Serving a sentence in Italy: Old and new challenges

The Italian system of the enforcement of the sentences has been shaped, since the enter into force of the Italian Constitution in 1948, on the rehabilitation principle but the path towards a real implementation of this pivotal goal is still ongoing. Moreover, conditions like the ones strictly linked to permanent prison overcrowding and reduced economical resources for the implementation of prison and probation staff stand as elements that slow down the achievement of the expected outcomes. In this complicated framework, people that committed a crime can count on a well structured system of alternative measures that have been improved and reinforced during the last twenty years. Despite the ongoing efforts for a better application of such measures, there are still specific issues linked, above all, to the most vulnerable people (foreigners and persons at the margins of the society) that are in the position to experiment substantial discrimination in regard to their lack of the fundamental elements asked by the law for the application of an alternative sanctions. To overcome the many problems still unresolved, the Italian prison and probation system is attaching great importance to the role of restorative justice, as a useful tool for achieving constitutional objectives. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022. All rights reserved.

Confinement with No Rights. Perceptions of Inmates' Relatives Regarding Measures for COVID-19 Control Implemented in Mexican Prisons

Based on a participatory study design, this article describes how a group of family members of people deprived of liberty (PDL) experienced the COVID-19 control measures implemented in Mexico's prisons. We conducted 28 in-depth interviews and analyzed them using ATLAS.ti. We found that the measures implemented in Mexican prisons to avoid the spread of COVID-19 focused mainly on suspension of visitation and PDL confinement. The isolation imposed on PDL impacted their living conditions, making them more vulnerable to contracting COVID-19 due to lack of access to essential services, food, and hygiene supplies. Visit restrictions and PDL isolation also impacted PDL relatives' health and socioeconomic conditions. Our findings indicate that the consequences of COVID-19 control actions in Mexican prisons differ according to the gender and jurisdiction of PDL. Women in federal prisons were more isolated, while those in local ones were more deprived of basic supplies. Imprisoned women's isolation has especially severe effects on the mental and physical health of their elderly parents and children. The results show how the measures adopted to control COVID-19 outbreaks in Mexican prisons have exacerbated the preexisting systemic violence experienced by PDL and their families and how they have failed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in these settings. These findings provide support for the health-informed penal reform of Mexican prisons.

‘Cocooning' in prison during COVID-19: Findings from recent research in Ireland

The advent of COVID-19 prompted the enforced isolation of elderly and vulnerable populations around the world, for their own safety. For people in prison, these restrictions risked compounding the isolation and harm they experienced. At the same time, the pandemic created barriers to prison oversight when it was most needed to ensure that the state upheld the rights and wellbeing of those in custody. This article reports findings from a unique collaboration in Ireland between the Office of the Inspector of Prisons – a national prison oversight body – and academic criminologists. Early in the pandemic, they cooperated to hear the voices of people ‘cocooning' – isolated because of their advanced age or a medical vulnerability – in Irish prisons by providing journals to this cohort, analysing the data, and encouraging the Irish Prison Service to change practices accordingly. The findings indicated that ‘cocooners' were initially ambivalent about these new restrictions, both experiencing them as a punishment akin to solitary confinement, and understanding the goal of protection. As time passed, however, participants reported a drastic impact on their mental and physical health, and implications for their (already limited) agency and relationships with others, experienced more or less severely depending on staff and management practices. The paper also discusses the implications for prison practices during and following the pandemic, understanding isolation in the penological context, and collaboration between prison oversight bodies and academics.

Open Letters from Prison: Mobilizing Communities of Collective Care

This article describes the response of a group of California women prisoners and their allies on the outside to the conditions that radically altered and devastated the lives of people in prison during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Benjamin Weber, African American and African Studies faculty member at the University of California, Davis, reached out to the California Coalition for Women Prisoners (CCWP), with its over twenty-six years of relationships with incarcerated women in California prisons. CCWP members Pam Fadem and Rachel Leah Klein collaborated to intervene early in the pandemic to facilitate communication among people both on the inside and outside of prison. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Radical History Review is the property of Duke University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Patch leaks in the pipeline post-pandemic by preparing a resilient and sustainable community: classroom to college

