Students Touring Prisons: An Examination of Inmate Attitudes

• In Event: Emerging Research on Inmate Perceptions of the Incarceration Experience

Abstract

It is common for correctional facility tours to be utilized within undergraduate criminal justice programs as a way for students to experience real-world criminal justice agencies. While such tours have received praise in terms of solidifying student learning and allowing for greater application and critical thinking, these tours have also been criticized for their staging as well as objectification of inmates. In this research, a missing piece of this debate is examined: what attitudes do inmates themselves hold about students touring prisons? Inmates (N=154) in a Midwestern state were surveyed about their attitudes towards students touring prisons. An initial examination of the data indicate that many inmates reported “neutral” in response to fifteen Likert items, though there were notable exceptions. Factor analysis to determine if any of these items hang together into larger concepts will be conducted, as will more complex analyses to learn if there are factors indicative of support or disapproval for these tours.

Author

• Melissa J. Stacer, University of Southern Indiana