Aced It

Cultural Competency in Carceral Settings

Our interviews with residents overwhelmingly suggest that staff in many prisons/jails are not acting in ways consistent with cultural competency. Two of the biggest issues relate to race/ethnicity and gender/sexual identity. In this episode, we present, with sensitivity, information that may help correctional staff understand these issues in a deeper and more meaningful way, using current research to discuss some key facets of this important topic.
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Brooke, J. M., Biernat, K., Shamaris, N. & Skerrett, V. (2022). The experience of transgender women prisoners serving a sentence in a male prison: A systematic review and meta-synthesis. The Prison Journal, 102(5), 542–564.
Infante, A. A., Morse, S. J., Fahmy, C., & Wright, K. A. (2023). Racial politics in the contemporary prison society: The importance of race and ethnicity to prison social organization. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 50(4), 600–623.
Jenness, V., Sexton, L. & Sumner, J. (2019). Sexual victimization against transgender women in prison: Consent and coercion in context. Criminology, 57(4), 603–631.
This project was supported by Grant [5PBJA-22-AG-00031-MUMU] awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking. Points of view or opinions in this podcast are those of the host and the research team and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Medication for Substance Use Disorders in Prisons and Jails

Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) and Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) are evidence based/informed practices that show tremendous promise in carceral settings. To educate correctional staff and administrators about medication for SUD/OUD in prisons, we selected three articles that highlight what these treatments are, how jails/prisons can partner with community providers to offer them, and what barriers and facilitators to MAT/MOUD implementation institutions may want to consider before adding this type of treatment to their roster of services.
Download the one-pager (PDF).
Evans, E. A., Wilson, D., & Friedmann, P. D. (2022). Recidivism and mortality after in-jail buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 231, 109254.
Ferguson, W. J., Johnston, J., Clarke, J. G., Koutoujian, P. J., Maurer, K., Gallagher, C., ... & Taxman, F. S. (2019). Advancing the implementation and sustainment of medication assisted treatment for opioid use disorders in prisons and jails. Health & Justice, 7(1), 1–8.
Moore, K. E., Roberts, W., Reid, H. H., Smith, K. M., Oberleitner, L. M., & McKee, S. A. (2019). Effectiveness of medication assisted treatment for opioid use in prison and jail settings: A meta-analysis and systematic review. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 99, 32–43.
This project was supported by Grant [5PBJA-22-AG-00031-MUMU] awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking. Points of view or opinions in this podcast are those of the host and the research team and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Substance Use Disorder in Prisons and Jails

Although there is a lot we could talk about related to SUD in carceral settings, in this episode we will cover three key topics that came up frequently during our project interviews: fentanyl, K2, and drug testing. These three issues challenge correctional staff; their level of understanding regarding fentanyl and K2, specifically, is generally very limited. We provide today’s science on these topics and offer some advice on in-custody drug testing, too.
Download the one-pager (PDF).
Bucerius, S. M., & Haggerty, K. D. (2019). Fentanyl behind bars: The implications of synthetic opiates for prisoners and correctional officers. International Journal of Drug Policy, 71, 133–138.
de Oliveira, M. C., Vides, M. C., Lassi, D. L. S., Torales, J., Ventriglio, A., Bombana, H. S., ... & Castaldelli-Maia, J. M. (2023). Toxicity of synthetic cannabinoids in K2/Spice: A systematic review. Brain Sciences, 13(7), 990.
Nguyen, H., Midgette, G., Loughran, T., & Zhang, Y. (2021). Random drug testing in prisons: Does a little testing go a long way? Criminology & Public Policy, 20(2), 329–349.
This project was supported by Grant [5PBJA-22-AG-00031-MUMU] awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking. Points of view or opinions in this podcast are those of the host and the research team and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Correctional Staff Health and Wellness

This episode addresses a key theme of our interviews with individuals working in prisons and jails—mental and physical health for correctional staff. Using multidisciplinary science, we consider the effects of violence exposure on staff and some possible protective factors in prisons and jails that may help staff cope. The episode also looks at the importance of sound workplace interventions that correctional systems may want to consider before attempting to implement health and wellness initiatives to assist carceral staff.
Download the one-pager (PDF).
Evers, T. J., Ogloff, J. R., Trounson, J. S., & Pfeifer, J. E. (2020). Well-being interventions for correctional officers in a prison setting: A review and meta-analysis. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 47(1), 3–21.
Gray, P., Senabe, S., Naicker, N., Kgalamono, S., Yassi, A., & Spiegel, J. M. (2019). Workplace-based organizational interventions promoting mental health and happiness among healthcare workers: A realist review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(22), 4396.
Lerman, A. E., Harney, J., & Sadin, M. (2022). Prisons and mental health: Violence, organizational support, and the effects of correctional work. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 49(2), 181–199.
This project was supported by Grant [5PBJA-22-AG-00031-MUMU] awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking. Points of view or opinions in this podcast are those of the host and the research team and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Why Trauma Informed Care in Prison/Jail Isn’t Enough