Women faced barriers in academia during the pandemic, and the implications on higher education, their career, and students are meaningful. Research focuses on how the pandemic has affected college students' mental health (Son et al., [12]) and the effects of the pandemic on student success (Lederer et al., [7]). (Re)membering pre-COVID leaks to build resilient community Factors causing the "leaky pipeline" phenomenon, pre-COVID, were not fully understood or addressed;then, we experienced societal upheaval and a pandemic. [Extracted from the article] Copyright of Communication Education is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

The Covid-19 pandemic and the STJ decisions on maternity and preventive detention

The article brings the results of quantitative-qualitative research of the jurisprudence of the Superior Court of Justice on granting house arrest to pregnant women, mothers, or guardians of children under 12 years old before and during the Covid-19 pandemic, with CNJ Recommendation 62/2020 as a landmark. Through grounded theory, we identified a continuity in the denials of conversions based on "extremely exceptional situations ", linked to the practice of drug trafficking, even in the face of the serious global health crisis of Covid-19.

The Reentry Health Care Hub: Creating a California-Based Referral System to Link Chronically Ill People Leaving Prison to Primary Care.

People released from prison experience high health needs and face barriers to health care in the community. During the COVID-19 pandemic, people released early from California state prisons to under-resourced communities. Historically, there has been minimal care coordination between prisons and community primary care. The Transitions Clinic Network (TCN), a community-based non-profit organization, supports a network of California primary care clinics in adopting an evidence-based model of care for returning community members. In 2020, TCN linked the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and 21 TCN-affiliated clinics to create the Reentry Health Care Hub, supporting patient linkages to care post-release. From April 2020-August 2022, the Hub received 8420 referrals from CDCR to facilitate linkages to clinics offering medical, behavioral health, and substance use disorder services, as well as community health workers with histories of incarceration. This program description identifies care continuity components critical for reentry, including data sharing between carceral and community health systems, time and patient access for pre-release care planning, and investments in primary care resources. This collaboration is a model for other states, especially after the Medicaid Reentry Act and amid initiatives to improve care continuity for returning community members, like California's Medicaid waiver (CalAIM).

Record linkage studies of drug-related deaths among adults who were released from prison to the community: a scoping review.

BACKGROUND: There are public health concerns about an increased risk of mortality after release from prison. The objectives of this scoping review were to investigate, map and summarise evidence from record linkage studies about drug-related deaths among former adult prisoners. METHODS: MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychINFO and Web of Science were searched for studies (January 2011- September 2021) using keywords/index headings. Two authors independently screened all titles and abstracts using inclusion and exclusion criteria and subsequently screened full publications. Discrepancies were discussed with a third author. One author extracted data from all included publications using a data charting form. A second author independently extracted data from approximately one-third of the publications. Data were entered into Microsoft Excel sheets and cleaned for analysis. Standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) were pooled (where possible) using a random-effects DerSimonian-Laird model in STATA. RESULTS: A total of 3680 publications were screened by title and abstract, and 109 publications were fully screened; 45 publications were included. The pooled drug-related SMR was 27.07 (95%CI 13.32- 55.02; I 2 = 93.99%) for the first two weeks (4 studies), 10.17 (95%CI 3.74-27.66; I 2 = 83.83%) for the first 3-4 weeks (3 studies) and 15.58 (95%CI 7.05-34.40; I 2 = 97.99%) for the first 1 year after release (3 studies) and 6.99 (95%CI 4.13-11.83; I 2 = 99.14%) for any time after release (5 studies). However, the estimates varied markedly between studies. There was considerable heterogeneity in terms of study design, study size, location, methodology and findings. Only four studies reported the use of a quality assessment checklist/technique. CONCLUSIONS: This scoping review found an increased risk of drug-related death after release from prison, particularly during the first two weeks after release, though drug-related mortality risk remained elevated for the first year among former prisoners. Evidence synthesis was limited as only a small number of studies were suitable for pooled analyses for SMRs due to inconsistencies in study design and methodology.

