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the growing body of literature on Prison Officers and therapeutic practitioners within correctional facilities, comparatively little research exists into prison volunteers. Using semi-structured interviews with caseworkers (n = 5), analyzed via Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, this study explores the experience of being a Prison In-Reach Caseworker, supporting the male ex-Armed Forces population in Greater London prisons. Through identifying three superordinate themes of the inherent moral values of the shared past, compassion and "in" versus "out" of the prison system, the study concludes that the caseworkers, working outside the boundaries of the correctional system, reject the label of "criminal" and its associated consequences, choosing instead to attribute value and dignity to the prisoners, both as ex-Armed Forces personnel, and as human beings. The findings offer an insight into the consequences of positive labeling for perspectives of redemption and desistance and suggest the need for further investigation into the experiences and impact of prison volunteers working with different populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Across research on incarceration and insularity, recent trajectories have challenged conventional understandings of islands and prisons as isolated, autonomous units. Instead, they have directed attention toward their capacity to establish relations, circuits and routes. Beyond the focus on mobility and exchanges, this literature criticised the association between insularity, incarceration and confinement as the outcome of specific colonial epistemologies. This article builds on these literatures to investigate the case of Sardinia, a large Mediterranean island that plays a key role in the Italian carceral regime by providing a destination for thousands of Italian convicts. Despite being an Italian and European region, Sardinia's past and present exhibit distinct colonial qualities, which are visible in the structure of its carceral estate. The case study exemplifies how islands can hardly be interpreted as isolated units, given that their histories and geographies have implications that extend far beyond their coasts. In the case of Sardinia, the island combines modern penitentiaries with dynamics reminiscent of previous periods in the history of punishment, specifically penal colonies and convict transportation. This case study illustrates the benefits of an interdisciplinary approach that is willing to question the conceptual categories adopted, particularly those of island, prison and colony. The article examines how research on incarceration and insularity has moved beyond previous paradigms that focused on confinement and isolation. It then applies the insights from the literature to the case study of Sardinia, a large Mediterranean island that has historically served a key role in the Italian prison system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an interview with John J. Lennon, a prison journalist, who discusses the failings of the American prison system and the process of rehabilitation. Topics discussed include the warehousing of mentally ill inmates, the impact of second-look legislation on sentencing, and the challenges of prison reform and clemency.

This article explores the current status, evolution, and envisaged future of prison visits, analysing the shift in paradigm from traditional models to an increasingly digital format that demands specific policy amendments and fosters an empathetic approach towards incarceration. The discourse begins with an in-depth examination of the current prison visitation models, delving into the strengths, weaknesses, and potential of both in-person and video visitations. This exploration uncovers the critical shortcomings of in-person visits, such as limited accessibility due to geographical and logistical constraints, and the rising potential of video visits to bridge these gaps. Simultaneously, we highlight the challenges in implementing video visitation systems, focusing on issues such as equitable access to technology, appropriate surveillance, and privacy regulations. It underscores the need for considering both sides of the coin, i.e., the convenience and feasibility of video visits versus the potential risks to the privacy and dignity of incarcerated people and their families. The article then delves into the policy considerations necessary to ensure a smooth transition to video visitations, exploring regulatory and statutory amendments needed to safeguard incarcerated individuals' rights and ensure a more humane prison system. The analysis uncovers a pressing need for a robust framework that not only respects privacy rights and promotes familial ties but also supports an important goal of prisons – effective rehabilitation of incarcerated people. Proposing an idealised future model for prison visits, the discourse presents a hybrid approach that skilfully combines the strengths of both in-person and video connections. This innovative model reimagines the future of prison visits, suggesting a shift from punitive and impersonal methods to empathetic and relationship-focused practices that align with contemporary understandings of rehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Turkish Journal of History / Tarih Dergisi is the property of Istanbul University, Department of History and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Prison scholars have long noted prisoners' improvisation with materials and resources at hand (or bricolage) in ways that defy the prison regime. Yet longstanding