Multiagency support is considered crucial in the successful resettlement of prisoners. Various prison-based and community-based professionals should each play a part in supporting prisoners through... Show moreMultiagency support is considered crucial in the successful resettlement of prisoners. Various prison-based and community-based professionals should each play a part in supporting prisoners through the gate regarding employment, housing, financial problems, healthcare or valid identification issues. Yet, little is known about the actual contribution of this support to a better perceived re-entry preparedness among prisoners. To examine the association between professional support and re-entry preparedness, the current study uses self-reported data from 1442 soon-to-be-released prisoners across 26 Dutch institutions. We include general satisfaction with support, and satisfaction with the specific instrumental support received, and compare prisoners who did and did not have reintegration needs prior to imprisonment. Support was positively related to re-entry preparedness for prisoners who had needs prior to imprisonment, and instrumental support from community-based professionals showed the most robust results. The implications and future recommendations are discussed. Show less
ObjectivesThis study tests the relative timing of inmate infractions in the weeks before and after a visit.MethodOur sample is a cohort of 823 male inmates who participated in the Dutch Prison... Show moreObjectivesThis study tests the relative timing of inmate infractions in the weeks before and after a visit.MethodOur sample is a cohort of 823 male inmates who participated in the Dutch Prison Visitation Study (DPVS) (2017) and had visitation and misconduct data. Using two-level random effects logistic regression models, we examined week-to-week associations between infractions and prison visits, including visits from partners, family, friends, and official visitors.ResultsThe probability of an infraction is comparable to average levels in anticipation of visits, increases up to 18 percent in the weeks immediately following visits, and then returns to baseline levels. This pattern is found for contraband infractions, but no effects were found for aggressive infractions. Strongest effects were found for family and official visits. When inmates are visited frequently, the risk of infractions postvisit is similar to average levels.ConclusionsThe findings show that visits can have harmful effects on inmate infractions. These effects seem to stem from increases in contraband infractions. More research is needed to further understand the mechanism behind visits’ effects. Show less
Pasma, A.J.; Ginneken, E.F.J.C. van; Palmen, J.M.H.; Nieuwbeerta, P. 2022
This paper aims to advance theory and knowledge about prison visitation by organizing prior studies within a framework of visitation enablers and barriers and examining how practical, relational,... Show moreThis paper aims to advance theory and knowledge about prison visitation by organizing prior studies within a framework of visitation enablers and barriers and examining how practical, relational, and experiential factors explain variation in prison visiting among 773 adult males across eight Dutch prisons. Findings suggest that all three domains play out at once to influence visitation. Whether visitors come to visit seems to depend on their relationship with the incarcerated individual, whereas traveling distance is more predictive of how often they visit. Policies that introduce practical barriers can differentially affect visits from specific relationships. Finally, results indicate that incarcerated individuals make decisions about visits based on their in-prison experiences. Policy and research implications are discussed. Show less
Scholarship has shown that visitation is an especially important experience for inmates and can have a beneficial impact on life after release. Receiving visits in prison, however, is not self... Show moreScholarship has shown that visitation is an especially important experience for inmates and can have a beneficial impact on life after release. Receiving visits in prison, however, is not self-evident.This study uses data from a nationally representative sample of adults incarcerated in the Netherlands (N=4.376) to estimate the prevalence of, and identify determinants for, visits from partner, child(ren), family and friends. Consistent with expectations from social support theory, results indicate that having a strong social network is associated with visitation. Inmates who are older, have a non-Western background and have short prison stays are less likely to be visited. Unexpectedly, the type of offense and incarceration history were less predictive of prison visits, although results differed across visitor types. Implications of these findings for prison administrators and research are discussed. Show less
PurposeThe Life in Custody (LIC) Study is a nationwide prospective cohort study examining the quality of prison life in the Netherlands. The purpose of this paper is to describe Dutch prisoners’... Show morePurposeThe Life in Custody (LIC) Study is a nationwide prospective cohort study examining the quality of prison life in the Netherlands. The purpose of this paper is to describe Dutch prisoners’ perceptions of prison climate, as well as differences across regimes. Design/methodology/approachThe target population of the study consisted of all male and female adult prisoners in the Netherlands who were incarcerated in various regimes in a total of 28 prisons, between January and April 2017. An intensive and personal recruitment strategy was employed. Participants completed a detailed survey, the prison climate questionnaire (PCQ). Self-reported information on a variety of topics was collected, including perceived prison climate, well-being and self-reported behaviour. FindingsIn total, 4,938 prisoners participated in the survey, which amounts to a high response rate of 81 per cent. Analyses show that respondents’ characteristics are almost identical to those of non-respondents. Ratings of prison climate vary across domains and regimes, with more positive scores for minimum-security regimes. Practical implicationsA detailed methodological approach is described that can be adopted to achieve a high response rate with survey research among prisoners. The paper alerts researchers and practitioners to a large ongoing study and first findings on prison climate in the Netherlands. The PCQ can be requested from the authors and used in future research (internationally) to gain information about the perceived quality of prison life. The paper gives insight in how different regimes are associated with differences in perceived prison climate. Collaboration on the research project can be sought with the authors. Originality/valueFindings of the LIC study illustrate the value of having data on prison climate. Results of the study will contribute to more knowledge on imprisonment and what can be done to improve the humane treatment of offenders by the criminal justice system. Moreover, knowledge about the methodology of the study may enable future comparative research on prison climate. Show less