Information and communications technology access for people in prison: strategies to maximise the benefits and minimise the harms of communication with families and program workers

COVID-19 lockdowns accelerated the take up of video calls and other digital communication between people in prison and the outside world. This has altered relationships with families and practice within rehabilitative and reintegration services. Little work has discussed the significance of these changes or articulated a normative agenda for shaping changes in future. This article aims to identify strategies that might help reintegration services and justice system agencies maximise the benefits and minimise the harms from information communication technology (ICT) use between people in prison and their families and services. Drawing from empirical literature, practical insights from service delivery and theoretical insights from assemblage theory and carceral geography, this article proposes three strategies: design spatial, scheduling and security measures to minimise stigma and disruption;actively support ICT users to equitably access the potential of ICT systems;and develop program practices in parallel with the evolutions of the technology they employ. Each of these strategies is set out with sub-components and suggestions for further research.

Supporting family video visits during COVID-19: the experiences of the Community Restorative Centre

The Community Restorative Centre (CRC) is based in New South Wales, with its family worker and telephone information and referral service worker providing support to the families of people in prison in that state. The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting suspension of face-to-face visits to incarcerated loved ones caused a high level of distress to families, which was partially alleviated by the introduction of video visits directly to the family's own smart device. This new system of video visiting was not without difficulties but provided a welcome method of staying in contact with a loved one in custody. CRC staff were able to provide ongoing emotional support and accurate, up-to-date information to family members throughout the pandemic and alleviate some of the misinformation and resulting distress experienced by families who were concerned about the physical and emotional wellbeing of their relative in custody.

The prison reentry experience of justice-involved veterans

Prison reentry programs attempt to equip justice-involved veterans with life skills necessary for their transition out of prison. This qualitative study addressed the scant understanding of the impact pre-released prison reentry programs have on justice-involved veterans' transition and reintegration back to the community. The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the perceptions of justice-involved veterans regarding prison reentry programs that have impacted their transition out of prison. The well-being development model and Castro's military-to-civilian transition model provided the conceptual framework for this qualitative study, using semistructured questions to interview 11 justice-involved veterans regarding their participation in prison reentry programs. Directed content analysis was used to categorize, synthesize, and interpret data. The first theme revealed that prison reentry programs helped with transition when there was family support, when one participated in industry reentry training, when there is community support, and housing. The second theme that emerged from the data revealed that prison reentry programs did not help with transition when prison reentry programs were cancelled due to SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), prisoners faced difficulty in adjusting, had no knowledge of community resources, received no help from prison, and did not have access to housing, transportation, or healthcare. The research findings may contribute to positive social change by engaging justice-involved veteran stakeholders to review and revise prison reentry policies for justice-involved veterans. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Conservative government penal policy 2015-2021: Austerity, outsourcing and punishment redux?

This book interrogates Conservative government penal policy for adult and young adult offenders in England and Wales between 2015 and 2021. Government penal policy is shown to have been often ineffective and costly, and to have revived efforts to push the system towards a disastrous combination of austerity, outsourcing and punishment that has exacerbated the penal crisis. This investigation has meant touching on topical debates dealing with the impact of resource scarcity on offenders' experiences of the penal system, the impact of an increasing emphasis on punishment on offenders' sense of justice and fairness, the balance struck between infection control and offender welfare during the government handling of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and why successive Conservative governments have intransigently pursued a penal policy that has proved crisis-exacerbating. The overall conclusion reached is that penal policy is too important to be left to governments alone and needs to be recalibrated by a one-off inquiry, complemented by an on-going advisory body capable of requiring governments to 'explain or change'. The book is distinctive in that it provides a critical review of penal policy change, whist combining this with insights derived from the sociological analysis of penal trends. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.

