Each year the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) administers the United Nations Survey of Crime Trends and Operations of Criminal Justice Systems (UN-CTS) to gather comprehensive information on the global prison population and the processes of correctional systems across all UN member states. The UNODC’s first edition of Prison Matters, which follows the 2021 and 2023 publications of Data Matters on prisons, is their report on this collected and analyzed data. The document is the product of UNODC’s Research and Trend Analysis Branch, supervised by Branch Chief Angela Me and coordinated by Chloe Carpentier, Chief of the UNODC Research and Knowledge Production Section. Analysis … [Read more...] about Summary: UNODC Global Prison Population and Trends: A Focus on Rehabilitation
Summary: Prisoners’ Perceptions and Satisfaction with Telepsychiatry Services
A recently published study within the journal Healthcare (Basel) examines the use of telepsychiatry services to provide mental healthcare for prisoners within the correctional system of Greece. The research was conducted by Evangelia Karachaliou, Phoebe Douzenis, Fotios Chatzinikolaou, Nikos Pantazis, Sophia Martinaki, Panagiota Bali, Konstantinos Tasios, and Athanasios Douzenis, and found several positive effects to adopting telepsychiatry for this specific patient population in comparison to more traditional methods of treatment. Background and Research Purposes Numerous studies in multiple settings have documented the prevalence of mental health and substance use disorders … [Read more...] about Summary: Prisoners’ Perceptions and Satisfaction with Telepsychiatry Services
Summary: Umbrella review and commentary on an updated evidence synthesis of the Risk-Need-Responsivity model
A review of the evidence base for Risk-Need-Responsivity principles was recently conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Oxford (UK), University of Konstanz (Germany), and Iowa State University (US). The article, “An updated evidence synthesis on the Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) model: Umbrella review and commentary” was written by Seena Fazel, Connie Hurton, Matthias Burghart, Matt DeLisi, and Rongqin Yu, and published in the Journal of Criminal Justice (Vol. 92, May ー June 2024). The authors indicate that RNR may lack adequate support for its viability, citing mixed-quality evidence that lacks transparency and shows authorship bias, and prior reviews of the evidence being … [Read more...] about Summary: Umbrella review and commentary on an updated evidence synthesis of the Risk-Need-Responsivity model
Summary: Prevalence of Mental Health and Comorbid Disorders in Scandinavian Prisons
First published in BMC Psychiatry in February of this year, a study by Anne Bukten, Suvi Virtanen, Morten Hesse, Zheng Chang, Timo Lehmann Kvamme, Birgitte Thylstrup, Torill Tverborgvik, Ingeborg Skjærvø & Marianne R. Stavseth examines the decade of 2010-19 among the prison populations in three Scandinavian nations (Norway, Sweden, and Denmark) to examine the pervasiveness of various mental health disorders – including substance use disorders (SUD) – within those incarcerated. The research observed a rising rate of such disorders even within an overall decrease in the number of prisoners, raising questions about what programs or systems may need to be implemented to answer this … [Read more...] about Summary: Prevalence of Mental Health and Comorbid Disorders in Scandinavian Prisons
Summary: Mental Health Needs, Substance Use, and Reincarceration in British Columbia
A new study by Amanda Butler, Tonia L. Nicholls, Hasina Samji, Sheri Fabian, and M. Ruth Lavergne – first published online in Criminal Justice and Behavior – takes a new approach to studying the effects of mental illness and substance use disorder on incarceration and recidivism. Although several prior studies have noted the prevalence of these disorders among incarcerated individuals, researchers have been unable to draw firm conclusions about how they may act as predictors of recidivism. This study has opted to focus on the metric of time between release and reincarceration among prisoners within Canada’s British Columbia (BC) province, providing a new, quantitative data point to … [Read more...] about Summary: Mental Health Needs, Substance Use, and Reincarceration in British Columbia
Summary: Key Issues for Mental Health in Corrections
In a recent study that builds upon several prior studies, researchers Ryan Coulling, Matthew S. Johnston, and Rosemary Ricciardelli examine the myriad factors that affect the mental health and well-being of workers in the Canadian correctional system. The new study – published in the January 22, 2024 issue of Frontiers in Psychology – takes a qualitative approach to analyzing mental health in corrections by focusing on the comments that participants wrote in response to an open-ended question at the end of a comprehensive mental health survey. Through this data, the researchers identified several themes that provide a more thorough picture of the challenges in correctional … [Read more...] about Summary: Key Issues for Mental Health in Corrections
Summary: Approaches to Effective Correctional Rehabilitation
A new study of correctional rehabilitation programs conducted by Susan Dewey, Brittany VandeBerg, and Susan Roberts–published in Vol. 104 (2) of The Prison Journal earlier this year–provides a distillation of three methods for delivering those services: holistic, pragmatic, and community oriented. Based on observations and interviews with hundreds of non-uniform correctional professionals working in eight different prison systems in the United States, the researchers manage to draw detailed outlines of each strategy, as well as identify both the strengths and weaknesses of each. Background and Research Purposes Non-uniformed staff fulfill several different roles outside of the … [Read more...] about Summary: Approaches to Effective Correctional Rehabilitation
Summary: Analyzing the Effects of Digital Rights in Finnish Prisons
A study by Pia Puolakka and Maarit Suomela–published in Edition #16 - 2023 of Advancing Corrections Journal–takes a look at how the Doris Smart Prison Project has been utilized within the Finnish prison system to increase inmates’ access to digital resources during their incarceration. As many social and professional aspects of modern society have become increasingly digital, deprivation of such access among prisoners is causing greater marginalization. The initiative to provide improved digital rights in Finnish prisons therefore aims to improve prisoners’ basic human rights, supporting their rehabilitation within prison and their reintegration in communities after their sentence has been … [Read more...] about Summary: Analyzing the Effects of Digital Rights in Finnish Prisons
Summary: Study on First Nations Australians in Correctional Treatment
An article by Meaghan Trudgett, Andrew McGrath, and Bianca Spaccavento–published in the January 2024 issue of Criminal Justice and Behavior–describes their recent research study on the experiences of indigenous First Nations Australians in the country’s correctional system, focusing on rehabilitation programs within the state of New South Wales (NSW). The study employed a qualitative approach, engaging in interviews with a small group of First Nations individuals who were either participants or facilitators within these programs. The authors examined the structures and philosophical foundations of such programs through the perspectives of their subjects and distilled these insights into a … [Read more...] about Summary: Study on First Nations Australians in Correctional Treatment
