Prisons

Resumen: el presente artículo tiene como objetivo analizar las prácticas de resistencia y protestas en los establecimientos penitenciarios de Córdoba en Argentina y reflexionar sobre las representaciones mediáticas de dichas prácticas. Este artículo se centra en las construcciones sociales e históricas que se han reificado a través del tiempo en los medios de comunicación sobre una determinada narrativa respecto de las cárceles, los presos y los motines. En este trabajo se busca proponer perspectivas locales y discutir con la exclusividad del motín como única práctica de resistencia instalada en el imaginario social. Por tal razón, se abordan los sentidos nativos en su propio contexto de uso, a través del análisis de situaciones en las que los actores actualizan sus representaciones sobre su propio mundo social. Para cumplir con esta intención se parte de una etnografía con personas privadas de su libertad y sus familiares. Se concluye que las percepciones locales de las protestas carcelarias no necesariamente coinciden con las significaciones que se hacen de estas desde los medios de comunicación. Es de interés demostrar en este análisis cómo las subjetividades construidas históricamente a través de las imágenes que circulan en los medios sobre las cárceles influyen en la constitución del imaginario punitivista en la actual coyuntura del Aislamiento Social Preventivo y Obligatorio (ASPO) para enfrentar la pandemia por la covid-19. Este trabajo, realizado entre julio y octubre del año 2020, aporta a la profundización y complejización de los estudios sobre las prácticas de protestas y resistencias en las cárceles. Lo hace a través del análisis de las asignaciones de sentido que los protagonistas les imprimen. Este texto es una apuesta a cuestionar desde la academia las clasificaciones sociales que en las representaciones mediáticas recaen sobre las personas privadas de la libertad.

Palabras claves: cárceles, protestas, representaciones mediáticas, resistencias, violencias.

An Ethnography of the Representations and Media Constructions of Protests and Resistance in the Prisons of Córdoba

Abstract: The purpose of this article is to analyze the practices of resistance and protests in the prisons of Córdoba in Argentina, and to reflect on the media representations of these practices. This article focuses on the social and historical constructions that have been reified over time in the media about a certain narrative on prisons, prisoners, and riots. The purpose of this paper is to propose local perspectives and discuss with the exclusivity of the riot as the only practice of resistance installed in the social imaginary. Accordingly, the native meanings are approached in their own context of use, through the analysis of situations in which the actors actualize their representations of their own social world. Following this intention, an ethnography with persons deprived of their liberty and their relatives is used as a starting point. It is concluded that local perceptions of prison protests do not necessarily coincide with the meanings attributed to them by the media. n this analysis, it is of interest to illustrate how the subjectivities historically constructed through the images that circulate in the media about prisons influence the constitution of the punitivist imaginary in the current situation of Preventive and Compulsory Social Isolation (ASPO) to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic. Conducted between July and October 2020, this work contributes to the deepening and complication of studies on the practices of protests and resistance in prisons, through the analysis of the meanings assigned to them by the protagonists. This text proposes a questioning, from an academic perspective, of the social classifications of persons deprived of their liberty in the media representations.

Keywords: Media representations, prisons, protests, resistances, violence.

Uma etnografia das representações e das construções midiáticas dos protestos e das resistências nas prisões de Córdoba

Resumo: o objetivo deste artigo é analisar as práticas de resistência e protestos nos estabelecimentos penitenciários de Córdoba, na Argentina, e refletir sobre as representações midiáticas dessas práticas. Neste artigo, centraliza-se nas construções sociais e históricas que vêm sendo reificadas no tempo nos meios de comunicação sobre uma determinada narrativa a respeito das prisões, dos presos e dos motins. Neste trabalho, pretende-se propor perspectivas locais e discutir com a exclusividade do motim como única prática de resistência instalada no imaginário social. Por isso, são abordados os sentidos nativos em seu próprio contexto de uso, por meio da análise de situações nas quais os atores atualizam suas representações sobre seu mundo social. Para cumprir com esse objetivo, parte-se de uma etnografia com pessoas privadas de sua liberdade e seus familiares. Conclui-se que as percepções locais dos protestos carcerários não necessariamente coincidem com as significações que são feitas destes a partir dos meios de comunicação. É de interesse demonstrar, nesta análise, como as subjetividades construídas historicamente mediante imagens que circulam na mídia sobre as prisões influenciam na constituição do imaginário punitivista na atual conjuntura do Isolamento Social Preventivo e Obrigatório (ASPO) para enfrentar a pandemia ocasionada pela covid-19. Este trabalho, realizado entre julho e outubro de 2020, contribui para aprofundar e tornar complexo os estudos sobre as práticas de protesto e resistências nas prisões e faz isso por meio da análise das designações de sentido que os protagonistas dão a elas. Trata-se de uma aposta para questionar, a partir da academia, a forma como as representações midiáticas classificam socialmente as pessoas privadas de liberdade.