scholarly perspectives which cite such bricolage as evidence for themes like "prison culture" or "resistance" have often distracted scholars from accounting for the specific features of organizational materials and operations that prisoners leverage in their bricolage, and distracted from the rather mundane nature of the practices—like grooming, cleaning, and eating—they thus serve. Drawing from interviews with de-incarcerated persons from a U.S. state prison system, and from documents memorializing the disruption of prison routines during COVID-19 pandemic in that same state, this article investigates the specific resources prisoners enlist in bricolage projects related to making and sharing meals. Those resources, I argue, are the material and organizational products and byproducts of the complex prison undertaking. The practices prisoners achieve are precarious, with low degrees of equifinality –there are only so many ways to accomplish them in contexts of comprehensive restriction. The COVID-19 pandemic threatened those delicate arrangements not only through problems in the acquisition of raw food materials, but also through disrupted institutional routines which offer the resources necessary to coordinate, assemble, and transform those materials into meals. This pattern comes into focus when the "prison food system" is approached as a consumption system like any other, though one which operates in a strictly regulated context with minimal materials and deeply curtailed choice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dual harm behaviour has recently gained scholarly attention. Dual harm centres on a subset of people who display violent and self-harming behaviour. This study re-examines the differential profile characteristics identified in Europe for those who dual harm, using international data featuring a population study of a state prison system in the south-eastern United States. Three years of data produced 43,489 institutional events, from a custodial population of 22,918. Logistic regression analysis indicates that those who dual harm in custody had an overall rate of infraction 40–70% higher than those who engage solely in violence or self-harm, and five times higher than those without physical harm infractions. Dual harm was associated with higher rates of non-harm incidents (e.g. property damage and disorder), younger age, lower educational achievements on admission and less educational development during imprisonment, greater self-reported mental health need although not substance abuse, and fewer intimate relationships. Dual harm was related to more lethal acts of self-harm such as ligature or ingestion. This is the first study that applies the dual harm profile to prison data within the US. This study supports dual harm as a highly relevant construct within international custodial settings and offers policy implications for this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since December 2017, Canada's federal correctional system provides prisoners the opportunity to be assigned to living units according to their self-identified gender. Still organized around sex, conceptually and spatially, prison policies and procedures surrounding transgender prisoners require navigation to adhere to the rights of all prisoners. Based on interviews conducted between October 2019 and October 2021 with 74 correctional officers (COs) from the Canadian federal prison system, we discuss how correctional officers view and operationalize Canada's transgender policy to understand its unintended consequences for both prisoners and prison staff. Unintended consequences revolve around the potential risk for prisoner victimization, prisoner pregnancy, lack of adequate housing, strip search complications, officers' fear of being labeled transphobic, and uncertainty and discretion; all having effects on staff wellness. The policy, although well-intended, may potentially compromise prisoner safety, making correctional work even more stressful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Vicarious Trauma Toolkit (VTT) was created as a mental health resource for first-responders such as police officers and fire fighters who are routinely exposed to vicarious workplace trauma. While VTT services are appropriate for these occupational groups, they seem less so for correctional officers who are also exposed to secondary trauma at work. To widen the VTT's reach to a correctional context, open-ended questionnaire data gathered from correctional officers (N = 193) working in a Southeastern state prison system were analyzed inductively to understand the different types of trauma they encounter in their job, and their responses to trauma. Respondents cited both direct and vicarious trauma sources, including assaults, self-injury, and suicide. Their responses were categorized as either negative (alcohol use), neutral (professional detachment), or positive (gratefulness). Additional VTT resources that can reach an international audience of frontline workers are proposed in light of these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Foco (Interdisciplinary Studies Journal) is the property of Revista Foco and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Social reintegration relies on the support given to prisoners not only during their reentry into society but also throughout their imprisonment. Our goal was to analyze the expectations reported by cisgender and transgender women returning to society and of the justice and social welfare professionals from the Brazilian prison system. Methods: A qualitative analysis using saturation sampling was conducted. The participants were selected through a non-probabilistic sampling technique. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with professionals involved in the management of the prison system and female former inmates. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using an open and focused coding process. Textual data was stored, organized, and coded using Atlas software according to emerging themes. Results: The study involved 15 professionals and 13 female former inmates, five of them identified as transgender women. Among the professionals, the age range went from 38 to 65 years old; they reported a work history in their respective fields, from 10 to 35 years, with an equal distribution across genders. As for the female former inmates, their ages ranged from 24 to 42 years old, and the most reported crime was drug trafficking. Their incarceration time varied from 1 to 8 years. Female inmates were vulnerable to abuse and violence, including physical, sexual, and emotional violence. Women in situations of prior vulnerability faced additional challenges during their sentences. Transgender women were even more neglected and discriminated against by the system. Despite the professionals being aware and concerned about vulnerabilities and the need to improve the reintegration process, in general, they were not sensitive to the gender perspective. There were no specific policies able to support social integration for this public. Conclusions: Data showed multifaceted challenges faced by female former inmates within the Brazilian prison system, highlighting the insufficient policies for both cisgender and transgender women. Additionally, the results revealed a lack of sensitivity among professionals regarding gender issues and their particularities in the prison system and social reintegration. These findings emphasize the need for a more comprehensive and intersectional approach that addresses the diverse socio-economic backgrounds of these individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Brazilian prison system faces several challenges, such as overcrowding, precarious physical structures, unhealthy conditions, and difficulties in reintegrating prisoners into society, in addition to violence and violations of rights. This context is a favorable environment for physical and mental illness. It is in this scenario that female prison police officers (PP) perform the role of custodians, being responsible for maintaining order and integrity of inmates in female prison units. Female prison police officers face a unique process of subjectivation resulting from their experience in prison, dealing with stress, work overload, among other problems. Thus, this research aimed to understand the impacts of prison work on the subjectivation processes of female prison police officers in a female prison unit located in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte. The methodology adopted consisted of applying semi-structured interviews with twelve female prison police officers, addressing aspects of their routine, affects, production of subjectivity, family life, and interpersonal relationships before and after insertion into the prison system. The results indicate processes of subjectivation that transcend the work environment, suggesting a specific way of being and acting, characterized by a permanent state of vigilance, a feeling of insecurity, stress, aggressiveness, and the naturalization and trivialization of violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigates the impact of the panoptic system on the reduction of violence and the rehabilitation of inmates. Conceived by Jeremy Bentham, the system promotes constant surveillance to instill discipline. The research aims to understand the control mechanisms in the prison system and their relationship with recidivism. The objectives include evaluating the system's effects on reducing violence, analyzing crime prevention strategies, investigating the psychological effects of surveillance, and improving professional training programs for inmates. The aim is to understand the interconnection between four key elements: the panoptic system, inmate monitoring, the sense of constant surveillance, and professional training. The system, based on constant surveillance, is effective in controlling and disciplining prisoners. Electronic monitoring helps prevent crimes and reduce overcrowding. Organizational culture affects inmate rehabilitation and prison efficiency. Training is crucial for inmate reintegration and prison management improvement. These elements highlight the need for innovative approaches to address prison system challenges. Society will benefit from a deeper understanding of the use of the panoptic system in reducing prison violence and rehabilitating inmates. The adopted methodology is systematic literature review, using various sources for in-depth analysis and pattern identification. This qualitative approach aims to comprehensively understand social phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Penitentiary systems serve as breeding grounds for all kinds of diseases. Drawing upon new archival materials, this article examines the history of the management and reporting of epidemics in the Russian prison system from the late Imperial period to the present day. We use the case studies of cholera (1892-1893), typhus (1932-1933), and pulmonary tuberculosis (the 1990s) to examine how the general political and social conjuncture at different times affected the response of prison authorities to epidemics to show that, notwithstanding major shifts in society and polity, there was continuity in the management of epidemics by prison authorities in the long twentieth century. However, there were fundamental discrepancies in the way late Imperial, Soviet, and post-Soviet Russia reported epidemiological emergencies in prisons. We argue that Russia's tumultuous past has reinforced the tendency among the Russian penal administration towards a lack of transparency that has persisted to the present day, in relation to the latest, COVID-19, epidemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this research was to critically analyze the Chilean prison system in order to propose a reflexive response through a social justice approach. By virtue of the above, it was found that the penitentiary system in Chile is insufficient to qualify as fair, since the shortcomings derived from the prevailing notion of retributive justice fail to address the problem in its full context. However, a social justice approach would allow for mitigating the negative retributive effects of the system, contributing to the correct distribution of resources, and ensuring recognition and participation for the common good of the prison community. This research is divided into three sections: the first deals with the deficiencies of the penitentiary system in the light of a justice approach; the second deals with the conception of social justice, developing its foundations and applicable dimensions; and the third deals with the incorporation of social justice in the chilean penitentiary system. Finally, as for the methodology used, the documentary type was applied with a legal dogmatic method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to examine the Uruguayan prison system from a perspective of respect for human dignity. The situation of persons deprived of their liberty is critically approached, evaluating the conditions of prison institutions and the protection of their rights. Special emphasis is placed on the need to explore reforms necessary to bring the prison system into line with international human rights standards, proposing approaches that promote rehabilitation and safeguard the dignity of these individuals who continue to be part of society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Private prison staff are a valuable resource, and they can be affected by various workplace variables. The effects of organizational justice on counterproductive staff behaviors in a sample of correctional staff at a private prison were examined using organizational-justice theory. Specifically, the association of distributive and procedural justice with turnover intent, sick-leave views, and absenteeism were tested while controlling for demographic characteristics (position, gender, age, tenure, and race/ethnicity). OLS regression models show that procedural justice was the strongest predictor and was negatively associated with all three measures of counterproductive behaviors; distributive justice was only predictive of turnover intent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent scholarship has highlighted that, for many foreign nationals, Western European prisons function as 'places of crimmigration' where non-citizens are over-represented, often excluded from rehabilitation efforts, sometimes held in segregated prisons, and where it is common for incarceration to lead to deportation. However, this literature has mainly focused on north-western European countries and has neglected countries on the EU's southern border, where different dynamics may be at work. This research aims to provide a broader understanding of how border control shapes imprisonment in Western European prisons by including Spain, a Southern European country, in the picture. To this end, this article examines prison regulations on foreign inmates and original statistics on their release and expulsion from prison. In doing so, this paper demonstrates that the aims of border control have permeated Spanish prisons, making imprisonment into an exclusionary punishment for certain non-citizens and introducing a new role for prison staff. The findings of this study also indicate that expulsions are used selectively on a small proportion of incarcerated noncitizens. This result is consistent with previous research suggesting a discrepancy between crimmigration discourse and practice, while also revealing the existence of hierarchies of belonging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known with regard to due process and forensic assessment capacities in Africa, where over one million are deprived of their liberty on any given day. A rapid situation assessment explored multi-stakeholder perspectives regarding the situation of people with a mental illness in the Malawi prison system. In-depth interviews were conducted with 10 regional professional stakeholders, 18 former prisoners, and five prison staff from two maximum-security prisons. Reflexive thematic analysis yielded five themes; occurrence of mental illness among people living in prison; prison environment exacerbating harm and levels of mental illness; security responses to the presence of psychiatric disorders; availability and coverage of specialist psychiatric and psychological care; and diversion, other non-custodial measures and continuity of care on release. Narratives highlight the substantial causal impact of the prison environment in amplifying existing and new mental illness, vulnerability and exploitation of people with a mental disorder. Malawi prisons are hampered by lack of specialist forensic capacity nationally; centralized mental health surveillance system; and insufficient skilled staff to conduct evidence-based screening and care. Security operations implement the use of pharmacological and physical restraint measures at times. Faith-based organizations play an important role in providing psychological and spiritual support. Release and reintegration require family involvement. A cross departmental intersectoral partnership response spanning government ministries, key civil society organizations, the Malawi Prison Inspectorate and Malawi Human Rights Commission is warranted. Recommendations include alleviation of prison congestion, prison staff capacity building and investment in forensic mental health services with adequate geographic coverage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reflects on the process of undertaking qualitative research with incarcerated individuals and prison staff in selected Ghana prisons. The challenges encountered during the planning, approval, and fieldwork stages, as well as measures adopted to address these challenges, have been discussed. The paper aims to serve as a guide to novel prison researchers in the sub-Saharan African context, given that the majority of studies on challenges and approaches to conducting prison research have come from jurisdictions outside the region. To this end, given the unique nature of the prison governance system in Ghana and other sub-Saharan African countries, this paper contributes to filling a knowledge gap in qualitative prison research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Design Thinking techniques have been widely used in software requirements elicitation to understand the necessities of stakeholders and end‐users. However, there is a lack of evidence of their effectiveness when applied to guide the development process of a system targeting vulnerable populations. What are the implications of using Design Thinking techniques to elicit requirements in a community of former inmates—and what would be the benefits of and challenges in this deployment? In this paper, we report our experience of using Design Thinking for requirements elicitation of a mobile application customized for the former inmates of the Brazilian prison system and their families. We applied techniques such as Brainstorming, Stakeholder Mapping, Personas Creation, Rapid Ethnography, and Interviews to obtain relevant data and create several prototypes. These techniques contribute to the development of an uncommon application that aims to help the reintegration process of former inmates into society. Our results validate the initial hypothesis that such techniques, when applied to a sensitive context, assist product development that meets the end‐users' needs by creating a higher quality product. The main limitation of the research was the lack of access to low‐literacy end‐users and/or former inmates without previous experience using mobile devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Derecho Penal y Criminologia is the property of Universidad Externado de Colombia, Departamento de Derecho Penal y Criminologia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Foro Revista de Derecho is the property of Universidad Andina Simon Bolivar, Sede Ecuador and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Foro Revista de Derecho is the property of Universidad Andina Simon Bolivar, Sede Ecuador and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The criminal groups of the United States of America in the second half of the 20th century definitely did not create new ideological trends and concepts; they were organized using existing views and ideologies known throughout the world. In the 1980s, there was an ideological “scrapping” in the US prison system, which led to considerable concern among US law enforcement officers. The article examines the period of active opposition of the FBI to one of the largest neo-Nazi prison groups “Aryan Brotherhood” in the second half of the 20th century, and also reveals the history of this organization, its structure, a number of crimes committed by members of this gang, cases of recruiting individual members of the “Brotherhood” as FBI informants, as well as the interaction of various prison groups in the USA among themselves. Despite the activities of the FBI, the Los Angeles Police Department, the US Department of Justice and the prosecutor’s office, gaining control of the situation took a significant time, this organization still exists today, but its activities no longer go beyond the walls of prisons.

In 2000, Charisse Shumate, a co-founding member of the California Coalition for Women Prisoners (CCWP) and other incarcerated women in California gathered at a senate hearing to give testimony on medical and living conditions in prison. Incarcerated women's narratives demonstrate the key role that their critical agency played in their advocacy for a humane prison system. The narratives also illustrate women's resolve to use their voices to speak up. Women's experiences of incarceration have long been silenced and this was part of the collective experience shared at the senate hearing. The collaborative work to document the hearings as well as women's prison experiences and activism reflects an important response to women's invisibility in dominant discourses of prisons and imprisonment and the marginalization that incarcerated women experience in the broader anti-carceral movement. The California Coalition for Women Prisoners, a coalition-building organization founded by women on both sides of the razor wire, is an abolitionist feminist organization founded in San Francisco, California in 1995. CCWP practices a specific brand of activism that prioritizes and supports the voices, leadership, and creativity of women and transgender people incarcerated in women's prisons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is high time we took stock of the field of carceral history—something particularly true for the French-speaking world. In the last twenty years, the Francosphere has seen a frenzy of research activity centred on the prison, and more broadly around multiple forms of confinement. The field is being radically transformed under the watchful eye of a whole new generation of researchers who have produced numerous monographs, articles and colloquia on the subject. The research and thinking about the prison model that the current generation is developing diverges so completely from the classical revisionist historiography as to be unrecognisable, transfigured from previous iterations. The purpose of this article is to explore those recent transformations of the field following three parameters. The first is linguistic (reviewing only the work emerging from the Francosphere); the second is one of academic discipline (History); and the third is temporal (the emphasis is on research touching on the long pre-Revolution period). These three parameters provide a focused view, while remaining sufficiently widely relevant to identify the dominant trends in French-language research. This is set in the context of past research, of work that has been done elsewhere, and of what sets Francophone research apart from corresponding English-language scholarship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Africa has two fully privatised prisons, each housing some 3,000 prisoners. Their history has been mired in controversy from the start, and this has not improved over a period of nearly 25 years. Recent events affecting the security and integrity of the two facilities provide a useful opportunity to reflect on these private prisons as well as wider issues regarding private sector involvement in the prison system. The intersection of politics, organised labour, private sector interests, and corruption have in all likelihood rung the death knell for private prisons in South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efforts of the Mexican authorities to defeat insecurity, violence, and crime have not been successful. It seems that the prison system plays a major role in this. Delinquent violence forces us to look for different options and conditions. Proposals that emanated from the humanist psychoanalysis promoted by Erich Fromm, who lived in Mexico for over 20 years from the late 1950s to the mid 1970s, are therapeutic resources and paths of analysis. These allow us to identify both the productive and the creative aspects of the individual personality propelling the person to their social integration. The aim is to guide individuals toward a biophilic character and to the construction of a fair society provided with hope and liberty. The mission of the Instituto Mexicano de Psicoanálisis (IMPAC; Mexican Institute of Psychoanalysis), founded in Mexico City in 1963 by Erich Fromm, is to: spread Fromm's intellectual legacy through psychoanalytic training; pay specialized attention to persons in need of psychotherapies and analytic psychotherapies; disseminate Fromm's thoughts by publishing them; undertake professional research; plus, recently, collaborate with federal agencies for justice procurement and human rights defense. This has made it possible to convince us of the appropriateness, validity, and efficacy of humanist psychoanalysis to approach and become involved in benefiting Mexican society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Foco (Interdisciplinary Studies Journal) is the property of Revista Foco and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study examines the adult imprisonment outcomes of a cohort of serious and violent juvenile offenders released from Texas state juvenile correctional facilities during their transition from adolescence to early adulthood. We distinguish incarceration in the adult prison system as resulting from a new offense or as the result of a revocation for a technical supervision violation. Of the sample (n = 709), 37% were incarcerated in Texas' adult prison system within two years following their release from state juvenile incarceration—16% were incarcerated for a new offense and 21% were incarcerated for revocation as a result of a technical violation of supervision. Results indicate that race, being a sexual offender, gang affiliate, engaging in violent institutional misconduct as a juvenile ward, being under supervised release, and age at initial juvenile incarceration were determinants of adult incarceration for any reason. Similar determinants of incarceration were found examining incarceration for offenders released under community supervision. Prior placements as a juvenile and gang affiliation were correlated with incarceration for a new offense. Research and policy implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Introduction: Self-harming behavior in prisoners is a prevalent phenomenon, with international studies estimating a 4% prevalence rate. However, studies on self-injurious behavior in the German prison system are currently lacking. Therefore, our study aims to conduct an initial assessment. Methods: The Criminological Service for the Berlin Prison System distributed questionnaires on incidents of self-harm to all Berlin prisons, except for juvenile detention centers. The questionnaires were supplemented with medical data, such as psychiatric diagnoses and medication. Results: 62 questionnaires were returned, which could be attributed to 52 inmates. Compared to the average population in the Berlin prison system, the study sample exhibited variations in age, gender distribution and nationality. 