Prison Issues in the Criminal Justice Field

Enjoy the Rodeo and Smell the Down-Home Southern Cooking

Sandy Schilling — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 13:53:00 GMT

A National Public Radio (NPR) broadcast, Broncos and Boudin: The Angola Prison Rodeo, by the Kitchen Sisters will have your mouth watering for boudin balls, cracklins, crawfish etouffee, boiled peanuts and more. This is an interesting piece about the Louisiana State Penitentiary and the Angola Prison Rodeo which originally started in 1964. Listen to the story featuring the inmate cowboys.

Bureau of Prisons Staff Protest Budget Cuts

Tom Reid — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 19:03:00 GMT

Source: National Public Radio/Morning Edition

February 13, 2008 Federal correctional officers are gathering outside the Justice Department on Wednesday to protest budget cuts and cutbacks to the federal inmate work program. The officers say it's the only program they have left to keep inmates out of trouble.

To listen to this audio broadcast, go to: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18937764

Idaho tops PETA's list of the Top 10 Vegetarian-Friendly State Prison Systems

Tom Reid — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 19:43:00 GMT

From the PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) website:

Boise, Idaho - With the demand for meatless options rising at an unprecedented rate, the healthy and humane trend has even found its way behind bars. PETA researched which states are doing the best job meeting their prison inmates' hunger for meatless meals, and the results are in: Idaho tops PETA's list of the Top 10 Vegetarian-Friendly State Prison Systems.

Massachusetts--with its mock-chicken cutlets, nuggets, and stew as well as the standby veggie burger--locked up second place, and the arrestingly delicious soy barbecue, mock Salisbury steak, and tofu cacciatore made Pennsylvania a shoe-in at number three. New Hampshire, Georgia, Utah, Hawaii, Tennessee, Kansas, and North Dakota rounded out the top 10. Each state will receive a framed certificate and a letter of appreciation from PETA

For the full article/press release go to: http://www.peta.org/mc/NewsItem.asp?id=10608

The complete listing: http://blog.peta.org/archives/2007/12/top_10_vegetari.php

"Center for the Correctional Work Force of the Future" opens at ACA

Tom Reid — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 18:36:00 GMT

The new Center for the Correctional Work Force of the Future is officially open at the ACA headquarters in Alexandria, VA. The operation of this center has been made possible through funding by the Bureau of Justice Assistance.

The Center will have many functions, and ACA envisions it as a vehicle to assist the association's corrections colleagues in several human resource areas such as recruitment and retention of staff, extending the work life of those soon to retire, and reducing the cycle of time it takes to hire and train new employees.

ACA is seeking input on how this Center can best serve the membership.

For more information, go to:

http://www.aca.org/Workforce/home.asp

Do You Believe in Faith-Based Prisons?

Sandy Schilling — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 01:11:00 GMT

A new report, Evaluation of Florida's Faith- and Character-Based Institutions, has been published by the Urban Institute. Florida runs two FCBIs - one correctional facility (Lawtey) for male inmates and another institution (Hillsborough) which offers the program for female inmates. According to the abstract of the report, "This research provides the first formal study of Florida’s FCBIs, and is guided by three research questions: (1) What are the FCBI objectives? (2) How are these objectives achieved? and (3) What are the FCBI outcomes?" This research will help you form an opinion on the efficacy of FCBIs.

Research Claims a Cure for Hepatitis C

cgordon — Wed, 23 May 2007 16:58:00 GMT

Science Daily has released an article outlining a research study done on hepatitis C conducted by Virginia Commonwealth University. The study, headed up by Mitchell Shiffman, M.D., a professor in the Virginia Commonwealth University Shool of Medicine, determined that "Nearly all -- 99 percent -- of patients with hepatitis C who were treated successfully with peginterferon alone, or in combination with ribavirin, had no detectable virus up to seven years later." This is ground breaking research and evidence given that "The CDC estimates the number of hepatitis C-related deaths could increase to 38,000 annually by the year 2010, surpassing annual HIV/AIDS deaths." Thanks to Michael Connelly at Corrections Sentencing for bringing this story to our attention.

Medical Causes of Death in State Prisons, 2001-2004

CC Pro — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 17:08:00 GMT

Data collected under the Death in Custody Reporting Program (DCRP) indicate half of all state prisoner deaths between 2001-2004 were the result of heart diseases and cancer. This report contains the first national data collected and published on the number, characteristics, and circumstances of the 10 leading causes of state prisoner deaths.

