An Examination of Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Men’s Restrictive Housing Placements

• In Event: New Research on the Use and Impacts of Restrictive Housing

Abstract

Placement into restrictive housing is a controversial correctional sanction. Yet, little is known about who is placed in restrictive housing and under what conditions. While this practice is meant to isolate inmates who are deemed a threat to institutional order and security, assessments of “risk” underlying placement decisions are often racialized. Combined with the seclusion of prisons from public scrutiny and the wide discretion afforded to prison officials, conditions are ripe for disparate treatment. Accordingly, the current study examines restrictive housing placement decisions to generate a broader understanding of racial disparities in punishment. Using administrative records on all male inmates released from prison in a southwestern state between 2011 and 2014 (N=33,082), this study will assess whether there are racial and ethnic disparities in: 1) inmates’ placements into restrictive housing; 2) placements into particular types of restrictive housing (administrative segregation, disciplinary segregation, protective custody, mental health segregation, and medical segregation); and 3) the length of time spent there. Multilevel modeling techniques will be used given that multiple housing placements are recorded for each inmate. Avenues for future research and policy implications will be discussed.

Authors

• Melinda Tasca, Sam Houston State University

• Jillian Turanovic, Florida State University