Problem-solving Covid-19: A qualitative inquiry into how correctional officers and administrators have responded to the dynamic problems of the coronavirus pandemic

Jail administrators and officers have been confronted with a number of workplace problems as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Ever since its emergence, they have been required to contain outbreaks of the virus, manage a correctional population that has grown increasingly frustrated over restrictions imposed on their movements, and contend with health protocols that have been in a constant state of fluctuation. This article commences the literature on how exactly jail staff have responded to these serious problems. Semistructured interview data collected from administrators and officers employed in a county-level jail located in the southeastern United States (N = 21) revealed how, to contain viral spread, respondents received the vaccine and wore masks at all times while working. Trauma-informed leadership was embraced by superiors to help their line-staff deal with the confusion created by constant health policy changes, while gentle communication styles were adopted to de-escalate potentially hostile interactions with detainees. Implications for correctional policy and practice are discussed in light of these findings. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

"We sleep 10cm apart so there is no social distancing": COVID-19 preparedness in a Zimbabwean prison complex.

PURPOSE: Prisons in Africa face unprecedented challenges during Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In July 2020, the first prison system case of COVID-19 was notified in Zimbabwe. Subsequently, the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services released their COVID-19 operational plan. The purpose of the study was to assess preparedness, prevention and control of COVID-19 in selected prisons in Zimbabwe. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: A multi-method situation assessment of COVID-19 preparedness was conducted across three Zimbabwean prisons. The World Health Organization checklist to evaluate preparedness, prevention and control of COVID-19 in prisons was administered to frontline health managers. Information garnered was further explored during site observation and in multi-stakeholder key informant interviews with policymakers, prison health directorate, frontline health-care professionals, officers in charge and non-governmental organizations (n = 26); focus group discussions with correctional officers (n = 18); and male/female prisoners (n = 36). Data was triangulated and analyzed using content thematic analysis. FINDINGS: Outdated infrastructure, severe congestion, interrupted water supply and inadequate hygiene and sanitation were conducive to ill-health and spread of disease. Health professionals had been well-trained regarding COVID-19 disease control measures. COVID-19 awareness among prisoners was generally adequate. There was no routine COVID-19 testing in place, beyond thermo scanning. Access to health care was good, but standards were hindered by inadequate medicines and personnel protective equipment supply. Isolation measures were compromised by accommodation capacity issues. Flow of prison entries constituted a transmission risk. Social distancing was impossible during meals and at night. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: This unique situation assessment of Zimbabwean prisons' preparedness and approach to tackling COVID-19 acknowledges state and prison efforts to protect prisoners and staff, despite infrastructural constraints and inadequate resourcing from government.

COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy and uptake: Perspectives from people released from the Federal Bureau of Prisons

People in United States (US) prisons and jails have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This is due to challenges containing outbreaks in facilities and the high rates of health conditions that increase the risk of adverse outcomes. Vaccination is one strategy to disrupt COVID-19 transmission, but there are many factors impeding vaccination while in custody. We aimed to examine the perspectives of former residents in the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) regarding COVID 19 vaccine hesitancy and acceptance. Between September-October 2021, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 21 recently released individuals who were incarcerated before and during COVID-19 and coded transcripts thematically. We assessed perceptions of the vaccine rollout and factors shaping vaccination uptake in custody and after release. The vaccine was available to seven participants in custody, of whom three were vaccinated. Interviewees had mixed attitudes about how vaccines were distributed, particularly with priority given to staff. Most were reluctant to get vaccinated in custody for varying reasons including observing staff declining to be vaccinated, lack of counseling to address specific questions about safety, and general lack of trust in the carceral system. By contrast, twelve got vaccinated post-release because of greater trust in community health care and stated they would not have done so while incarcerated. For residents in the BOP. COVID-19 vaccination was not simply a binary decision, instead they weighed the costs and benefits with most deciding against getting vaccinated. Institutions of incarceration must address these concerns to increase vaccine uptake as the pandemic continues.(c) 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Death, trauma and grief: the case of the prison

This paper critically analyses deaths in prison in England and Wales. It focuses on how the state's ‘truth' about the nature and extent of these deaths has been challenged and develops an alternative perspective which situates these deaths in the context of a system built on violence and systemic indifference and where state agents are protected by a culture of immunity and impunity. It also illustrates the often-abysmal treatment of the families of dead prisoners and the struggles they have engaged in, alongside the charity INQUEST1, to establish the actual truth about the deaths of their relatives and to hold to account those responsible for these deaths, many of which were preventable. The paper concludes by outlining a range of radical alternatives to the current baleful situation including humanising prisoners and removing the stigma of less eligibility which has prevailed for 200 years and has legitimated the pain and punishment inflicted on them by the state. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

