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Results for prisoners (canada)

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Author: Motiuk, Laurence L.

Title: Prison Careers of Federal Offenders With Criminal Organization Offences: A Follow-up

Summary: There continues to be limited research on Canadian legislation that places people convicted for organized crime offences into prison. To date, there is one study profiling federal offenders convicted for organized crime offences. The present study follows a sample of federally incarcerated offenders who were convicted of organized crime offences during their stay in federal custody. The first study found federal offenders with criminal organization offences to be serving medium to long-term sentences for a new category of crimes coupled with other offences, mainly drug offences and in some instances serious violent crimes. These offenders also presented a group with prior criminal records, strong attachments to family and criminal groups. It was also noteworthy that offenders with criminal organization offences demonstrated more lifestyle stability (be married, employed and healthy) than their correctional counterparts. These characteristics suggested a group who at time of admission were likely to present themselves as good “risks” from a traditional corrections perspective. This follow-up of prison careers found that federal offenders with criminal organization offences were not significantly more likely than their matched correctional counterparts to be involved in security-related incidents, be placed involuntarily or voluntarily in segregation, or be transferred upward in security level. However, these observations may be an artifact of their being placed at relatively higher security levels than their matched counterparts. Similarly, the finding that this group did not participate in programming to the same extent as their matched counterparts may be due to the fact that they do not present as broad an array of criminogenic factors. This is deemed to be consistent with their general lifestyle stability apart from organized crime affiliation. Federal offenders with criminal organization offences were found to be significantly more likely than their matched counterparts to be released later in their sentence. The added time served in custody might explain why a higher percentage of them were granted escorted temporary absences and they were significantly more likely to be granted an unescorted temporary absence. Again, the aforementioned may be due to longer periods of stay in prison relative to their matched counterparts. It would seem for federal offenders with criminal organization offences that their prison experiences were remarkably uneventful. A longitudinal post-release follow-up is required before such a conclusion can be drawn about their correctional careers.

Details: Ottawa: Research Branch, Correctional Service of Canada, 2009. 17p.

Source: Internet Resource: http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/text/rsrch/briefs/b42/b42-eng.pdf

Year: 2009

Country: Canada

URL: http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/text/rsrch/briefs/b42/b42-eng.pdf

Shelf Number: 118803

Keywords:
Inmates (Canada)
Organized Crime (Canada)
Prisoners (Canada)

Author: Usher, Amelia

Title: Assessment, Intervention and Prevention of Self-Injurious Behaviour in Correctional Environments

Summary: Self-injurious behaviour (SIB) is a significant concern for the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) because of the risks it can pose to the safety of staff and offenders within federal correctional institutions. SIB can be defined as any type of direct bodily harm or disfigurement that is deliberately inflicted on oneself that is not considered to be socially acceptable, including cutting, ligature use, burning, hitting, swallowing sharp or indigestible objects, inserting and removing objects, and head banging. To contribute to a safer environment for offenders and staff, CSC must respond to SIB in an effective manner and work towards the reduction and prevention of this behaviour. This literature review was undertaken to determine the best practices for preventing and treating SIB in correctional settings. While it is difficult to predict with certainty which offenders will exhibit SIB while incarcerated, certain factors have been consistently associated with increased risk for SIB. A number of variables such as ethnicity, lower socio-economic background, same-sex attraction, borderline personality disorder, depression, anxiety, substance abuse, impulsivity, dissociation, and history of childhood trauma have been found to correlate with SIB. CSC’s offender population has high rates of many of these factors and therefore likely have an elevated risk for SIB. SIB, and particularly non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), is a troubling and complex behaviour which presents a challenge for effective treatment. A number of risk assessment tools have the potential for early identification of offenders at risk, but currently no instrument has been proven to be empirically valid in correctional settings. Research indicates that certain interventions can reduce the frequency and severity of this behaviour. Therapeutic treatments such as cognitive behavioural therapy, dialectical behaviour therapy, and manual assisted cognitive therapy have demonstrated effectiveness for treating SIB in both the community and in correctional settings. Further, certain elements common to these therapies such as creating a positive therapeutic relationship, incident analysis, and cognitive restructuring have been found effective in the literature. These elements can be incorporated into existing correctional programs for improved prevention and treatment of SIB. A number of systemic interventions have also been proposed and are supported in the literature such as suicide awareness training and peer support programs. Correctional staff working closely with self-injuring offenders require additional support in dealing with this behaviour, as it can lead to increased stress and burnout. Evidence in the literature supports increased training for staff and the provision of support services such as critical incident stress debriefing and employee assistance programs. Currently, CSC has implemented a number of policies and initiatives that are in-line with evidence based practices for the treatment and prevention of self-injury. The research examined in this literature review presents a number of options that CSC could continue to develop or adopt to improve current management of SIB.

Details: Ottawa: Correctional Service of Canada, Research Branch, 2010. 58p.

Source: Internet Resource: No. R-220: Accessed September 3, 2011 at: http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/text/rsrch/reports/r220/r220-eng.pdf

Year: 2010

Country: Canada

URL: http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/text/rsrch/reports/r220/r220-eng.pdf

Shelf Number: 122630

Keywords:
Inmates (Canada)
Inmates, Mental Health
Inmates, Self-Injury
Prisoners (Canada)
Prisons, Mental Health Services
Self-Mutilation