This study examines the effects of more lenient marijuana policy on recidivism rates. Using data of prisoners by state it examined the effect that more lenient drug laws by state on that state's recidivism rates.

D'un point de vue sémiotique, nous chercherons à analyser des productions de détenus résidant dans les prisons françaises afin de mettre en évidence les différences communicationnelles qui existent entre la société libre et ce milieu fermé. Pour cela, il nous faut comprendre le fonctionnement carcéral en tant que dispositif, que structure qui traite le corps comme un support de punition, même si la notion d'amendement est de plus en plus centrale dans le système judiciaire. Nous parcourrons les méthodes employées par certaines grandes écoles de communication afin d'améliorer les déficiences communicationnelles pour les confronter à la réalité carcérale.Nous verrons que les différences se trouvent principalement dans le choix et le détournement des supports de communication, ce qui est dû à des contraintes carcérales oppressantes, qui se manifestent dans les productions elles-mêmes. Toutes ces différences nous permettront d'élaborer un modèle d'écriture et de communication typiquement carcéral. / From a semiotic point of view, we shall try to analyze prisoners' productions living in the French prisons to highlight the communicational differences that exist between the free society and this closed environment. For that purpose, it is necessary to us to understand the prison functioning as device, as structure which treats the body as a support of punishment, even if the notion of amendment is more and more central in the judicial system. We shall look to the methods used by some schools of communication to improve the communicationaldeficiencies to confront them with the prison reality. We shall see that the differences are mainly in the choice and the misappropriation of communication supports, what is due to oppressive prison constraints, what shows itself in the very productions. All these differences will allow us to develop a typically prison model of writing andcommunication.

Background: Around a third of the general population experience insomnia at some point in their lives. A lack of good quality sleep can negatively impact upon daytime functioning, relationships and behaviour. Although the issues and management of prisoner's mental health has been assessed thoroughly across the prison literature, the importance of poor sleep prevalence, associated causes and its management has failed to be systematically examined. My systematic integrative review of the sleep-prison literature collated and synthesized the evidence, informing the overall study objectives and design. Aim: The overarching aim of this mixed-methods thesis was to produce a treatment pathway to help manage insomnia in a prison population, acceptable to both staff and prisoners. Study 1: A national survey and telephone interviews examining current insomnia management practice in England and Wales prisons. Eight-four prisons took part (73%). The most common interventions were medication and sleep hygiene education. Analysis of telephone interviews revealed four main themes, insomnia as a normal occurrence in prison; the problem of medication in prison; the negative impact of the prison environment; and effective management of insomnia in prison. Study 2: A cross-sectional study looking at prevalence and associated factors of insomnia in male and female prisons was conducted. Two hundred and thirty seven prisoners completed a questionnaire battery. Around two-thirds had insomnia disorder and clinical, environmental and situational factors were much more likely in this group than those without insomnia. Study 3: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with staff and prisoners to explore perspectives of insomnia management. Three themes were found: value of good sleep, barriers and considerations for good sleep management and future direction of insomnia management in prison. Study 4: A modified Delphi consensus study was conducted with academic sleep researchers, prison staff and service users over three rounds of consultation. Consensus was achieved and a stepped-care treatment pathway was produced. Conclusion: When used in future practice, the treatment pathway should help practitioners to identify, assess and manage insomnia in a population that is twice as likely to experience insomnia as the general population.

In this work I illustrate the ways in which power structures function in operationalizing geographies of resistance in two particular carceral spaces. Specifically I examine the social organization and internal power relations present within hunger striking prison populations at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and at Pelican Bay State Prison in Crescent City, California. I show that the Guantanamo hunger strikes are minimally organized with non-binding power structures, while the Pelican Bay hunger strikes have had greater levels of commitment, and have been more sophisticated in organization. I consider the relationships that exist between power, identity and violence within these hunger strike resistance movements. I contextualize these phenomena within a biopolitical framework that transgresses more traditional definitions of biopolitics; as opposed to conceptualizing biopolitics as a technology of power manifested by the state, I argue that oppressed populations, such as prisoners, construct their own power by regulating their own ‘vital biological processes’.

Gevangenisbendes in Suid-Afrika het 'n lang geskiedenis. die eerste was gestig onder Swart gevangenes in die Transvaal onmiddellik na die Anglo-Boere oorlog. Die Ninevite bende was ingestel deur Nongoloza Mathebula en het in die Witwatersrand geopereer. "Nongoloza" se bende het bestaan uit agt lede waarvan die 28 bende later ontwikkel het. Die 28 bende is ten gunste van wyfies-verhouding (homoseksuele) onder sy bende lede. "Ngelejani" se bende, waaruit die 26 bende ontwikkel het, was nie ten gunste van die wyfies-verhouding nie. Die ander bende wat in die gevangenis ontstaan het, is die Big 5 bende en die Airforce bende. / Prison gangs in South Africa have a long history. the first were established among Black prisoners in the Transvaal soon after the Anglo-Boer war. The Ninevite gang was introduced by Nongoloza Mathebula and operated in the Witwatersrand. "Nongoloza's" gang consisted of eight members, from which the 28 gang later developed. The 28 gang approved the boy-wives relationship (homo-sexual) among its gang members. "Ngelejani's" gang from which the 26 gang developed, disapproved the boy-wives relationship. Other gangs established in prison, are the Big 5 gang and the Airforce gang. / Sociology / M.A. (Penology)

