Familial Spin: A Criminal Spin Theory Perspective on the Experiences of Parents and Siblings of Incarcerated Men

This chapter draws from a qualitative study of incarcerated men to investigate the social processes and interactions between both correctional authorities and family members that inform their sense of belonging and legitimacy. It reveals that prison visitation rooms present a complex environment in which incarcerated men have access to discreet periods of visibility and relevance to their family members and the broader community. There are, however, several precarious aspects to these processes. The family members who are central to enhancing men’s visibility and legitimacy are primarily women from economically disadvantaged, racial, and ethnic minority groups, resulting in their own marginalization, which is compounded within prison spaces. By illuminating both the challenges and opportunities of familial connections, this chapter informs a social justice framework for understanding the experiences of both incarcerated men and their family members.

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Physical Aggression Is Associated With More Effective Postdecisional Processing of Social Threat

Clinical Psychological Science ◽

10.1177/2167702620966294 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 216770262096629

Author(s):

Grace M. