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The Prison Journal recent issues

• Risk, Recidivism, and (Re)habilitation: Another Look at Project Greenlight
  

  Project Greenlight (GL) was an innovative and intensive prison-based intervention delivered to inmates during the 8-week period immediately prior to their release from prison. Using a relatively rigorous research design, evaluators reported significant negative effects associated with the treatment at one year after release. We reassess the GL intervention over a longer follow-up period and focus on differences by risk level. Findings indicate that although the bulk of the negative effects dissipate compared with one control group, significant negative effects remain when compared with a second. More importantly, however, we find that program effects are differentially distributed by risk level in a counterintuitive direction.

  
  
  
• Staff Perceptions of Risk for Prison Rape Perpetration and Victimization
  

  Since the inception of the Prison Rape Elimination Act in 2003, increased attention has been directed toward identifying and eliminating acts of institutional sexual violence. However, few empirical studies have systematically explored risk factors that staff perceive as important when ascertaining risk for prison sexual perpetration and victimization. This study examined ratings from 10 staff for 315 female and 1,842 male inmates screened for admission to correctional facilities in a Midwestern state. Overall, findings indicate that a low proportion of inmates were rated medium–high risk for either perpetration or victimization. In addition, results suggest that staff perceived risk factors for sexual violence somewhat differently for female and male inmates. Furthermore, data revealed that staff considered presentation characteristics more relevant than empirically derived risk factors when determining vulnerability to prison rape. Implications for institutional policy and prison sexual assault screening are discussed.

  
  
  
• U.S. Prisoner Reentry Health Care Policy in International Perspective: Service Gaps and the Moral and Public Health Implications
  

  More than 735,000 inmates are released from U.S. prisons annually, many of whom have mental and physical health problems that go largely unaddressed during incarceration and on return to society. That has led some scholars and policy makers to imply this is specific to the United States and to call for reducing the health needs–services gap among inmates and ex-prisoners. The goal of this article is to argue that (a) the magnitude of this gap, while likely large, remains unknown, (b) the United States is far from unique in having a needs–services gap, (c) the decision to provide health care to inmates and ex-prisoners constitutes a moral policy decision with potentially profound public health and cost impacts on offenders, their families, and the communities to which they return, and (d) research on health care needs–services gaps among inmate and reentry populations should become a priority for developing cost-effective, evidence-based responses to address such gaps. The article concludes with a discussion of implications for research and policy.

  
  
  
• Lethal Rejection: Recounting Offenders' Experience in Prison and Societal Reaction Post Release
  

  The significance of successful completion of a prison term and the eventual release from prison is that it marks not only the end of incarceration, but also the beginning of a second cycle of societal retribution, which inevitably comes, regardless of whether the former offender is reformed or not. The extent of retribution in the second cycle depends upon the offense type and is more pronounced if the offense was a felony, and particularly so if it was sexually-motivated. This study draws from intensive ethnographic interviews with former prison inmates with the aim of estimating the effect of incarceration on their lives while in prison and after release. The study reveals manifest and latent effects of incarceration and finds that further retribution continues upon release when society takes over with vindictiveness that follows the former offenders almost forever. The main policy implications of long-term imprisonment are made, and areas of further research suggested.

  
  
  
• Recognizing the Need for Prisoner Input in Correctional Research: Observations from an In-Prison Driving While Intoxicated Reduction Program Evaluation
  

  Although evaluation has become a common component of substance abuse treatment programs in correctional settings, few evaluation designs use a mixed-methodological approach and even fewer incorporate participant interviews in the data collection process. This oversight is problematic for a number of reasons, one of which is the uniquely disadvantaged position of the subjects under study (i.e., prisoners). Using data from an evaluation of an in-prison alcohol treatment program, this article illustrates the utility of the qualitative interview in correctional research. Findings suggest that interviews are capable of providing information otherwise inaccessible through quantitative designs and identifying process and management barriers to optimal program operation. Discussion centers on implications for policy and practice enhancement.

  
  
  
• What Works in Substance Abuse Treatment Programs for Offenders?
  

  The purpose of this article is to review current empirical research on the effectiveness of drug treatment programs, particularly those for prisoners, parolees, and probationers. The authors reviewed empirical research published after the year 2000 that they classified as Level 3 or higher on the Maryland Scale. Participants in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), therapeutic communities, and drug courts had lower rates of drug use and crime than comparable individuals who did not receive treatment. Several different types of pharmacological treatments were associated with a reduced frequency of drug use. Those who received contingency management tended to use drugs less frequently, particularly if they also received cognitive-behavioral therapy. Finally, researchers reported that drug use and crime were lower among individuals whose treatment was followed by an aftercare program. Effective treatment programs tend to (a) focus on high-risk offenders, (b) provide strong inducements to receive treatment, (c) include several different types of interventions simultaneously, (d) provide intensive treatment, and (e) include an aftercare component.

  
  
  
• Men's Vulnerability to Prisoner-on-Prisoner Sexual Violence: A State Correctional System Case Study
  

  The one-state case study described in this article assesses imprisoned men’s vulnerability to sexual assault by an inmate before policies were implemented to reduce sexual violence. The cases studied were substantiated in an internal hearing procedure. On average, victims were more recently incarcerated, younger, smaller, and less aggressive than their perpetrators, but many victim-perpetrator pairs deviated from this profile. The strongest predictor of victimization was a history of childhood sexual victimization. Other predictors were race, youth, build, education, and experience with incarceration.

  
  
  
• If One Doesn't Get You Another One Will: Formerly Incarcerated Persons' Perceptions of Discrimination
  

  Research on prisoner reentry has largely neglected the perspective of formerly incarcerated persons concerning the stigma and discrimination they face in society. The purpose of this study is to address this gap by examining whether formerly incarcerated persons perceive themselves to be discriminated against due to their membership in 10 disadvantaged groups, and if these perceptions are related to self-esteem. The findings indicate the vast majority of men and women feel discriminated against for one reason, with most indicating multiple reasons. Moreover, the findings provide support for past research indicating that perceptions of discrimination are negatively related to self-esteem.

  
  
  
• Individual-Level Predictors of Community Aftercare Completion
  

  The importance of prison treatment for substance-using offenders in reducing recidivism and relapse has garnered much attention and acceptance over the past 30 years. The role of community aftercare as a continuum of the treatment process has been broadly acknowledged as essential in enhancing posttreatment success. However, our understanding of individual-level factors influencing a client’s willingness to participate and engage in aftercare remains limited. This article presents findings of individual-level factors found to be associated with successful completion of aftercare among a sample of 259 ex-offenders admitted to aftercare following 12 months of in-prison drug treatment.

  
  
  
• Is the Job Burning Me Out? An Exploratory Test of the Job Characteristics Model on the Emotional Burnout of Prison Staff
  

  Although emotional burnout of prison staff is costly to all involved, it has not received the kind of research attention that is warranted. This exploratory study focused on the impact of job characteristics on the emotional exhaustion dimension of burnout of prison staff. Using data from 272 staff members at a Midwestern state prison, this study found that both job feedback and job autonomy had negative effects on the index of emotional exhaustion burnout; however, both supervision and job variety had nonsignificant effects. The study further discussed possible reasons for both the significant and nonsignificant relationships.