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Exploring Resiliency In Adult Blacks Who Were Formerly Children Of Incarcerated/Formerly Incarcerated Parents, Jennifer Nowell Feb 2024

Exploring Resiliency In Adult Blacks Who Were Formerly Children Of Incarcerated/Formerly Incarcerated Parents, Jennifer Nowell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Families of incarcerated individuals are impacted by the incarceration of their loved ones, especially those who had parents incarcerated during their childhood. Black individuals comprise a disproportionate rate of people affected by the circumstance of having incarcerated or formerly incarcerated parents. As a result, Black children of incarcerated parents often exhibit childhood trauma. Current evidence revealed that there is little data regarding how childhood trauma impacted the individuals’ perceptions of resiliency as they transitioned from childhood into adulthood. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of adult Blacks regarding their former childhood experiences with resiliency and their …


Educators’ Perspectives Regarding The Influence Of Prison Education Programs On Recidivism, Deana Payton Jan 2021

Educators’ Perspectives Regarding The Influence Of Prison Education Programs On Recidivism, Deana Payton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Several factors impact whether inmates are successful upon release. Lack of education and job skills are critical reasons for unsuccessful reintegration. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions and observations of prison educators regarding inmate participation and motivation in prison education programs. Cloward and Ohlin’s opportunity theory provided the framework for the study. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with eight prison educators. Results of axial coding and thematic analysis resulted in four themes: time commitment, access to programs, negative interaction, and incentives. Findings indicated that from the educator’s perspective, inmates who were motivated and …


Transgender Protection And Best Practices In The Prison Setting, Jessica Renee Byrd Jan 2020

Transgender Protection And Best Practices In The Prison Setting, Jessica Renee Byrd

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

While the importance of equal protection for all offenders has been established, prison officials often do not provide adequate protection for or effectively address the unique needs of transgender inmates. In this qualitative action research study, prison officials' perceptions regarding their responsibility to provide protection and equal treatment to transgender offenders were evaluated as well as to what extent they are congruent with those stated in policies and procedures. The expectation was that linkages could be drawn between prison officials' level of knowledge regarding their responsibilities and the various types of maltreatment that transgender offenders experience as well as the …


Occupational Stress And Coping Strategies Among Prison Educators In State Prisons, Vanessa Burrison-Meade Jan 2020

Occupational Stress And Coping Strategies Among Prison Educators In State Prisons, Vanessa Burrison-Meade

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Correctional education in the United States can be traced back to 1789. Its main purpose was to teach inmates literacy so that they could read the Bible. Because most of the inmates in the U.S. state prison system will be released in modern times, they will need as much education as possible to adapt to civilian life. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the experiences of 6 correctional educators belonging to the Correctional Education Association who are employed at maximum and medium secured prison regarding their strategies for handling stress and coping in their classrooms. The …


Reintegration Process Of Previously Incarcerated African American Women Older Than 50 Years, Eva Carol Brent Jan 2019

Reintegration Process Of Previously Incarcerated African American Women Older Than 50 Years, Eva Carol Brent

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Successful reintegration of ex-offenders is difficult for most, evidenced by high recidivism rates. Ex-offenders face a broad range of obstacles once released from prison, including personal, social, and employment barriers. This study was an examination of the issues that contributed to a successful or unsuccessful reintegration as reported by ex-offenders. Participants included 10 ex-offenders who participated in interviews regarding the conditions that they believed were necessary for successful community reintegration. The conceptual framework for this study came from the ecological perspective, also known as the person-in-environment theory. Data collection involved one-on-one interviews with the participants. Data analysis was conducted through …


Causes Of Recidivism Among Mentally Ill Prerelease Offenders From The Perspective Of Former Correctional Mental Health Professionals, Rina Desiree Deneice Bradley Brown Jan 2018

Causes Of Recidivism Among Mentally Ill Prerelease Offenders From The Perspective Of Former Correctional Mental Health Professionals, Rina Desiree Deneice Bradley Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The move toward reducing the prison population was driven by an increase in the number of reentry programs that focused on the needs of the offender, such as the provision of stable housing, employment, education, and sustaining strong familial bonds. While the literature supported these areas as being effective in reducing recidivism, there was no consensus that they were effective for offenders with mental illness (OMI). The purpose of this qualitative study was to analyze the impact of prerelease services for the OMI population from the perspective of former correctional mental health professionals who provided these services. The research questions …


A Case Study Of Overcrowding In A County Jail In The Southeast United States, Marquice Robinson Jan 2018

A Case Study Of Overcrowding In A County Jail In The Southeast United States, Marquice Robinson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

