Innovations in Correctional Research

Session Submission Type: Complete Thematic Panel

Abstract/Description

This panel showcases innovative research examining various aspects of correctional institutions. The papers document and analyze distinct dimensions of prison environments, from labor practices, to environmental factors, to workplace dynamics. The first paper showcases a comprehensive database documenting wage disparities in prison labor across all 50 states, addressing a critical gap in our understanding of compensation structures in U.S. state prisons. The second study investigates how exposure to violence amplifies the relationship between workplace stress and mental health problems among correctional officers. The third paper furthers this line of inquiry by examining how critical incident exposures differentially impact dimensions of PTSD among correctional staff. Finally, the fourth presentation explores an innovative angle by investigating the relationship between air pollution and critical incidents in state prisons. Together, these papers provide important insights into the conditions and stressors within carceral settings, offering evidence that could inform both correctional policy and practice to improve outcomes for all who live and work in these environments.

Sub Unit

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

Individual Presentations

• Prison Labor and Wage Disparities: Mapping Compensation Across U.S. State Prisons - Alena Gabrielson, University of Colorado Boulder

• Examining the Amplification Effects of Exposure to Violence on the Relationship between Perceived Work Stress and Mental Health Problems among Correctional Officers - Christopher Jodis, Florida State University; Joseph A. Schwartz, Florida State University

• The Importance of Dimensionality: Examining the Impacts of Critical Incident Exposures on PTSD Symptom Dimensions - Samantha Lynn Allen, Florida State University; Joseph A. Schwartz, Florida State University

• Air Quality and Institutional Behavior: The Relationship between Air Pollution and Critical Incidents in State Prison - Ileana Morales, University of Colorado Boulder

• Correctional programs and green criminology: implementing the “green prison” concept into Polish correctional facilities - Joanna Narodowska, University of Warmia and Mazury; Maciej Duda, University of Warmia and Mazury; Wieslaw Plywaczewski, Police Academy in Szczytno

Chair

• Joseph A. Schwartz, Florida State University