There has been little empirical research regarding the needs of family members of incarcerated male alcohol and drug offenders. This study surveyed the perceptions of eighty-five family members using FACES II, Quality of Life, and Quality of Counseling Services instruments. Statistically significant results yielded a relationship between…

Treatment avoidance or help-negation has been described in clinical and non-clinical samples, in response to real or imagined suicidal scenarios (Carlton & Deane, 2000; Rudd, Joiner & Rajab, 1995). The aims of the present study were to describe the process of seeking psychological help in prison based on inmate interviews and to assess the…

Reentry of formerly incarcerated individuals into society is an experience that must be negotiated not only by the former prisoner, but also by many other actors. Research has examined the pre-prison experiences, the incarceration experiences, and the post-release behavior of former prisoners, focusing on how such experiences affect the…

Sexually abusive behaviours are common in a forensic psychiatric population, both before admission and while hospitalized. A survey of our medium security facility found that 41% of patients had a history of sexually abusive behaviours, ranging from convictions for sexual assault through to current episodes of sexual harassment. Most forensic…

In April 2002, there were three hundred and eighty-six children living in prison with their mothers in South Africa, four of which were inmates of the Pretoria Female Prison. The interaction patterns between these four mothers and their children was investigated by means of individual interviews, observation, field notes and the Marschak…

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 promotes high-quality educational services for all children and youths, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, disability, income, or background. Despite the law's laudable goals, one group continues to be left behind: youths who are incarcerated in juvenile correctional facilities. These…

In this article we consider how broad shifts in social relations over the past 30 years have given rise to new social control regimes in US public schools. We argue that the contemporary mechanisms of control engendered by mass incarceration and post-industrialization have re-shaped school discipline. To illustrate contemporary discipline in the…

The utility of the psychopathy construct in predicting laboratory deficits, criminal behavior, response to intervention, and recidivism has been well documented in European American populations. However, less is known about the manifestation and correlates of psychopathy in Latino and African American populations. The present study examined the…

Although incarceration rates have risen sharply since the 1970s, medical sociology has largely neglected the health effects of imprisonment. Incarceration might have powerful effects on health, especially if it instills stigma, and it could provide sociologists with another mechanism for understanding health disparities. This study identifies some…

Interpersonal and intergroup contention is endemic to the social environment of California prisons. Data from in-depth interviews (N = 74) with prison inmates highlights a conceptual difference between the status behavior understood as signaling "deference" versus those signaling "respect." "Deference behavior"…

Young offenders internationally have a higher incidence of mental health problems compared with adolescents in the general population. Mental health issues, particularly comorbid presentations, affect the response to and outcome of rehabilitation and hence recidivism of offending. Most information on the mental health of young offenders has…

This article details how a unique educational project conducted through Tel Aviv University's Community Theatre program tackled the complex dynamics of the prison-political system over nine months in 2005-2006. The program focused on theatrical facilitations between mainly female students and male prisoners - two more or less homogeneous groups…

Objective: This study examined the backgrounds of fathers who fatally abuse their children and the contexts within which these homicides occur. The type of relationship between victim, perpetrator, and the victim's mother was a particular interest. Methods: Data were gathered from 26 cases of fatal child abuse perpetrated by fathers derived from…

This newsletter theme issue focuses on the need to accelerate the closing of institutions for people with mental retardation. Articles are by both current and former residents of institutions and by professionals, and include: "The Realities of Institutions" (Tia Nelis); "I Cry Out So That I Won't Go Insane" (Mary F. Hayden); "Trends in…

This report summarizes a 3-year review of reports of child abuse and neglect in New York State's mental hygiene facilities. The study determined that greater efforts are required to ensure protection of those children who were "repeat" alleged victims and who, as a group, were involved in 400 of the 850 reports to the State Central…