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Schultz WJ, Ricciardelli R. The Floating Signifier of 'Safety': Correctional Officer Perspectives on COVID-19 Restrictions, Legitimacy and Prison Order. THE BRITISH JOURNAL OF CRIMINOLOGY 2023; 63:1237-1254. [PMID: 37600930 PMCID: PMC10433504 DOI: 10.1093/bjc/azac088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect prisons internationally. Existing research focuses on infection data, meaning we do not fully understand how COVID-19 shapes frontline prison dynamics. We draw on qualitative interviews with 21 Canadian federal correctional officers, exploring how the pandemic impacted prison management. Officers suggested inconsistent messaging around COVID-19 protocols reduced institutional and officers' self-legitimacy, fracturing trust relationships with incarcerated people. Furthermore, officers suggest that personal protective equipment such as gowns and face shields took on multiple meanings. We use Lévi-Strauss' floating signifier concept to analyse how individual definitions of 'safety' informed day-to-day prison routines. We conclude by arguing that legitimacy deficits and contested definitions of 'safety' will continue to create uncertainty, impacting prison operations going forward.
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Affiliation(s)
- William J Schultz
- Department of Sociology, MacEwan University, 6-398, City Centre Campus, 10700–104 Avenue, Edmonton, AB T5H 2Y5, Canada
| | - Rosemary Ricciardelli
- School of Maritime Studies, Fisheries and Marine Institute at Memorial University of Newfoundland, 155 Ridge Road, St. John’s, NL, A1C 5R3, Canada
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2
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Deuchar R, Densley J. Exploring the Intersection of Drug Addiction and Mental Ill-Health in Scottish Prisons: A Qualitative Study of Incarcerated Men. JOURNAL OF DRUG ISSUES 2023. [DOI: 10.1177/00220426231161282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/18/2023]
Abstract
This article presents insights from small-scale qualitative research exploring the intertwining nature of drug addiction and mental ill-health among men in Scottish prisons. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 men in two Scottish prisons. The men’s narratives suggested that increased tension in prison halls had stimulated a huge surge in the use of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS), in turn increasing and deepening existing mental ill-health and violence. They believed health care in the prisons to be of low quality, and that methadone was prescribed as a mechanism for social control. Implications for future policy, practice and research are outlined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ross Deuchar
- School of Education and Social Sciences, University of the West of Scotland, Paisley, UK
| | - James Densley
- School of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice, Metropolitan State University, Saint Paul, MN, USA
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Donnir GM, Asare-Doku W, Boakye KE. Substance use disorders among adults during imprisonment in a medium security prison: Prevalence and risk indicators. CRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR AND MENTAL HEALTH : CBMH 2023; 33:62-71. [PMID: 36715447 DOI: 10.1002/cbm.2273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Research shows that the prevalence of substance use disorders among the prison population is high globally. Although prisons are highly controlled environments, access to drugs and other substances in prison remains a major problem. Yet, previous research is focussed mainly on the Western context, with the studies generally reporting on lifetime prevalence without reference to whether the disorders are manifest even within the controlled environment. AIMS To estimate the prevalence of substance use disorders evident while in prison in Ghana and associated risk indicators. For these purposes, substance use disorder was defined by any indication of dependency, or escalating use or socially problematic use during the 12 months of imprisonment prior to the interview. METHODS The study involved 500 adults (443 men and 57 women) in a medium-security prison in Ghana who had served at least 1 year of a prison sentence. Participants' alcohol use disorder was assessed separately from other substance use disorders which included cannabis, cocaine and other stimulants using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI); it is a structured interview and diagnostic tool for major psychiatric and substance use disorders in DSM-5 and ICD-10. RESULTS Two percent of the 500 participants had used alcohol to the level of alcohol use disorder, and 6% had other substance use disorders in 12 months prior to interview and while in prison. Cannabis (4%) and stimulants (3%) were the most frequently reported substance use disorders. Logistic regression model estimates indicate that younger age, prior offending and alcohol use dependence were significantly associated with such disorders in prison. CONCLUSION In spite of efforts to prevent substance use in prison, nearly one in 10 of these prisoners were using alcohol or illicit drugs to a level indicative of substance use disorders. Our findings suggest that prioritising brief assessment may help identify those in most need of clinical help to limit their alcohol and illicit substance use problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gordon M Donnir
- School of Medicine and Public Health, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
- The Canberra Hospital, Garran ACT, Australia
- Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana
- The Department of Psychological Medicine and Mental Health, School of Medical Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana
| | - Winifred Asare-Doku
- National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Centre for Suicide and Violence Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Kofi E Boakye
- Centre for Suicide and Violence Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
- School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK
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Duke K, Gleeson H, MacGregor S, Thom B. The risk matrix: Drug-related deaths in prisons in England and Wales, 2015-2020. JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY 2023. [PMID: 36601729 DOI: 10.1002/jcop.22989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Revised: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
This article explores the factors contributing to drug-related deaths in English and Welsh prisons between 2015 and 2020. Based on content analysis of all Prison and Probation Ombudsman 'other non-natural' fatal incident investigation reports, descriptive statistics were generated. Qualitative analysis explored the circumstances surrounding deaths and key risk factors. Most deaths were of men, whose mean age was 39 years. Drug toxicity was the main factor in causing death, exacerbated by underlying physical health conditions and risk-taking behaviours. A variety of substances were involved. New psychoactive substances became more important over time. A high proportion had recorded histories of substance use and mental illness. During this period, the prison system was under considerable stress creating dangerous environments for drug-related harm. This study highlights the process of complex interaction between substances used, individual characteristics, situational features and the wider environment in explaining drug-related deaths in prisons. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen Duke
- Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, Middlesex University, London, UK
| | - Helen Gleeson
- Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, Middlesex University, London, UK
| | - Susanne MacGregor
- Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, Middlesex University, London, UK
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London, London, UK
| | - Betsy Thom
- Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, Middlesex University, London, UK
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Abstract
Utilizing Bacchi’s poststructuralist approach, “What’s the problem represented to be?,” we critically examine how the “problem” of drug use in prison is represented within a key initiative—the Identified Drug User program (IDUP)—of prison drug policy in one Australian jurisdiction. We use two data sources for our analysis: interview transcripts of recently incarcerated young men (aged 19–24) with histories of injecting drug use and selected prison drug policy and program documents. We examine how the “problem” of drug use in prison is problematized within the IDUP and question commonly accepted ways of thinking that underpin the program. We explore the discursive and subjectification effects of problem representations which produce young men as “rational” and “choosing” and, at the same time, as “untrustworthy” and “deserving of punishment.” We highlight how these effects have consequences for young men’s connections to family while incarcerated which can work against the very issues the IDUP is trying to address. We make two claims in particular: that the IDUP produces harmful effects for young men and their families and that the harmful effects produced are, paradoxically, those the IDUP aims to avoid. Our analysis offers insights into how drug use in prison could be thought about differently, including suggestions that might reduce at least some of its adverse effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shelley Walker
- National Drug Research Institute, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Behaviours and Health Risks Program, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Kari Lancaster
- Centre for Social Research in Health, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Mark Stoové
- Behaviours and Health Risks Program, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Peter Higgs
- Behaviours and Health Risks Program, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Public Health, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
| | - Mandy Wilson
- National Drug Research Institute, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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Bartoli C, Berland-Benhaim C, Tuchtan-Torrents L, Kintz P, Leonetti G, Pelissier-Alicot AL. Suicide by Medication Overdose in Prison: A Study of Three Cases. J Forensic Sci 2017; 63:1316-1320. [DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.13671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2017] [Revised: 09/28/2017] [Accepted: 09/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Christophe Bartoli
- CNRS; EFS; ADES; Aix Marseille Univ; Marseille France
- Service de Médecine Légale; APHM, CHU Timone; Marseille France
| | | | - Lucile Tuchtan-Torrents
- CNRS; EFS; ADES; Aix Marseille Univ; Marseille France
- Service de Médecine Légale; APHM, CHU Timone; Marseille France
| | - Pascal Kintz
- X-Pertise Consulting; 84 route de Saverne 67205 Oberhausbergen France
- IML; Strasbourg France
| | - Georges Leonetti
- CNRS; EFS; ADES; Aix Marseille Univ; Marseille France
- Service de Médecine Légale; APHM, CHU Timone; Marseille France
| | - Anne-Laure Pelissier-Alicot
- Service de Médecine Légale; APHM, CHU Timone; Marseille France
- INSERM; INMED; 1 Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, EFS, ADES; Marseille France
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Kolind T, Duke K. Drugs in prisons: Exploring use, control, treatment and policy. DRUGS-EDUCATION PREVENTION AND POLICY 2016. [DOI: 10.3109/09687637.2016.1153604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Torsten Kolind
- Centre for Alcohol and Drug Research, Aarhus University, Bartholins Allé 10, Bygn 1322, Aarhus C 8000, Denmark,
| | - Karen Duke
- Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, Middlesex University, The Burroughs, Hendon, London NW4, UK
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Kolind T, Holm K, Duff C, Frank VA. Three enactments of drugs in Danish prison drug treatment: Illegal drugs, medicine and constrainers. DRUGS-EDUCATION PREVENTION AND POLICY 2015. [DOI: 10.3109/09687637.2015.1109608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Torsten Kolind
- Centre for Alcohol and Drug Research, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark and
| | - Karina Holm
- Centre for Alcohol and Drug Research, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark and
| | - Cameron Duff
- School of Management, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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Abstract
In Denmark, outpatient substitution treatment has traditionally been associated with a great deal of ambivalence and control. Until the late 1990s, a condition for entering substitution treatment was that the user ceased using illicit drugs. Failure to comply would in many cases mean expulsion from treatment. However, since the late 1990s/early 2000s, a more liberal substitution treatment policy has developed, which recognizes continued attachments to illicit drugs and drug scenes for many drug users. With this shift in treatment rationality, treatment encounters between social workers and drug users can be analyzed as experiments enacting new relations between legal and illegal drugs, bodies, and environments. Drawing analytical inspiration from material semiotics and actor-network theory, this article focuses on how “outside” relations are articulated and become visible “inside” outpatient treatment encounters. Against this backdrop, we analyze the trial and error involved in stabilization as a set of ongoing processes relating to configurations of heterogeneous material networks. The article presents by way of a case study a detailed analysis of these entanglements, drawing on data from two qualitative studies of outpatient substitution treatment in Denmark.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bjarke Nielsen
- Business and Social Sciences, Centre for Alcohol and Drug Research, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
- Department of Anthropology, Center for Cultural Epidemics, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Esben Houborg
- Business and Social Sciences, Centre for Alcohol and Drug Research, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
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