Examining the Use, Impacts, and Perceptions of Restrictive Housing

Session Submission Type: Complete Thematic Panel

Abstract

Recent calls for research and policy reforms related to restrictive housing use in prisons underscore critical knowledge gaps surrounding the use of restrictive housing and the diverse impacts of restrictive housing on those who experience it. This panel includes five papers stemming from five different federally-funded projects that aim to shed light on the use and impacts of restrictive housing from a range of different perspectives. The papers include examinations of decisions to place inmates in disciplinary confinement, the impacts of restrictive housing on inmates’ mental health, the impacts on the wellbeing of those who work in restrictive housing units, and the perceptions of prison officers about the use and impacts of restrictive housing. Together these papers represent a surge in efforts to address pressing theory and research gaps about restrictive housing in prison systems across the country.

Sub Unit

• Area VII. The Criminal Justice System / 41. Jails & Prisons

Individual Presentations

• Officers’ Views of Restrictive Housing - Daniel P. Mears, Florida State University; George Pesta, Florida State University; Vivian Hughes, Florida State University; William D. Bales, Florida State University

• The Conditional Impacts of Race and Ethnicity on In-Prison Sanctioning Decisions in Ohio - Joshua Cochran, University of Cincinnati; John Wooldredge, University of Cincinnati

• The Impact of Working in Restrictive Housing on Corrections Officers’ Mental and Physical Wellbeing - Leah Pope, Vera Institute of Justice; Leon Digard, Vera Institute of Justice

• Examining the Use of Restrictive Housing among Incarcerated Women - Melinda Tasca, Sam Houston State University; Jillian Turanovic, Florida State University

• Living in Restrictive Housing in Arizona - Kevin Wright, Arizona State University; Jacob Young, Arizona State University