THE RESOURCE TEAM: A CASE STUDY OF A SOLITARY CONFINEMENT REFORM IN OREGON
Report Link: The resource team: A case study of a solitary confinement reform in Oregon | PLOS ONE
Date of Publication: July 2023
Principle Investigator:
- David H. Cloud, JD, MPH
- Craig Haney, JD, PhD
- Dallas Augustine, PhD
- Cyrus Ahalt, MPA
- Brie Williams, MD, MS
Institutional Affiliation: Oregon Health & Science University
Description: The continued use of solitary confinement has sparked international public health and human rights criticisms and concerns. This carceral practice has been linked repeatedly to a range of serious psychological harms among incarcerated persons. Vulnerabilities to harm are especially dire for persons with preexisting serious mental illness ("SMI"), a group that is overrepresented in solitary confinement units. Although there have been numerous calls for the practice to be significantly reformed, curtailed, and ended altogether, few strategies exist to minimize its use for people with SMI and histories of violence against themselves or others. This case study describes the "Oregon Resource Team" (ORT), a pilot project adapted from a Norwegian officer-led, interdisciplinary team-based approach to reduce isolation and improve outcomes for incarcerated persons with SMI and histories of trauma, self-injury, and violence against others. We describe the ORT's innovative approach, the characteristics and experiences of incarcerated people who participated in it, its reported impact on the behavior, health, and well-being of incarcerated persons and correctional staff, and ways to optimize its effectiveness and expand its use.
REFORMING SOLITARY CONFINEMENT: THE DEVELOPMENT, IMPLEMENTATION, AND PROCESSES OF A RESTRICTIVE HOUSING STEP DOWN REENTRY PROGRAM IN OREGON
Report Link: (PDF) Reforming solitary confinement: the development, implementation, and processes of a restrictive housing step down reentry program in Oregon (researchgate.net)
Date of Publication: August 2021 Health & Justice 9(1)
Principle Investigator:
- Ryan M. Labrecque, RTI International
- Jennifer J. Tostlebe, University of Nebraska at Omaha
- Bert Useem, Purdue University
- David C. Pyrooz, University of Colorado Boulder
Institutional Affiliation: Oregon Health & Science University
Description: Background Over the past decade there have been numerous and impassioned calls to reform the practice of solitary confinement in U.S. prisons. This article examines the development, implementation, and processes of a restrictive housing reentry program in the Oregon Department of Corrections. It draws on data from official documents, site observations, and interviews with 12 prison officials and 38 prisoners. The Step Up Program (SUP) seeks to improve the living conditions in restrictive housing over business-as-usual, alleviate physiological and psychological harms of solitary confinement, and use rehabilitative programming to increase success upon returning to the general prison population or community. Results The impetus to change the culture and structure of restrictive housing was primarily the result of internal administrative reform. Prisoners assigned at random to housing assignments offered accounts of their daily activities suggesting that the SUP provides more time out-of-cell and greater access to other services and activities. Program participants preferred the living conditions in the SUP because they had more opportunities for social interaction and incentives for compliant behavior. However, views on the value of programming among respondents were mixed. Conclusions The launch of the SUP occurred in early 2020, which was soon followed by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the program was never fully implemented as intended. As Oregon returns to more normal operations, it is possible that the SUP will be able to include even more out-of-cell time, greater socialization opportunities, and increased access to programming and other beneficial activities. As we await the opportunity to conduct prospective psychological and behavioral analyses, this study provides tentative support for the use of step down reentry programs in restrictive housing units. Trial registration Open Science Framework, Preparing adults in custody for successful reentry: An experimental study of a restrictive housing exit program in Oregon.
TAKING STOCK: A META-ANALYSIS OF THE PREDICTORS OF RESTRICTIVE HOUSING
Report Link: "Taking Stock: A Meta-Analysis of the Predictors of Restrictive Housing" by Ryan M. Labrecque (pdx.edu)
Date of Publication: October 2016
Principle Investigator:
Institutional Affiliation: Portland State University
Description: Two competing views on the use of restrictive housing have emerged in the literature. The first position has argued that restrictive housing helps make correctional institutions safer and more secure environments, largely by incapacitating violent and dangerous inmates. In contrast, a second perspective has maintained that restrictive housing not only causes serious psychological damage and increases criminal coping, but also that it has served as a mechanism for officials to punish certain groups of inmates unfairly. This study tests these competing hypotheses by meta-analyzing the literature on the predictors of placement in restrictive housing. The results of this investigation provide support for both perspectives. The implications of the study's findings are discussed.
THE SAFE ALTERNATIVES TO SEGREGATION INITIATIVE: FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE OREGON DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
Report Link: Final Report_ODOC-Vera_Safe Alternatives to Segregation Initiative_Oct2016
Date of Publication: October 2016
Principle Investigator:
- Allison Hastings
- Elena Vanko
- Jessi LaChance
Institutional Affiliation: Vera Center on Sentencing & Corrections
Description: The continued use of solitary confinement has sparked international public health and human rights criticisms and concerns. This carceral practice has been linked repeatedly to a range of serious psychological harms among incarcerated persons. Vulnerabilities to harm are especially dire for persons with preexisting serious mental illness ("SMI"), a group that is overrepresented in solitary confinement units. Although there have been numerous calls for the practice to be significantly reformed, curtailed, and ended altogether, few strategies exist to minimize its use for people with SMI and histories of violence against themselves or others. This case study describes the "Oregon Resource Team" (ORT), a pilot project adapted from a Norwegian officer-led, interdisciplinary team-based approach to reduce isolation and improve outcomes for incarcerated persons with SMI and histories of trauma, self-injury, and violence against others. We describe the ORT's innovative approach, the characteristics and experiences of incarcerated people who participated in it, its reported impact on the behavior, health, and well-being of incarcerated persons and correctional staff, and ways to optimize its effectiveness and expand its use.