National Findings from the Prison Research and Innovation Initiative

Session Submission Type: Complete Thematic Panel

Abstract/Description

Prisons in the United States house more than a million people, employ more than 200,000 corrections officers, and consume a significant share of state budgets. Despite their scale and impact, they are among the least transparent and most understudied public institutions. In 2019, the Urban Institute launched the Prison Research and Innovation Initiative to partner with departments of corrections and local research partners in five states (Colorado, Delaware, Iowa, Missouri, and Vermont) to expand data transparency in prisons and make changes to improve living and working conditions based on the ideas and perspectives of incarcerated people and correctional staff directly. This thematic panel will present findings from four papers that draw upon two data sources: (1) three waves of climate survey questions asked across all five sites to incarcerated people (N=5,268) and correctional staff (N=1,750), and (2) over 100 qualitative interviews with incarcerated people, corrections staff and leaders, and on-the-ground research partners.

Sub Unit

• Area VI. The Criminal Justice System / 48. Jails & Prisons

Individual Presentations

• Measuring Views of Prison Climate According to Incarcerated People and Correctional Staff Across Three Survey Waves - Evelyn F. McCoy, Urban Institute; Sam Tecotzky, Urban Institute

• Findings from a Process Evaluation of the Prison Research and Innovation Initiative - Sam Tecotzky, Urban Institute; Alice Galley, Urban Institute

• Comparing Views of Prison Climate Across Incarcerated People and Corrections Staff: Similarities and Differences in Perspectives - Alice Galley, Urban Institute; Evelyn F. McCoy, Urban Institute

• Understanding Workplace Culture and Job Satisfaction According to Corrections Staff: Findings from Three Waves of Climate Surveys - Emily Wright, Urban Institute; Evelyn F. McCoy, Urban Institute

Chair

• David Pitts, Urban Institute