Joubert David, Archambault Kyle, Brown Greg
Assistant Professor, based at Department of Criminology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada.
Int J Prison Health. 2014;10(2):79-93. doi: 10.1108/IJPH-09-2013-0043.
In spite of past and current efforts at implementing effective rehabilitative interventions in carceral settings, institutions of confinement are primarily concerned with the maintenance of order within their walls. The purpose of this paper is to better understand associations between inmates' developmental background and the experience of institutional discipline, to collect information on childhood maltreatment and disciplinary measures for a sample of Canadian prisoners.
DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: Information relative to socio-economic background, childhood maltreatment and experience of discipline while in custody was obtained using face-to-face interviews and institutional file review for a sample of 416 male and 106 female offenders in Canadian provincial institutions.
Results from logistic regression analyses provided support for the association between childhood maltreatment and the experience of discipline, specifically in the form of increased monitoring from correctional staff. Furthermore, this association was found to be more pronounced for female offenders.
RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS: The findings highlight the need to incorporate a developmental perspective to current understanding of the use of disciplinary interventions in a prison environment. Such an approach may allow for preventing the enactment of a cycle of coercion, with negative consequences for the inmates.
ORIGINALITY/VALUE: This study is original in its use of latent variable analytic methods to uncover the structure underlying the construct of childhood maltreatment in adult offenders. In addition, it provides valuable data of interest to researchers, corrections personnel and policy makers on the possible links between earlier developmental experiences and adjustment to the prison environment.
尽管过去和现在都在努力在监禁环境中实施有效的康复干预措施，但监禁机构主要关注的是维持其围墙内的秩序。本文的目的是更好地理解囚犯的成长背景与机构纪律处分经历之间的关联，收集加拿大囚犯样本中童年期虐待情况和纪律处分措施的信息。
设计/方法/途径：通过面对面访谈和查阅机构档案，获取了加拿大省级机构中416名男性和106名女性罪犯样本的社会经济背景、童年期虐待情况及羁押期间的纪律处分经历等信息。
逻辑回归分析结果支持了童年期虐待与纪律处分经历之间的关联，具体表现为惩教人员加强监督。此外，这种关联在女性罪犯中更为明显。
研究局限性/启示：研究结果凸显了在当前对监狱环境中纪律处分干预措施的理解中纳入发展视角的必要性。这种方法可能有助于防止形成一种强制循环，给囚犯带来负面影响。
原创性/价值：本研究的独到之处在于使用潜在变量分析方法揭示成年罪犯童年期虐待构念背后的结构。此外，它为研究人员、惩教人员和政策制定者提供了关于早期发展经历与适应监狱环境之间可能联系的有价值数据。
