监狱警察人力资本流动与职位提升之间关系的实证分析

人力资本流动已经成为劳动经济学经验研究的一个中心主题。监狱警察流动是监狱人力资源动态配置的过程,它可以促进监狱行刑资源的充分利用。基于浙江省监狱人力资本流动现状的调查,本文分析了监狱警察人力资本特征要素以及职位提升与人力资本流动之间的关系,探讨了监狱警察人力资本流动的若干管理策略。     

Influencing public policy: an embedded criminologist reflects on California prison reform

Criminologists bemoan their lack of influence on U.S. crime policy, believing that the justice system would be improved if their research findings were more central in decision making. I had an opportunity to test that notion as I participated in California’s historic attempt to reform its prisons over the past 4 years. I became an embedded criminologist, where I was able to observe and contribute to the inner workings of state government. This article reports on my accomplishments with respect to fostering research activities and shifting the department’s focus towards prisoner reintegration. It discusses some of the lessons I learned, including the personal toll that such work entails, the importance of the timing of policy initiatives, and the power of rigorous methodology and clear communication. I conclude by recommending that other policy-oriented criminologists seek out similar experiences, as I believe our academic skills are uniquely suited and ultimately necessary to create a justice system that does less harm.

The benefit and cost of prison in the UK. The results of a model of lifetime re-offending

With prisons in the UK reaching full capacity, and with similar trends in other European countries and the USA, there is much political debate about the efficacy of prison and community sentences. This paper aims to inform this debate by testing the hypothesis that prisons are an effective and efficient way of reducing re-offending. A rapid review of effectiveness studies was performed to determine the relative impact of prison and community sentences on re-offending. An economic analysis was undertaken to transform the estimates of effect into estimates of the economic efficiency of alternative sentencing options in the context of the UK. When compared with standard prison sentences, a number of community-based interventions and enhancements of standard prison sentences were found to save money, both for the public sector and for society more broadly. Diverting adult offenders from standard prison sentences to alternative interventions saves the UK public sector between ￡19,000 and ￡88,000 per offender. When victim costs are considered, diverting offenders from standard prison sentences saves UK society between ￡17,500 and ￡203,000 per offender. It was concluded that standard prison sentences are not an economically efficient means for reducing re-offending.

From prison guards to… what? Occupational development of prison officers in Sweden and Norway

Prison officers are a key group of civil servants in the criminal justice system. Based on a comparative study of the systems for vocational education in Sweden and Norway, this article compares policies and strategies for developing the prison officer occupation. Differences in this domain are analysed against the backdrop of theories about professionalization and growing differences between these countries concerning the ends and means of prison policy in general. Data come from interviews and documents collected in 2013–2014, as well as a rereading of data from two earlier prison-research projects. Results show that Norway is adopting a strategy quite similar to the one behind the birth of the so-called welfare professions during the heyday of the social-democratic welfare state. In Sweden, the continuing division of labour is leading to enhanced skills among some specialized subgroups, such as security and programme staff, but a reduction in qualifications for the majority. The study should be of interest in relation to different strategies for developing the work of prison officers as well as of other categories of public servants. It points to growing differences between two welfare regimes that used to be quite similar, not least concerning the prison policy field.     

Mental health issues and the Canadian criminal justice system**

The critics assert that a significant proportion of incarcerated individuals suffers from mental health issues, i.e. ‘the criminalization hypothesis.’ The current paper reviews the scholarly literature to address five interrelated questions: (1) What are the risks of those classified as mentally ill for committing crimes and, in particular, violent crimes? (2) As the gatekeepers to the criminal justice system, what happens during ‘first encounters’ between the police with those who have mental illnesses? (3) What community-based services are available for effective diversions as an alternative to incarceration for those with mental illnesses? (4) What are the impacts of treatment options upon those experiencing mental illnesses while incarcerated, including the impact upon recidivism? (5) What types of pre-release planning and community responses have the most positive effects to help reduce recidivism and assist offenders in coping with mental health issues in the Canadian context? After summarizing key evidence pertaining to these questions, the paper presents case studies as exemplars of ‘best practices’ to illustrate promising directions conducive to integrated, holistic, and effective responses at the intersection of the criminal justice and mental health systems.     