94% of the inmates received a psychiatric diagnosis. Two-thirds of the male inmates had substance use disorders, while 83% of the female inmates had emotionally unstable personality resp. borderline disorders. Prior to self-harm, 87% of the inmates were administered psychiatric medication. Discussion: Our study found similarities between the study population and international studies in the distribution of certain characteristics. We assume that many of the postulated risk factors can also apply to Berlin prisoners. However, the study is limited by the small number of cases and the absence of a control group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Venezuela has the most violent prisons in the region, and it could even be said in the world. The serious prison crisis is rendered invisible by the Prison Administration, this clearly demonstrates the absolute lack of a serious prison policy that would allow us to deal with the extreme violation of human rights to which the prison population in this country is subjected with sufficient consideration and urgency. The secrecy and opacity of Venezuelan institutions is a clear symptom of the serious anomaly that hides this perverted system. The present work will try to make an x-ray of the "real" reality more approximate, due to the lack of updated official information, in order to make the world aware of the extreme seriousness of this phenomenon and to try to promote and join efforts that allow to dignify the living conditions of a particularly vulnerable group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The legal landscape navigated by gender-diverse people in the United States to acquire gender-affirming care is fraught with obstacles, blockades, difficulty, and death. Currently, prison and jail systems follow a range of approaches regarding gender-affirming hormones, from those that provide incarcerated people such care, to those that deny the care outright. This presents life- changing challenges to transgender incarcerated people who particularly seek or need medical transition. There is a vital need -- in both federal courts and on the streets -- to fight for decreased barriers to access for gender-affirming care in carceral spaces. One of many avenues to expand this access is through the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection clause. Where informed by critical legal considerations, Equal Protection legal analysis can require prison systems to increase trans peoples' access to gender-affirming hormones by simplifying the procedures for medical transition care. A reimagined approach to prison hormone litigation will bring prison systems in all U.S. jurisdictions within compliance with constitutional guarantees while allowing an alternative pathway for incarcerated claimants to win their rights to care. The time for federal courts to intervene in the face of these constitutional violations is long past due, and review of prison hormone policies under the Equal Protection clause would not only call for strict scrutiny analysis, but also result in vitiation of states' prison hormone laws across the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Travestis and transgender women have increased vulnerabilities when in prison, where they face constant violations of their basic rights to life. The study analyzed the use and ways of obtaining material gender technologies for this population in the prison system of Rio de Janeiro. A census survey was carried out with 138 interviewees, between April and June 2021. The results revealed high percentages of young adults, black, of mixed race, and with low education. Despite the dif- ficulties in obtaining and using these technologies, a better scenario was revealed when compared with other national studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article maps the creation, describes the functions and actions of the special groups of the Brazilian prison police. Initially established in Rio de Janeiro for prison control their practices resemble those of the Military Police battalions of the same state. This police "specialty" spreads across Brazilian states with the replication of regulations and training of the old groups. Such a network articulates the different special groups of the prison system, which use warfare practices under justification of containing factions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the relevance of Youth and Adult Education (YAE) in contexts of deprivation of liberty, based on the perspective of popular education. Using a qualitative-quantitative approach, statistical data from the Brazilian prison system are analyzed to examine the role of YAE in educating individuals deprived of liberty. Although it promises to explore the relationship between prison EJA and popular education, the study reveals gaps in implementing of this connection. Constructive criticisms are discussed about the need for greater articulation between educational practices, flexible curricula, and interdisciplinary work to strengthen the impact of YAE in these communities. It is concluded that education in prisons is not limited to literacy, but also offers opportunities for the reconstruction of citizenship and social reintegration, standing out as a fundamental instrument to break cycles of exclusion and crime, thus advancing towards a society fairer and more inclusive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Form@re is the property of Firenze University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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]