Highlights:

Male State prisoners had a death rate 72% higher than female State prisoners
Two-thirds of the deaths involved inmates age 45 or older
Death from illness increased with time served in prison
Over 40% of prisoner deaths took place in 5 States

The full report is available here.

Report on In-Prison Substance Abuse Programs in California

CC Pro — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 18:02:00 GMT

A special review examining the in-prison substance abuse programming managed by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has been published by the California Office of the Inspector General (OIG). This review contains findings that detail the practices that have impacted treatment effectiveness within California institutions. A key finding notes the failure to establish a "therapeutic community model." Other findings address programming costs, the selection process for the providers of treatment services, and the need for improved fiscal and management controls. A response from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (Attachment A) addresses the findings and proposes remedies for corrective measures in an effort to implement the Governor's comprehensive prison reforms.

A Tool to Evaluate Program Effectiveness?

Eileen Conway — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 19:00:00 GMT

Agencies across the country are seeking ways to incorporate evidence-based practices into their programming. While not yet approved for Departmental use, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's Office of Research, and the Center for Evidence Based Corrections at UC Irvine, have created a training manual that describes the California Program Assessment Process (CPAP) "and explores in detail the CPAP rating instrument, as well as the meaning behind the rating categories, issues that may occur in evaluating programs, and the proper application of the scoring rules." Certainly a tool to review.

Protocols for the Medical Management of Exposures

CC Pro — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 23:18:00 GMT

The Federal Bureau of Prisons has released clinical practice guidelines providing specific recommendations for the medical management of exposures occurring in correctional environments. These guidelines include, but are not limited to, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) viruses. These guidelines also provide references to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention protocols and pre-and-post exposure worksheets.

Restrictions on Inmate Lawsuits Eased

CC Pro — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 17:13:00 GMT

The Supreme Court of the United States, in a unanimous decision, held that some courts are too restrictive in barring inmate lawsuits alleging violations of civil rights. This ruling overturned procedural obstacles in the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that dismissed complaints alleging mistreatment brought by three Michigan inmates.

The Prison Litigation Reform Act, passed in 1995, was an attempt by the U.S. Congress to stem the tide of federal lawsuits brought by inmates. This act required inmates to follow a lengthy administrative grievance process before being permitted to sue in court. In part, the opinion written by Chief Justice John Roberts held that under the reform act, the failure of an inmate to exhaust all prescribed administrative procedures did not necessarily invalidate the claim and require automatic dismissal of the entire lawsuit.

Longer Life in Prison than Free?

Eileen Conway — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 17:21:00 GMT

Is prison the place to be to live a longer life? The Bureau of Justice Statistics has released Medical Causes of Death in State Prisons, 2001-2004. Among its findings are that "State prisoners had a 19% lower death rate than the adult U.S. resident population; among blacks the morality rate was 57% lower among prisoners."

Re-entry Housing Options...Interactive Chart Provides Ideas

Peggy L. Ritchie — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 22:57:00 GMT

Welcome back after the holidays and I wish you a Happy New Year.

I found this chart related to housing for formerly incarcerated persons. This issue continues to be a major challenge nationally. The Re-Entry Policy Council of the Council of State Governments Justice Center has developed this interactive chart as a resource. Click here. This chart compares housing types based on:

Funding sources
Availability
Length of stay
Program descriptions that have been successful in housing former offenders

After you've used it, let us know if it's helpful.

Just how feministic are female offenders? What social norms do they live by?

Peggy L. Ritchie — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 16:37:00 GMT

The University of California at Irvine just published a major research project called "Understanding the Female Offender". The project focuses on female offender behavior patterns: When do they persist and when do they desist? Read to find out:

Is marriage a factor in criminal behavior or changes in behavior for females?

Who are the "conventional men" in these marriages?

Does working in the home versus outside the home make a difference? Why?

Do homemaking and motherhood halt criminal behaviors? How can this be?

Read to discover research conclusions.

Controversy Surrounds this Prison Rape Report

Peggy L. Ritchie — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 20:37:00 GMT

The long awaited report by Mark Fleisher on "The Culture of Prison Sexual Violence" is finally available to all. He takes us through historical research by the decades and then moves into the "Theoretical Approaches to Inmate Sexual Behavior" and "Research Literature on Women Inmates". Mr. Fleisher continues with his analysis, methodologies, and major themes.