Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Employee-inmate misconduct is a growing issue throughout American corrections and most state have this problem. The effect that this has on inmates is relatively unknown. This research examines the impact of staff-inmate misconduct on inmate morale. This research will be conducted by interviewing approximately 400 inmates upon their release from a southern state prison system. This research will assist correctional agencies to identify and address issues of employee misconduct in prison systems.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: The paper presents the perceptions and views of Muslim inmates regarding justice and restorative justice. The data is based on a survey questionnaire sent to the approximately 4000 Muslim male inmates in the Ohio state correctional facilities prior to the tragedy of 9/11/01. The questionnaire asked Muslim inmates a variety of questions about demographic characteristics, conversion, religious practices as well as three open ended questions related to their understanding of justice generally, justice in the Islamic perspective in particular and the meaning of restorative justice. Responses to such questions will be first explored in a narrative analysis. Next, the responses will be analyzed in relation to demographic characteristics, the pattern of adherence to Islam (i.e. converted inside or outside the prison or born Muslim), the influence of the prison’s ‘Imam’[religious leader approved by the Department of Corrections], and in relation to the type of the religious expression practiced by the inmate (i.e. following ritualistic practices or religious ideologies). The results provide base line analysis of the perceptions of justice and restorative justice among a growing Muslim population in U.S. prisons before the changes in caused by Homeland Security policies in the prison environments.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Is the current penal policy of transferring prisoners over state lines truly, as some argue, a resumption of past “banishment” practices? As far as the temporal and spatial characteristics are concerned – i.e., inmates are punitively separated from their community by great distances for a pre-determined length of time – the answer to this question is yes. However, there are numerous legal mechanisms by which the state can transfer inmates across state lines. Additionally, there are both practical and normative considerations involved in inmate transfers. In some cases, “batch” inmate transfers are made to penal institutions across state lines for very practical reasons (i.e., lack of space), in other cases, the Interstate Corrections Compact is utilized to transfer “problem” inmates on a case-by-case basis. In both cases, inmates are removed from their home states to spend time –possibly a lifetime –in communities far removed from their own. But should we consider the long-distant transfer of all inmates to be a form of “banishment?” In fact, although it may “feel good” in some political and legal quarters to use the term “banishment” when describing the current policy of transferring inmates over state lines, it is legally and philosophically more accurate to make distinctions between “banishment” and “transportation.” This paper, utilizing historical examples of coercive offender and inmate mobility, argues that there are key distinctions to be made between the "transportation" of inmates and the “banishment” of individual inmates via the Interstate Corrections Compact.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Prison victimization is a serious issue that is perpetrated by both prison staff and fellow inmates. Violence and victimization are an undeniable aspect of prison life for inmates; yet, the preponderance of research on prison violence focuses on inmate aggression and misconduct rather than inmate victimization. Using self-reported data from 247 male and female inmates confined to eight correctional institutions in a southeastern state, the goal of this research is to identify inmate and institutional characteristics that are related to both staff-on-inmate and inmate-on-inmate serious personal victimization. Serious personal victimization was self-reported by inmates and includes forced or threatened sexual contact against inmate’s will, physical assault, having a weapon used against them, or threats of harm. Examples of inmate characteristics include age, sex, race, education, etc. Institutional characteristics include security level of the institution and perceptions of institutional safety. Using descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyses, this research examines whether factors related to serious personal victimization vary by perpetrator (i.e., prison staff or fellow inmates). Implications for correctional policy and practice are discussed.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: The Route 222 Corridor Anti-Gang Violence Initiative is comprised of three key components: Law Enforcement, Prevention and Re-entry. This paper focuses on the unique challenges faced by the project’s re-entry case managers – the human service professionals charged with identifying gang affiliated inmates preparing to be released from county prisons and coordinating their successful reintegration back into the community. Presenters will discuss the challenges faced as they work to establish a rapport with this inmate population and their families, while coordinating their efforts with law enforcement and prevention providers.