abstract: The purpose of this project is to better understand the factors associated with, and effects of, prison visitation for children during maternal and paternal incarceration. As gatekeepers, caregivers play a pivotal role in the facilitation of parent-child prison visitation. Yet, some caregivers may be more likely to take children to visit than others. Additionally, among those children who do visit, visitation may be positive in some ways and negative in others. To advance prior work, this study (1) assesses the relationship between caregiver type and parent-child prison visitation and (2) investigates the emotional and behavioral responses of children who visit. The current research uses mixed-methods and is carried out in two phases. For Phase 1, quantitative data on 984 children collected from structured interviews with incarcerated parents (N=279 mothers; N=143 fathers) in the Arizona Department of Corrections are used to examine the relationship between caregiver type and the likelihood of parent-child prison visitation. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyses are conducted separately for maternal and paternal incarceration. Phase 2 draws on caregivers' accounts of 40 children who visit their parent in prison to assess children's emotional and behavioral reactions to visitation. Data are coded to identify positive and negative responses, "visitation paradox" indicators, prior life circumstances and child age. Thematic content analyses are conducted to capture major themes. Analyses from Phase 1 confirm a significant relationship between caregiver type and mother-child and father-child visitation. Other factors that affected the likelihood of parental visitation included child situational factors, parent stressors, institutional barriers and child demographics, although these effects differed depending upon which parent was in prison. Results from Phase 2 revealed overwhelmingly negative responses among children to parental prison visitation. Key themes that accounted for child reactions included institutional context and parental attachment. This research adds to the collateral consequences of incarceration literature by providing greater insight into the imprisonment experience for vulnerable families. Further, these results have direct implications for correctional policy and practice pertaining to the manner and regulation of prison visits and also inform reentry efforts through a family-centric approach. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Criminology and Criminal Justice 2014

CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeiÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / O esforÃo que empreendi neste trabalho teve como objetivo geral analisar a presenÃa religiosa pentecostal no interior de uma instituiÃÃo carcerÃria. Seu intento foi pensar como se dà o encontro entre as prÃticas religiosas pentecostais e o cotidiano na prisÃo a partir do ponto de vista dos internos que sÃo religiosos e dos internos que nÃo sÃo religiosos. TambÃm buscou compreender quais as consequÃncias que esse encontro provoca em termos de mudanÃa de conduta e de construÃÃo de uma nova realidade prisional. O campo de experiÃncias escolhido para guiar tal discussÃo foi a Casa de PrivaÃÃo ProvisÃria de Liberdade Professor Clodoaldo Pinto (CPPL II), mais especificamente, a VivÃncia A, conhecida tambÃm como Rua A ou âa Rua dos irmÃosâ. Nela âos irmÃos da obraâ desenvolvem as atividades do Projeto Renascer. A CPPL II à apresentada por meio de uma descriÃÃo atenta do espaÃo fÃsico e das maneiras de fazer cotidianas dos cativos. AlÃm disso, as teias de relaÃÃes tecidas entre os presos que constituem âa obraâ e os encarcerados que estÃo na Rua A à analisada de forma minuciosa. Por fim, demonstro como os presos da CPPL II demarcam suas regras de proceder a partir da categoria nativa âvaciloâ e classificam o sujeito que âvacilaâ (ou seja, que infringe as regras) como âvacilÃoâ . Cada um dos âvacilosâ à associado a possÃveis sanÃÃes, que se compÃe, basicamente, em âvacilo de morteâ e âvacilo de 1000Ââ. A especificidade da Rua A, em relaÃÃo Ãs prisÃes e ao restante das Ruas da CPPL II, està na aÃÃo dos presos do Projeto Renascer como mediadores de conflitos. / The effort undertaken in this work had as main objective to analyze the Pentecostal religious presence within a prison institution. Its intent was to think how is an encounter between Pentecostal religious practices and daily life in prison from the point of view of the inmates who are religious and inmates who are not religious. We also sought to understand what consequences this meeting causes in terms of behavioral change and building a new prison reality. The field experiments chosen to guide this discussion was the Casa de PrivaÃÃo ProvisÃria de Liberdade Professor Clodoaldo Pinto (CPPL II), more specifically, the Experience A, also known as The A Street or "The Street of brothers." There "the brothers of the work" develop activities of Projeto Renascer. The CPPL II is presented through a careful description of the physical space and everyday ways-to-do of the inmates. In addition, the webs of relationships woven between the prisoners who makes part of "the work" and who are incarcerated in The A Street is analyzed in detail. Finally, I demonstrate how the prisoners of CPPL II demarcate its rules of proceeding from the native category "vacilo" and classify the subject that "vacila" (ie, who violates the rules) as "vacilÃo". Each of the "vacilos" is associated with possible sanctions, which consists basically of "vacilo de morte" and "vacilo de 1000Â". The specificity of the A Street, related to the prisons and the rest of the Streets of CPPL II, is in the action of the inmates of the Projeto Renascer as conflict mediators.

