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abstract: Many working in the criminal justice system and beyond are trying to ascertain whether there should be continued use of restricted housing or solitary confinement. This study examines knowledge of and general support for restrictive housing. Using randomly assigned, factorial vignettes, the survey manipulates populations and reasons for placement in restrictive housing to determine situational support for the correctional practice. Results indicate that among a sample of students (N=363), little is known about restrictive housing, despite substantial exposure to both fiction and nonfiction media on the subject. Averages of approval ratings indicate the public is neutral on whether the practice is humane, including its placement procedures and conditions, though there was slight disapproval of the placement of mentally ill inmates in segregation. Analysis shows that age, some reasons for placement, whether placement is voluntary, and extreme durations of time in isolation are significantly associated with public approval. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Criminology and Criminal Justice 2017

abstract: The use of restrictive housing in prisons is at the forefront of national discussions on crime and punishment. Civil and human rights activists have argued that its use should be limited due to harmful effects on the physical and psychological health of inmates as well as its limited ability to reduce subsequent offending. Stacked against this is the need for correctional administrators to respond to institutional violence in a manner that ideally curtails future violence while doing no further harm to the well-being of those housed in these environments. The current project explores the effectiveness of a Restrictive Status Housing Program (RSHP) designed for inmates who commit violent assaults within the Arizona Department of Corrections. The program, as designed, moves beyond exclusively punitive approaches to segregation by encouraging behavior modification that is influenced by cognitive behavioral training. This study advances the literature and informs correctional policy by: 1) examining the effects of program participation on future behavioral outcomes, and 2) exploring mechanisms through which the program works (or does not work) by interviewing former RSHP participants and staff. The current research uses a mixed-method research design and was carried out in two phases. For Phase 1, quantitative data on behavioral outcomes of program participants (N = 240), as well as a carefully constructed comparison group (N = 1,687), will be collected and analyzed using official records over a one-year follow-up. Phase 2 will examine qualitative data derived from semi-structured interviews with former RSHP participants (n = 25) and correctional staff who oversee the day-to-day management of the program (n = 10). Results from the current study suggest that placement in the RSHP has null, and at times, an adverse effect on subsequent levels of institutional misconduct. Policy implications and recommendations based on these findings are discussed. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Criminology and Criminal Justice 2018

La récidive en communauté est associée à de lourdes conséquences financières et une atteinte à la santé publique. L’isolement cellulaire (IC) est une pratique adoptée pour répondre aux comportements perturbateurs en milieu carcéral, sans indications quant à l’impact sur la récidive. Environ 7% des détenus nord-américains sont logés en IC et plusieurs vivront une détérioration psychologique. De plus, la littérature ne démontre pas une réduction de l’inconduite suite à l’IC, mettant en doute la possibilité d’un changement comportemental. Clarifier l’effet de l’IC sur la récidive permettrait d’informer les débats récents autour de son rendement coût-efficacité et d’évaluer les risques de victimisation associés. Une revue systématique et une méta-analyse ont donc été menées afin d’élucider l’impact de l’IC sur la récidive. Des modèles à effets mixtes ont été employés pour quantifier l’association entre l’IC et la réarrestation, réincarcération ou récidive violente. Des sous-analyses ont permis d’évaluer le risque de récidive associé à différentes formes d’IC, la durée d’exposition et le temps écoulé entre la sortie d’IC et la libération. Notre article a démontré une association modérée entre l’IC et l’augmentation de la récidive, laquelle résistait au contrôle de facteurs confondants. L’IC était associé à l’augmentation des trois formes de récidive. De surcroît, une plus longue et récente exposition augmentait davantage ce risque. Ainsi, ce mémoire contribue à démontrer que l’IC ne présente pas de retombées comportementales pouvant contrebalancer ses coûts opérationnels ou sur la santé mentale des détenus. Plusieurs initiatives sont proposées pour faciliter la réintégration des détenus exposés à l’IC. / Recidivism amongst releasees bears heavy consequences for society in terms of financial costs and public health strain. Placing inmates in solitary confinement (SC) was adopted as a solution for disordered behaviors in prison, without indication as to its impacts on recidivism. Approximately 7% of North American inmates are housed in SC, many of whom will suffer psychological deterioration. Moreover, studies dispute that SC can reduce institutional misconduct, casting doubt on its potential for inspiring behavioral change. To clarify the effects of SC on recidivism would inform recent debates around its cost effectiveness and the evaluation of associated victimization risks. Therefore, a systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to clarify the impact of SC on recidivism. Random-effects meta-analyses were carried out to quantify the association between SC and rearrest, reincarceration, and violent reoffense. Additional sub-analyses allowed to characterize recidivism risk following different forms of SC, lengthier periods of exposure, and shorter transition time between release from SC and to the community. Our article showed a moderate association between SC and increased recidivism, which remained robust to confounders. SC was associated with an increase in all forms of recidivism. Finally, longer and more recent exposure to SC upon release both further increased recidivism risk. This memoir thus provides further evidence that SC does not present significant benefits that could outweigh its associated mental health and financial costs. Finally, multiple initiatives are discussed in the context that they could facilitate community reentry for inmates exposed to SC.