This episode builds on the prior episodes and presents a deeper dive into trauma-informed care. Talk of trauma-informed care is all the rage right now in corrections, but training correctional staff in trauma-informed care for use with carceral residents and actually doing trauma-informed care in practice is a whole different story. The episode covers a recently published study and we relate its findings to our own study of staff and residents in U.S. prisons and jails.
Download the one-pager (PDF).
Vaswani, N., & Paul, S. (2019). “It’s knowing the right things to say and do”: Challenges and opportunities for trauma-informed practice in the prison context. The Howard Journal of Crime and Justice, 58, 513–534. https://doi.org/10.1111/hojo.12344
This project was supported by Grant [5PBJA-22-AG-00031-MUMU] awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking. Points of view or opinions in this podcast are those of the host and the research team and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Carceral Residents’ Mental Health Concerns

This episode tackles two focal areas correctional staff from our study perceive as critical for their work but for which they lack training: PTSD and suicidal ideation. To bolster our review of recent science, we provide up-to-date and easy-to-understand information about PTSD and suicide prevention, and consider trauma-informed approaches that may equip carceral staff to assist residents who are experiencing one or both of these challenges.
Download the one-pager (PDF).
Facer-Irwin, E., Blackwood, N. J., Bird, A., Dickson, H., McGlade, D., Alves-Costa, F., & MacManus, D. (2019). PTSD in prison settings: A systematic review and meta-analysis of comorbid mental disorders and problematic behaviours. PLoS One, 14(9), e0222407.
Nguyen, M. H., Le, T. T., Nguyen, H. K. T., Ho, M. T., Nguyen, H. T. T., & Vuong, Q. H. (2021). Alice in Suicideland: Exploring the suicidal ideation mechanism through the sense of connectedness and help-seeking behaviors. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(7), 3681.
This project was supported by Grant [5PBJA-22-AG-00031-MUMU] awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking. Points of view or opinions in this podcast are those of the host and the research team and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Carceral Residents’ Physical Health Concerns

In this informative episode, we’ll help correctional staff understand some of the major issues contributing to poor physical health among residents. Using research evidence as our framework, we consider food and nutrition, vitamin and mineral intake, commissary prices, and in-custody healthcare co-pays.
Download the one-pager (PDF).
Berkowitz, S. A., Basu, S., Gundersen, C., & Seligman, H. K. (2019). State-level and county level estimates of health care costs associated with food insecurity. Preventing Chronic Disease, 16.
Kris-Etherton, P. M., Petersen, K. S., Hibbeln, J. R., Hurley, D., Kolick, V., Peoples, S., ... & Woodward-Lopez, G. (2021). Nutrition and behavioral health disorders: depression and anxiety. Nutrition Reviews, 79(3), 247–260.
Schoenthaler, S., Gast, D., Giltay, E. J., & Amos, S. (2023). The effects of vitamin-mineral supplements on serious rule violations in correctional facilities for young adult male inmates: A randomized controlled trial. Crime & Delinquency, 69(4), 822–840.
Wiggins, R. (2021). A pound of flesh: How medical copayments in prison cost inmates their health and set them up for reoffense. U. Colo. L. Rev., 92, 255.
Zgoba, K. M., Tewksbury, R., & Mustaine, E. (2020). Who gets the biggest bang for the buck? A review of minimum wage and purchasing power in prison commissaries versus superstores. Journal of Crime and Justice, 43(1), 36–48.
This project was supported by Grant [5PBJA-22-AG-00031-MUMU] awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking. Points of view or opinions in this podcast are those of the host and the research team and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Segregation and Reform in U.S. Prisons and Jails

This episode merges findings from two articles published in the last several years that consider the use of segregation in U.S. prisons. This topic is crucial as many states--including several where our research team conducted interviews--have recently enacted solitary confinement reforms, and others are beginning to think about such reforms. The episode covers data related to this carceral practice, including evidence of harms and reforms.
Download the one-pager (PDF)
Brown, E. (2020). A systematic review of the effects of prison segregation. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 52, 101389.
Cloud, D. H., Augustine, D., Ahalt, C., Haney, C., Peterson, L., Braun, C., & Williams, B. (2021). “We just needed to open the door”: A case study of the quest to end solitary confinement in North Dakota. Health & Justice, 9(1), 1–25.
This project was supported by Grant [5PBJA-22-AG-00031-MUMU] awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking. Points of view or opinions in this podcast are those of the host and the research team and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Substance Use Disorder (SUD) & Structural Racism

In our final episode in this season, we are guided by the history of racialized drug policy in the U.S. The researchers whose work we discuss use the five components of the structural competency framework as a way to suggest avenues that may change our understanding treatment planning for individuals from historically minoritized groups.
Download the one-pager for this episode (PDF)
JCOIN Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion - Join us in our mission to leverage differences, promote belonging, and create positive outcomes for all individuals with opioid use disorder who are involved in the carceral system.
Jackson, D. S., Tiako, M. J. N., & Jordan, A. (2022). Disparities in addiction treatment: learning from the past to forge an equitable future. Medical Clinics, 106(1), 29-41.

People with Disabilities & Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Treatment

In this episode, we discuss a project from researchers who summarized existing information regarding what we know and do not know about people with disabilities and substance use disorder (SUD). This work suggests a need for improved attention to the unique needs of people with disabilities who may need treatment for SUDs.
Download the one-pager for this episode (PDF)
JCOIN Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion - Join us in our mission to leverage differences, promote belonging, and create positive outcomes for all individuals with opioid use disorder who are involved in the carceral system.
Reif, S., & Mitra, M. (2022). The complexities of substance use disorder and people with disabilities: Current perspectives. Disability and Health Journal, 101285.