Psycho-Social Environment of Prisons and Its Relationship to Recidivism

• NCJ Number: 206192
• Author(s): Richard Harding
• Date Published: 2000
• Length: 14 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Australian Research Council
• Corporate Author: University of Western Australia
• Sale Source: Australian Research Council
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Literature Review
• Language: English
• Country: Australia

Annotation

This Australian literature review found that the psychosocial features of a correctional environment were linked to recidivism rates for persons exposed to those environments.

Abstract

The most notable quantitative work on this issue was conducted by Logan (1992), who performed comparative evaluations of three women's prisons. Logan developed a "confinement quality index" that measures eight dimensions of prison regime quality found to have a significant impact on inmate psychosocial responses to imprisonment. The ethnographic approach to assessing the prison environment is epitomized in the work of Kauffmann (1988) and Carter (1995), with each study viewing the prison environment through the perspectives of correctional officers. Inmate-staff relationships were examined in British prisons by Liebling and Price (1999). Although the complexities of identifying and measuring a positive psychosocial environment are complex, this literature review concludes that there is presumptive evidence that a positive prison environment does enhance program outcomes and reduce recidivism. There is abundant evidence, for example, that offender programs delivered in a community setting are on the whole more successful than those delivered in custodial settings. This suggests that a less abnormal environment for program delivery enhances the chances for program success. Overall, the research findings suggest that there is a descending order of desirable therapeutic environments. Beginning with the most desirable correctional environment, the order is as follows: in the community; in a prison that is exclusively therapeutic; within a therapeutic community in a conventional prison; in a conventional prison that encourages inmate participation and self-reliance and is safe for inmates; and a conventional prison that is neither safe nor encourages inmates to participate in activities. Within each of these environments, the manner and quality of staff-inmate relationships is a key variable that affects rehabilitative effectiveness. A recommendation for primary research in this area is offered. 22 references