For the past several decades, the county jail in a large metropolitan city in the southeast United States has been overcrowded, which has resulted in violence within the jail, excessive costs to the Sheriff's Office, and a requirement of Federal oversight of the jail from 2005 to 2015. In spite of these events, little is understood about why jail overcrowding is prevalent in the county and what impacts overcrowding may have on the communities around the jail. Using Shaw and McKay's social disorganization theory as the foundation, the purpose of this case study was to understand the unique circumstances around …


Differential Treatment Outcome Factors For Custodial And Noncustodial Mental Health Care Programs, Sheila Fay Waters Jan 2018

Differential Treatment Outcome Factors For Custodial And Noncustodial Mental Health Care Programs, Sheila Fay Waters

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have suggested that jails and prisons in the United States are becoming the new mental health clinics, contributing to the phenomenon of mass incarceration and costing upwards of $15 billion per year in public revenue. The problem is no conclusive evidence exists that treatment in these custodial environments is more effective than that provided by noncustodial programs; especially for substance users. Additionally, the continuing incarceration of people with mental health problems by the hundreds of thousands poses a difficult ethical dilemma regarding why this population does not receive noncustodial or hospital treatment instead. The study addressed the research question …


Perspectives And Post-Release Experiences Of Convicted African American Women Drug Offenders, Janet Fash Jan 2018

Perspectives And Post-Release Experiences Of Convicted African American Women Drug Offenders, Janet Fash

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Prisons in the United States are full to capacity because of the revolving doors created by recidivism. African American women comprise a significant proportion of those who return to prison, yet most studies about women and recidivism focus on the experiences of white women. The communities into which formerly incarcerated African American women are released do not make things easier in terms of the potential for reoffending because of the difficult access to good jobs, safe housing, good health care services, and assistance with child cares services. Using Cullen's social support theory as the foundation, the purpose of this general …


Suicidal Behavior In Inmates Through The Pathway Of Psychopathy And Depression, Zsofia Muller-Balazsfi Jan 2017

Suicidal Behavior In Inmates Through The Pathway Of Psychopathy And Depression, Zsofia Muller-Balazsfi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Prison inmates are more prone to commit suicide than are individuals in the general population. Current scientific research has identified risk factors of suicide in the general population, such as mood disorders, but only a few research studies have examined risk factors that are particularly relevant to the incarcerated population. This study used a quantitative archival research design to examine the effect of primary and secondary psychopathic personality traits on the development of suicidal behavior in the mentally ill male prison inmate population at a U.S. federal prison located in the Southeast. Data on psychopathic traits as measured by the …


Direct Care Provider Perceptions Of Factors Influencing Treatment Motivation Of Dual-Diagnosed Female Offenders, Cara Renee Tilbury Jan 2017

Direct Care Provider Perceptions Of Factors Influencing Treatment Motivation Of Dual-Diagnosed Female Offenders, Cara Renee Tilbury

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Dual-diagnosed female offenders (DDFOs) present direct care providers with complex psychosocial needs and challenges that result in a serious lack of motivation to attain, sustain, and continue treatment after release from prison. Unsuccessful treatment of DDFOs represents a significant public health and safety risk including continuing criminal acts, increased health care costs, accidents related to substance abuse, and poor reintegration. Through in-depth semistructured interviews with direct care providers, this phenomenological study's focus was on examining the motivational facilitators associated with treatment adherence, barriers to treatment adherence, and approaches for enhancing treatment motivation. Nine major themes emerged from this research, including …


Law Enforcement Officer Knowledge Of Mental Illness, Nashira Funn Jan 2017

Law Enforcement Officer Knowledge Of Mental Illness, Nashira Funn

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Media and activist groups have recently exposed the problem of negative interactions between law enforcement officers and civilians. Many of these civilians have a mental illness. Various researchers attribute these negative interactions to insufficient officer knowledge of mental illness due to a lack of training, education, and personal experiences. Very little research addresses how insufficient knowledge of mental illness may influence interactions. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore and analyze self reported law enforcement knowledge using Malcolm Knowles' conceptualization of adult learning theory and andragogy as the theoretical framework. This framework bases self-directed learning/training on a needs …


The Deterrent Effect Of Disciplinary Segregation On Prison Inmate Misconduct, Joseph William Lucas Jan 2015

The Deterrent Effect Of Disciplinary Segregation On Prison Inmate Misconduct, Joseph William Lucas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although a widely used practice, it was previously unknown whether disciplinary segregation is actually effective at modifying prison behavior. This quantitative, retrospective observational study tested deterrence theory and explored the effectiveness of disciplinary segregation in deterring subsequent prison inmate misconduct among those subjected to it (N = 228). It compared a cohort of male inmates incarcerated by the Oregon Department of Corrections who had spent time in disciplinary segregation in 2011 and/or 2012 with a comparison cohort who had not spent any time in disciplinary segregation. Three models were tested, each with the outcome variable operationalized in a different way: …