Palavras-chave: prisão, protesto, representações midiáticas, resistências, violências.

In the context of the US anti-narcotic program, ‘Plan Colombia’, during the first decade of the 21st century, special agents of the US Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) took position in the heart of the Colombian penitentiary administration. Their task was to lead a profound reform of the sector, based on the US ultra-punitive penal regime and its ‘supermax’ housing units. Based on extensive fieldwork with prison architects, inmates and other actors in the penal systems of the US and Colombia, this paper analyzes how the reform was set up on the ground, shedding light on the partially divergent interests and expectations of both governments within the neocolonial context of ‘Plan Colombia’. We show how, on the one hand, the reform partially succeeded in militarizing carceral life and deurbanizing the prison system, spatially isolating inmates from their social and family environment. On the other hand, we show that the reform eventually failed, for institutional and political reasons,...

The case outlined below will be the basis for the “In That Case” section in the 11(3) issue of the Journal of Bioethical Inquiry (JBI) that will focus on “Ethical Inquiry into the Care of Prisoners.”We invite interested readers to provide responses to the case for possible publication. Responses should be 500–700 words, although longer manuscripts will be considered for publication. Responses should be submitted as soon as possible after publication of this issue. The editors (with the exception of the editor in chief, as she is an author of this particular case) will select the responses to be published in the 11(3) issue of the JBI and reserve the right to edit contributions to avoid repetition. Editorial changes will be cleared with authors before going to press. Responses should be submitted via Editorial Manager (http://www.edmgr.com/jbin/).

Pervasive drug enforcement efforts and new federal sentencing guidelines have led to an increase in substance abusers entering the federal prisons. Although the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has been committed to providing substance abuse treatment since the 1960s, a comprehensive expansion of its programs was necessary so that quality services could be provided for the growing drug-offender population. This article describes the BOP's six-part drug treatment strategy, which includes screening, education, residential treatment, nonresidential treatment, transitional treatment, and evaluation. The programs entail a biopsychosocial model and a multiphasic approach to comply with the BOP's goal of preparing inmates for a successful reentry into the community, free from criminal and substance-abusing behaviors.

Between August 16 and 21, 1974, an outbreak of beta-hemolytic group A M-9 T-9 streptococcal pharyngitis affected 49% of a randomly selected group of inmates at a jail in southern Florida. Food-specific attack rates incriminated improperly stored egg salad served at lunch on August 16 as the vehicle of transmission. By August 20, 290 symptomatic inmates had been placed on penicillin or erythromycin; on that day fewer than 5% of throat cultures from 400 allegedly non-penicillin-allergic largely asymptomatic inmates, cultured just before penicillin prophylaxis, were positive for the epidemic strain. At the time prophylaxis was given, secondary transmission had accounted for only 3% of cases. No non-suppurative sequelae were observed but 5% of inmates who received penicillin prophylaxis experienced an adverse reaction to the drug. Although widespread penicillin prophylaxis during outbreaks of group A beta-hemolytic streptococcal pharyngitis will likely prevent transmission of these orga...

Introduction: Over the past two decades, numerous studies on indoor air and the Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) have been conducted, mostly in office environments. However, there is little knowledge about SBS in police officers. This study was aimed to fill this gap. Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted in 2016 at the Triveneto Penitentiary Center, Northern Italy. Chi-square was used to test the difference of prevalence between office workers (OWs) and correctional officers (COs) of personal characteristics, cases of SBS, and general and mucocutaneous symptoms associated with SBS. A binary logistic regression was used to identify among individual, environmental, and psychosocial characteristics, factors associated with correctional officers’ Sick Building Syndrome. Results: Chi-squared analyses revealed that there were statistically significant differences in the estimated prevalence of SBS general symptoms (χ2 (1) = 12.22, P < .05), SBS mucocutaneous sympto...

Directly observed therapy is designed to ensure, by means of direct observation, that patients actually take their full course of treatment. Prisons are, however, particularly difficult environments for applying such a strategy. Prevalencies five to ten times the national average are not ...

Substance abuse and criminality share a complex relationship. The rates of substance use among the prisoners, and that of criminal acts among substance users in community setting are high. Data from South Asian countries, including from India are inadequate. This study aimed to assess the pattern of criminal acts among opioid-dependent subjects and their substance use pattern in the month before, during and after imprisonment. Using a cross-sectional study design and purposive sampling, opioid-dependent subjects (n=101) attending two community drug treatment clinics who have had any contact with the law were assessed using a specifically-designed tool to record criminal acts and substance use before, during and after last imprisonment. Most subjects (93%) had committed illegal acts in their lifetime. Physical assault was the most common illegal act, while 23% reported selling drugs and 9% reported committing serious crimes. About 95% were arrested and 92% had spent time in police lockups. About 29% were arrested for drugs possession or drug use, and 3% of injecting drug users arrested for carrying injection equipment. About 85% had been imprisoned at least once, of whom 88% used psychoactive substances in the 1-month period before their last imprisonment. Opioids were the most common substances used daily (68%), followed by cannabis (34%) and alcohol (22%). Ninety-seven percent reported the availability of substances in prisons, and 65% also used substances during their last imprisonment. Cannabis (35%) was the most common substances used in prison followed by opioids (19%). Seventy-six percent used substances soon after prison release, and 13% of opioid users experienced opioid overdose soon after prison release. Use of cannabis, injecting drugs, and opioid use before imprisonment were predictors of substance use in prison. Opioid-dependent people have various contacts with the law, including imprisonment. Many users are dependent on substances during prison-entry, which is an important reason for their continued substance use in prisons. There is a need to provide substance abuse treatment across all stages of criminal justice system.

To explore the relationship between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms (inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity) and violent and non-violent prison breaches of discipline in incarcerated male youths aged 18-21 years. A case-control study of 169 male youth offenders incarcerated in Scottish prisons and classified as 'symptomatic' or 'non-symptomatic' of inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive ADHD symptoms. ADHD symptoms were measured using the Conners' Adult ADHD Rating Scales-Self Report: Long Version, and prison breaches of discipline were gathered from the Scottish Prison Service's Prisoner Records System. Youths who were symptomatic of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition (DSM-IV) ADHD total symptoms had a significantly higher number of prison breaches of discipline than those who were non-symptomatic. Youths who were symptomatic of DSM-IV hyperactive/impulsive symptoms had a significantly higher number of violent and non-violent prison breaches of discipline than those who were non-symptomatic. However, no such significant difference was found between youths who were symptomatic and non-symptomatic of DSM-IV inattentive symptoms. Young male offenders who are symptomatic of ADHD have a higher number of prison breaches of discipline. In particular, symptoms of hyperactivity/impulsivity are associated with breaches of both a violent and non-violent nature. Implications of such symptoms on rehabilitation and recidivism are discussed.

La cellule individuelle occupe une place centrale et fondamentale dans l’évolution idéologique et formelle de l’espace carcéral. Elle est devenue – car elle n’a pas toujours eu cette place – la condition sine qua non de la peine, de la privation de liberté et de la "rédemption" de l’individu. Néanmoins, elle n’est pas exclusivement réservée à la prison. Plus encore, on assimile sa forme à un héritage du système monastique. L’Ordre des Chartreux en est l’un des exemples les plus radicaux. L’enfermement cellulaire envisagé  sur un temps long nous montre dans chacun des cas, celui de la Chartreuse et celui de la maison centrale, comment l’espace cellulaire est d’abord un instrument idéologique avant d’être un espace de vie. Cette comparaison se base sur une lecture de l’espace d’enfermement et s’élargit aux raisons et au fonctionnement qui guident son établissement, il ne s’agit donc pas de comparer le reclus, prisonnier ou moine, mais ce qui va définir un portrait d’enfermement.

