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Session Title: Evaluation Challenges of Studying Inmates in Supermax Confinement
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Panel Session 712 to be held in Room 110 in the Convention Center on Friday, Nov 7, 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM
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Sponsored by the Crime and Justice TIG
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| Chair(s): |
| Maureen O'Keefe,
Colorado Department of Corrections,
maureen.okeefe@doc.state.co.us
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| Discussant(s):
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| Jeffrey Metzner,
University of Colorado Denver,
jeffrey.metzner@uchsc.edu
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| Abstract:
Each of three panelists will share their perspective of the challenges they faced in conducting an evaluation of the psychological effects of supermax confinement. Although it is perhaps the most critical issue facing correctional systems today - particularly as it relates to mentally ill inmates - there is only limited research on the topic and the literature fails to answer the question of whether psychological harm is caused to individuals who are placed in long-term solitary confinement. In Colorado, we are undertaking a longitudinal study to assess whether change occurs in individuals over time as a consequence of their environment and/or mental illness and, if so, for whom and in what ways. In this panel, we will discuss the political, methodological, and logistical challenges of this study as well as the project development, organization, and adaptations that were necessary for a successful evaluation.
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Navigating Institutional Politics
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| Maureen O'Keefe,
Colorado Department of Corrections,
maureen.okeefe@doc.state.co.us
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The political challenges of engaging in such research require that evaluators gain organizational support, seek funding, and develop collaborative partnerships. In this presentation, we will examine how support was gained given serious legal and cost implications pursuant the study results and how the project weathered changes in heads of state, administrators, and prison operations. In order to maximize funding from external sources, the researchers cultivated administrator and line staff buy-in to collect research data from multiple sources such as staff, inmates, and official records. Collaborative partnerships were developed for carrying out the research activities as well as creating an advisory board of prison officials, academicians, and human rights advocates to promote diverse perspectives and to limit potential researcher bias. Conducting prison-based research is dynamic, with ever-changing environments and organizational attitudes, and is endemic among evaluations carried out in a real-world setting.
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Methodological Challenges and Choices
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| Kelli Klebe,
University of Colorado Colorado Springs,
kklebe@uccs.edu
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Conducting quality research in applied settings has long been a challenge for evaluators. To increase the internal validity of such research conclusions, researchers need to carefully consider sampling of participants, identification of proper comparison groups, selection of appropriate measures from multiple sources to rule out response biases and to provide collaborating evidence, and the appropriate design to investigate the phenomenon of interest. A longitudinal design within a context of high security prisons and with a population who may move across facilities and conditions presents additional challenges. Complications including varying lengths of time between measurement periods, predictors that change across time as well as time invariant predictors, and a varying number of data collection periods needed to be considered when selecting appropriate statistical analysis techniques. We will describe the choices made to meet these methodological challenges concerning both study design and data analytical strategies.
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Logistics of High Security Prisons
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| Alysha Stucker,
University of Colorado Colorado Springs,
alysha.stucker@doc.state.co.us
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The logistics of collecting research data in supermax and other high security facilities present daily challenges. Among these challenges is coordination with correctional staff who notifies the researcher of offender placement in supermax confinement, schedules testing sessions, enables facility access, and completes observational research data. Within supermax confinement, security concerns remain the foremost priority. However, security measures impede offender movement as well as the researcher's ability to interact with inmates to administer psychological tests. Ultimately, the success of the project depends upon the researcher's ability to gain the offenders' trust, while simultaneously dealing with their inappropriate behavior and protecting subjects' confidentiality in a highly monitored setting. Data collection in a high security setting requires a balance between the needs of the facility and the needs of the research.
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