Assessing the Impact of Time Spent in Restrictive Housing Confinement on Subsequent Measures of Institutional Adjustment Among Men in Prison

• NCJ Number: 252548
• Author(s): Ryan M. Labrecque
• Date Published: January 2019
• Length: 10 pages
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Award: Reducing Prison Misconduct with Evidence-Based Administrative Segregation Policies

Annotation

Since few studies have examined the influence of prison restrictive housing on the involved inmates’ subsequent behavior in prison, the study reported in this article assessed the impact of time spent in restrictive housing confinement on subsequent measures of institutional adjustment among men in prison.

Abstract

Proponents of the use of restrictive housing for selected prison inmates argue that it is an effective deterrent against inmate antisocial behavior; however, its critics maintain that inmate restrictive housing causes serious psychological damage that increases the risk for inmate non-compliance with prison rules and expectations. The current study did not find any statistically significant link between the number of days an inmate spent in restrictive housing and subsequent measures of his prison misconduct. There was a small, but significant, negative relationship with subsequent placement in restrictive housing. The research and policy implications of these findings are discussed. (Publisher abstract modified)