Face à la pluralisation croissante des sociétés d’Europe occidentale, l’intervention socio-éducative est régulièrement amenée à reconsidérer la légitimité et le bien-fondé de ses pratiques, ce qui la pousse à s’ajourner et à intégrer de nouvelles pistes de travail (Soulet, 2014). Dans certains milieux d’intervention, tant la diversification des publics bénéficiaires que l’actualité sociopolitique ont occasionné un regain d’intérêt pour les questions traitant de la religion et de la spiritualité. En Suisse romande, l’action sociale en milieu carcéral est particulièrement concernée par cette tendance. D’un côté, le fait que les prisons principales comptent près de 50 % de détenus de confession musulmane implique une réflexion sur la « gestion de l’islam » en ces lieux, en occasionnant certaines tensions avec le principe de neutralité cher à la profession. D’un autre, la problématique dite de la « radicalisation » et du « -djihadisme » a remis la question religieuse au cœur des préoccupations des travailleurs sociaux. Toutefois, l’absence de directives institutionnelles claires pousse les différents services et leurs collaborateurs à une posture encore hésitante, marquée par des tâtonnements et ajustements incessants, dépendant plus des contextes d’intervention et des choix individuels que des politiques institutionnelles.
Cette situation transitoire et incertaine légitime une nouvelle réflexion sur le recours aux registres de la religion et de la spiritualité dans l’intervention sociale…

In this article, we analyze how police violence and practices of incarceration foster the emergence of a multifaceted political field, which mobilizes various collectives, movements, and activists. We seek to build an analytical plan that allows incorporating these political movements in the prison studies area, demonstrating how incarceration, together with other punitive devices, constitutes a point of articulation and transformation of these social movements. Taking as an empirical reference experiences of political articulation in São Paulo, Brazil, we highlight the centrality that prison acquires on the agenda of these movements and the role that victims of state violence perform in them.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether Shared Reading (SR), a specific literature-based intervention, is transposable to a prison context and whether mental health benefits identified in other custodial and non-custodial settings were reported by women prisoners. Design/methodology/approach In all, 35 participants were recruited within an all-female maximum security prison and attended one of two weekly reading groups. Qualitative data were collected through researcher observation of the reading groups; interviews and focus group discussions with participants and prison staff; interviews with the project worker leading the reading groups; and a review of records kept by the latter during group sessions. Findings Attendance rates were good, with nearly half of the participants voluntarily present at =60 per cent of sessions. Two intrinsic psychological processes associated with the SR experience were provisionally identified, “memory and continuities” and “mental...

The utility of the M Test (Beaber, Marston, Michelli, & Mills, (1985) as a screening measure for malingering was assessed using simulation-design (subjects asked to fake mental illness) and natural-group (forensic assessment cases suspected of malingering) approaches. A total of 318 subjects from community, clinical, and correctional settings completed the M Test under instructions to respond honestly or to simulate a major mental disorder. A factor analysis of the M Test items supported the original rationally based scale assignment, and the scales were found to have adequate internal reliability. To examine the predictive validity of the M Test, results revealed that sensitivity using the cutting scores suggested by Beaber et al. (1985) was much higher for simulating subjects (79.8%) than for the suspected malingerers (40.0%). The findings emphasize the danger of exclusive reliance on simulation studies for validating measures of malingering. It was concluded that, in its present form, the M Test does not constitute a good screening measure for assessing malingering.

The utility of the M Test (Beaber, Marston, Michelli, & Mills, (1985) as a screening measure for malingering was assessed using simulation-design (subjects asked to fake mental illness) and natural-group (forensic assessment cases suspected of malingering) approaches. A total of 318 subjects from community, clinical, and correctional settings completed the M Test under instructions to respond honestly or to simulate a major mental disorder. A factor analysis of the M Test items supported the original rationally based scale assignment, and the scales were found to have adequate internal reliability. To examine the predictive validity of the M Test, results revealed that sensitivity using the cutting scores suggested by Beaber et al. (1985) was much higher for simulating subjects (79.8%) than for the suspected malingerers (40.0%). The findings emphasize the danger of exclusive reliance on simulation studies for validating measures of malingering. It was concluded that, in its present form, the M Test does not constitute a good screening measure for assessing malingering.