Self-harm and suicide is more prevalent within the prison environment than in community samples, with those in the first weeks of imprisonment at greatest risk. Descriptions and evaluations of static risk factors (e.g. mental health diagnosis) dominate the empirical literature with few dynamic (e.g. defeat) and protective factors (e.g. resilience) evaluated. Additionally, current research is largely atheoretical and the integration of existing knowledge into a unifying model may improve the predictability of assessment. In the current research Williams and Pollock’s cry of pain model provided the template for assessing predictors of self-harm or suicide. For three months, all new arrivals at a local prison were invited to complete baseline questionnaires to assess factors derived from the cry of pain model. It was hypothesised that the factors derived from the model (perceived stress, defeat, entrapment and absence of rescue factors) would be predictive of self-harm and suicide risk and would distinguish prior self-harmers from non self-harmers. Two hundred and seventy prisoners participated in the study. Prisoners with active psychosis and non-English speakers were excluded. All participants were followed up for four months for instances of self-harm. Eighteen participants engaged in self-harm during this period. The hypotheses derived from the model were supported in the prediction of future engagement in self-harm in prison and had some support in identifying those who engaged in previous self-harm and those at risk of suicide. Additional research is needed to confirm the factor structure of defeat and entrapment and the presence of ‘scripts’ as relevant factors in the cry of pain model. The 3 implications for practice are discussed including the identification of patterns of risk linked with self-harm and suicide. The measures utilised in the study were shown to be largely valid within this population. Methodological limitations are discussed together with their implications for future research.

Background and Aims: Existing literature on working with clients who have anger issues in prison settings is largely outcome related with an emphasis on evaluating anger management programmes. Research offering insight into the therapists‟ subjective experiences when carrying out such work is scarce. Thus, this study aims to explore therapists‟ subjective responses to clients who express anger within prison settings, as well as the impact such responses may have on the therapeutic process. Method: Semi-structured interviews are carried out with eight qualified chartered counselling psychologists who have experience of working with client anger within prison settings. Interview transcripts are analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), a qualitative methodology that focuses on lived experiences and how people make sense of their experiences. Results: The analysis highlights the different ways therapists understand and manage their reactions to client anger. The two superordinate themes are: (1) THREAT, including subthemes: Threat of burnout; Threat of enmeshment with the client; Threat to the therapeutic relationship. (2) CONTAINMENT, including subthemes: Containing own emotional response; The system as a container; Containment through the therapeutic framework. Conclusion: Participants experienced significant challenges in terms of feeling burnt out, dealing with complex interpersonal dynamics and facing ethical dilemmas. They struggled to work therapeutically with clients‟ expressions of anger, as it produced strong countertransference reactions. This highlights the need for training in these areas to enable therapists to prepare for the challenges that working in a prison context brings. Future research investigating supervision and self-care could build on this current study.

Background: Psychotropic medicines are widely used to treat mental illness in the community. In prisons, however, the continuity and appropriateness of prescribing for mentally ill prisoners have been questioned. There has been little research on the use of psychotropic medicines in prisons in England and Wales; yet this information is essential for determining the extent to which there is equivalence of care between prisons and the community and for effective medicines management. Aims and objectives: This study aimed to determine patterns of psychotropic prescribing in prisons and consider the extent to which people with mental illness have 'equivalent' access to psychotropic medicines in prison. Methods: A mixed methods design was used, incorporating three interrelated studies: a retrospective case note review to estimate the proportion of prescriptions for psychotropic medicines which were discontinued on entry to prison; a cross-sectional survey to estimate point-prevalence psychotropic prescribing rates in prisons, as compared with the community; and a qualitative interview study with members of prison healthcare staff and patients with mental illness to a) explore the perceived purpose of psychotropic prescribing and b) to deconstruct patient and doctor accounts of medication changes on entry to prison. Findings: Half (47%) of all psychotropic medicines reported on entry into prison were not prescribed within seven days of arrival. The cross-sectional study found that psychotropic medications were prescribed to 20% of men and 44% of women in prison; age-adjusted prescribing rates were at least five times higher in prison than in the general population. However, no valid clinical indication was recorded for half (47%) of prescriptions for psychotropic medication in prison. Qualitative analysis showed that patients interpreted the principle of equivalence differently to doctors and attributed negative outcomes to changes to medication regimes in prison. Patients reported using psychotropic medicines to reduce symptoms of mental illness, but also as a coping strategy and to reduce insomnia. Whilst staff voiced concerns regarding possible overreliance on psychotropic drugs, patients perceived insufficient access to alternative forms of treatment and support in prison. Discussion: These findings confirm high use of psychotropic medicines in prison and caution prison prescribers against abrupt withdrawal of psychotropic medicines on entry to prison, overreliance on psychotropic medicines, potentially inappropriate prescribing and poor record keeping. Strengths and limitations, implications for practice and recommendations for future work are also discussed.