Heath C. Hoffmann

Prison Programs and Services for Incarcerated Parents and Their Underage Children: Results From a National Survey of Correctional Facilities

In 2007, approximately 810,000 men and women in state and federal prisons were parents to more than 1.7 million children under the age of 18, one third of whom will turn 18 while their parent(s) is incarcerated. Parental incarceration increases the risk that children will experience later behavioral and emotional problems, have troubles in school, and become involved in the juvenile and criminal justice systems. Parenting-related prison programming offers some promise in lessening the negative consequences of parental incarceration, both for children and the incarcerated parent. This study presents the results from a national survey of wardens from male and female correctional facilities to measure the prevalence of programs and services for incarcerated parents and their underage children.

Criticism as deviance and social control in alcoholics anonymous

Emile Durkheim recognized many years ago that all groups—even a “society of saints”—produce deviants. Group members must then come to terms with how to respond to and control those who violate the groups moral order. The Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting offers an interesting context to explore this process. AA members, by their own admission, are far from being “saints,” some admitting to adultery, theft, and assault during their active alcoholism. In this article, the author describes the moral order of AA that functions to prevent and create deviant behavior, focusing on AA members’ use of criticism as both a method of social control and a violation of AAs normative system. This seeming contradiction is explained by showing that criticism is a social control strategy available primarily to high-status members, used primarily against lower-status members.

Communication Policy Changes in State Adult Correctional Facilities From 1971 to 2005

The objective of this research is to document correctional institutions’ policies regarding inmates’ correspondence, visitation, and telephoning between 1971 and 2005. Data were gathered via mailed surveys in 1971, 1981, 1991, and 2005 from state correctional facilities for adults in maximum security institutions. The survey return rates were 93% (n = 64) in 1971, 96% (n = 66) in 1981, 81% (n = 91) in 1991, and 84% (n = 162) in 2005. The findings suggest that prison communication policies are becoming more restrictive on visitation and inmates are assuming more of the expenses for correspondence. At the same time, policies regarding telephone usage seem to have gotten more lenient, with the financial obligations falling solely on the inmates. These results are informative as many state legislatures are becoming increasingly attentive to strategies that might reinforce inmate relationships with family and friends to reduce recidivism rates, lessening the financial strain of incarceration on state budgets.

U.S. Department of Corrections Compassionate Release Policies: A Content Analysis and Call to Action

Large and increasing numbers of inmates with chronic and terminal illnesses are serving time, and dying, in U.S. prisons. The restriction of men and women to die in prisons has many ethical and fiscal concerns, as it deprives incarcerated persons of their autonomy and requires comprehensive and costly health-care services. To ameliorate these concerns, compassionate release policies, which allow inmates the ability to die in their own communities, have been adopted in federal and state prison systems. However, little is known about the content of compassionate release policies within U.S. states’ department of corrections, despite recent calls to release incarcerated persons who meet eligibility criteria into the community. The current study provides an overview of compassionate release policies in the United States, which vary widely across the compassionate release process. Specific policy recommendations are made to assure the timely access and utilization of compassionate release among eligible incarcerated individuals.

On the Value Integration of Successfully Reformed Ex-Convicts A Comparison With Moral Exemplars

The issue of successfully reintegrating ex-prisoners into society is a critical one. To assess the process of successful reintegration, we interviewed five male ex-convicts about their past versus present lives. Their responses were coded for self-oriented (agency) and community-oriented values. We found a shift away from “unmitigated” agency, toward community values from past to present, and also an integration of agency with community similar to that found in moral exemplars. This increase in integration was not found in a demographically matched control group. The transitions exemplified in these ex-convicts’ narratives help define potential paths for successful reintegration into society.

Saying Goodbye to Family: Caretakers’ Experiences with Euthanasia and Honoring the Legacy of Companion Animals

Many humans treat their companion animals as “fictive kin” and thus want them to be treated with dignity and respect in death and disposal. Limited research exists on how caretakers themselves experience the euthanasia of their companion animal, including how they handle the remains and honor their legacy. This research fills this void by reporting the results of a survey of 567 individuals. Euthanasia was typically performed in the veterinary clinic, with the client remaining 74% of the time. Ninety percent or more of the clients expressed satisfaction with how the veterinarian treated the companion animal and the client. The majority of companion animals were cremated and honored their companion animals in individualized and diverse ways (e.g., shrines, tattoos, and photographs).