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doi: 10.1177/0032885509356408pmid: N/A
The average long-term prisoner’s risk of reoffending diminishes with age, in part because some prisoners experience significant maturation and undergo substantial and relevant personality change. This process can be supported by prison staff through the sponsorship of activities and programming designed to promote personal development. Prisoner-release decisions that emphasize offense-related information can take greater account of prisoners’ efforts and achievements in confinement.
doi: 10.1177/0032885509356419pmid: N/A
Philadelphia from the end of the Revolution until the mid-19th century was known worldwide for its innovations and ideals in the treatment of offenders. This article examines conditions, albeit for limited time periods, when the iconic Walnut Street Jail and Eastern State Penitentiary were sites for parties, drinking, and sexual escapades, which were a far cry from the image projected by officials and reformers. Although in each case the accusations were acutely embarrassing and serious, both institutions weathered them. At Eastern State Penitentiary, a low-ranking woman on the staff was well qualified by her behavior to be the scapegoat, and the unsavory facts concerning the warden and others soon dissipated, with little discernable damage to the image of the prison as an ideal of a new form of treatment for criminals.
doi: 10.1177/0032885509357542pmid: N/A
This article tells the story of Pesach Rubenstein and how he cheated the hangman in 1876. Rubenstein was charged, tried, and convicted in Kings County, New York, for the 1875 murder of his 19-year-old cousin, Sarah Alexander. The Rubenstein case is noteworthy in that it received unprecedented media attention in the 1870s, involved the use of rudimentary forensic evidence at the trial, and divided the community on issues of religion, ethnicity, immigration (the victim and defendant were recent Jewish immigrants from Poland), and imposition of the death penalty. Using a case study approach to analyze the trial transcript, newspaper articles, and historical accounts of the murder investigation, Rubenstein’s trial, and his incarceration at Brooklyn’s Raymond Street Jail, this article offers a glimpse into the operations of an urban jail in an earlier era when our criminal justice system was in its infancy.
Van Tongeren, Daryl R.; Klebe, Kelli J.
doi: 10.1177/0032885509357547pmid: N/A
Prison adjustment research has often relied on unidimensional measurement approaches. However, examining immediate adjustment to the prison environment without considering longer term reintegration back into society is theoretically and pragmatically limited. The purpose of this study was to broaden the definition of adjustment to prison, suggesting that it is a multidimensional construct. Furthermore, different types of adjusters were expected based on the multifaceted nature of the adjustment process. The identification of distinct adjuster types supports the conceptualization of adjustment as a multidimensional concept.
Courtright, Kevin E.; Packard, Susan H.; Hannan, Michael J.; Brennan, Edward T.
doi: 10.1177/0032885509357581pmid: N/A
This article is part of a larger study that sought to measure community satisfaction with and perceptions about the economic impact of state correctional facilities located within four rural communities in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.The project culminated in the development of recommendations for policies that could benefit rural communities presently hosting, or considering hosting, a correctional institution. This article briefly discusses the relevant literature and the methodology used in the study and then presents and discusses policy recommendations in a rank ordering based on their relative importance. The goal of this research is to recommend policies that may improve the sometimes strained relationships between correctional institutions and their host communities.
Lambert, Eric G.; Hogan, Nancy L.; Altheimer, Irshad
doi: 10.1177/0032885509357586pmid: N/A
Burnout, a syndrome caused by excessive strain and psychological exhaustion, comprises the dimensions of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and feelings of being ineffective. Survey results from 160 correctional staff at a maximum security private prison in the Midwest were used to compute ordinary least squares regression equations in order to reveal the effects of burnout on the outcomes of life satisfaction, turnover intent, and absenteeism. Ineffectiveness was linked with none of the three outcomes. Depersonalization was linked with increased turnover intent and more frequent absenteeism, and emotional exhaustion was linked with all three outcomes. The results differed somewhat between female and male staff and between correctional and noncorrectional officers.
Dahlen, Kathryn; Johnson, Robert
doi: 10.1177/0032885509357722pmid: N/A
The cognitive-behavioral and humanistic approaches to treatment are often considered to be inherently at odds with one another, because cognitive-behavioral programs often follow a rigid format whereas humanistic programs explicitly accommodate the individuality of offenders. Drawing on observations from an in-depth, on-site immersion in a prison treatment program, the authors demonstrate that these seemingly disparate approaches can be merged in practice with positive results, particularly when used in conjunction with an emphasis on mature coping skills.
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