The aging seen from prison: psychosocial analysis of LGBT old age with womens and men deprived of freedom at the brazilian context of COVID-19

Old age is a universal phenomenon that has notably expanded in the Brazilian population, including within the prison system. However, the arrival of the coronavirus in Brazilian prisons reinforced the need to pay attention to the psychosocial vulnerabilities that permeate this environment and affect the population in prison. The study aimed to analyze and compare the social representations of women and men in deprivation of liberty about the conditions that LGBT elderly people have to experience a safe old age in the context in which they live. It is characterized as a qualitative research, based on the Theory of Social Representations, of a descriptive and comparative nature, with cross-sectional data and a non-probabilistic convenience sample. There were 28 people living in deprivation of liberty in male and female penal units, during the pandemic period in a Brazilian state. It is evident that in the representations of the participants, old age is not a phase full of tranquility, as there are conditions and resources necessary to live it well. It is concluded that there is a predominance of many stereotypes about sexual orientation, lifestyle, loneliness in old age and sexuality among the elderly, which can be justified by the lack of knowledge on the subject or even the lack of contact with people LGBT's. © 2022, Sociedad Interamericana de Psicologia. All rights reserved.

What do times of crisis reveal about the ‘Total' nature of prisons? Analysing the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis within the Scottish prison system

Times of crisis within prison settings either at a system-wide level during times of riots or during pandemics or at more personal levels during time in segregation can be particularly challenging times when the prison can feel more ‘total' than other times. Goffman's influential work outlines a particular interpretation of the parameters of the total institution, of which prisons were one manifestation. In the years following its publication, a wide range of research has sought to subvert the notion that prisons are total institutions, suggesting a greater permeability of contemporary prison walls. This article calls for a re-consideration of this dismissal, and a reconnection and critical engagement with Goffman's original parameters within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdown. The lockdown in response to COVID-19 in prison settings has resulted in many prison jurisdictions rolling back many of the erosion of the prison looking and feeling like a total institution. Through the analysis of 19 letters received from 8 people in custody in one Scottish prison, there emerges a reframed and reconsidered permeability of prison walls. For the participants in this study, the experiences of the COVID-19 lockdown complicate much of the recent critique of the relevance of the total institution as a theoretical frame to analyse contemporary prisons. This article argues that by considering the ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic, it is possible to observe a more essential quality of contemporary imprisonment, obscured through decades of penal reform but one that emerges during times of crisis. © The Author(s) 2023.

COVID-19 Fears and Preventive Behaviors among Prison Staff

This study focused on COVID-19 preventive behaviors and fears among prison staff members after the first wave of the pandemic. Cross-sectional data from 171 participants were collected in Switzerland. The level of fears (58.5%) and protective behaviors (100%) were high. Correctional officers adhered less to preventive measures than other staff members (p = .001). Fears were related to a reduction of social contacts (p = .006) and worries about physical health was related to preventive behaviors in general (p = .006). There is a need to raise prison staff awareness regarding their vulnerability to the SARS-CoV-2 in order to improve the effectiveness of health campaigns in prison settings. Special attention should be given to correctional officers.

Envisioning the future: A neuropsycho-pedagogical intervention on resilience predictors among inmates during the pandemic

Research about the predictors of resilience in the inmate population needs further explorations. This study examines the predictors of resilience in male inmates from Padua prison, before and after a 9-session neuropsychopedagogical intervention, entitled Envisioning the Future (EF), which took part in remote during Covid-19 pandemic. Using two linear regression models, a change in the factors determining inmates' resilience was found from before to after the intervention. In the pre-course group (n = 24), only low avoidance emerged as a statistically significant predictor of the level of resilience. In the post-course group (n = 24) low avoidance, flexibility, high levels of social support, and self-efficacy in managing positive emotions emerged as significant predictors of inmates' resilience. The results show that the constellation of factors predicting resilience in prisoners can be enriched by participating to neuropsychopedagogical interventions like EF, that increases individuals' resources in a challenging context such as prison. Copyright © FrancoAngeli.