Patterns of Crime and Substance Abuse among Israeli Ex-Addict Female Inmates

The current study examined the relationship between drug addiction and crime involvement among Israeli female prisoners, and further examined the differential contribution of early onset of drug, sexual abuse and poly drug use, to predict involvement in offenses against person. Fifty-four ex-addict female inmates participated in this study. Research findings indicated that a majority began using drugs prior to their involvement in crime and most were convicted of drug-related crimes. In addition, almost half had a history of sexual abuse. Female inmates who were sexually abused were characterized by an early onset of drug and poly drug use. A relationship was observed between poly drug use and offenses against person. Also, the duration of drug abstinence corresponded to a lower sense of coherence and higher level of trait anxiety among female inmates. The implications of these findings for substance abuse treatment are discussed. Gila Chen, PhD, is a lecturer in the Criminology Department at Ashkelon Academic College and Bar-Ilan University. Her academic interests include youth at risk, female offenders, self-help groups, and drug addiction.     

Drug counselling behind the prison wall: staff responses to collaborative challenges

In the last decade, 13 Drug Counselling Units (DCUs) have been established in Norwegian prisons. These units are to offer prisoners with substance use problems coordinated treatment and rehabilitation so they can better cope with their problems during imprisonment and after release. Key means in achieving these goals are to establish inter-agency collaboration between the prison service and the specialist health services. Psychologists, social workers and prison officers from these institutions are to form an inter-professional team in the collaborative process. This study explores the challenges these occupational groups face when they collaborate within this organizational frame. The results show that the occupational groups experience two of the same types of challenges, but that they respond differently to them. The pattern of responses impacts collaboration, both in positive and negative ways. However, all occupational groups endeavour to maintain a high standard within the institutional framework provided by the Norwegian prison system. This article discusses how the responses of the occupational groups in the collaborative processes in the DCUs are influenced by their affiliation to the DCUs, as well as the system of management and professional logic.     

服刑人员监所内再犯罪若干问题探析

服刑人员监所内再犯罪是犯罪恶习的延续,严重破坏了监所正常秩序,必须依法惩处。但目前,对服刑人员监所内再犯罪的处理面临着具体法律规范缺乏、狱内侦查措施缺少法律支撑、相关当事人的诉讼权利无法得到有效保护、服刑人员中特殊群体再犯罪的处置缺少规范等诸多问题。为此,亟需完善监所内再犯罪案件处理的相关立法,明确狱内侦查措施的具体内容,依法保护相关当事人的合法权益,制定针对特殊群体再犯罪问题的特别规定,从而实现依法治监,确保监所安全。     

贵州省女性服刑人员的心理健康状况及其相关因素研究

采用王征宇编制的症状自评量表和自编＂基本信息问卷＂对贵州省某女子监狱在押女犯进行施测,并用SPSS15.0对所得数据进行统计分析。结果显示,贵州省某女子监狱在押女性罪犯在症状自评量表上的总分、阳性症状分、阳性症状项目数以及9项因子的得分都显著高于全国常模,表明女性罪犯在躯体化、强迫症状、人际关系敏感、抑郁、焦虑、敌对、恐怖、偏执和精神病性方面都存在明显的异常心理;进一步研究发现,不同年龄、不同文化程度、不同犯罪类型和不同剩余服刑时间的被试者的心理健康水平存在明显的差异,而婚姻状况和已服刑时间不同的被试之间的心理健康水平没有明显差异。     

Prisoners' Families and the Regulation of Contact

This article explores HM Prison Service policy and the impact of case law on the rights of prisoners to family contact. First, state provision and policy for prisoner-family contact is reviewed and the constraints imposed on contact over the past decade are explored. A number of legal challenges to these constraints have been made recently and, drawing on domestic case law and challenges in the European Court of Human Rights we explore the nature of prisoners' rights of contact in prison. This analysis shows that while fathers' rights for indirect contact are upheld, their rights are not respected as much as those of mothers in cases of direct contact and also that men unable to establish family life have their rights further eroded. Drawing upon empirical research findings as well as case law, the relationship between the Prison Act 1952 and the Children Act 1989 is considered and policy recommendations are put forward.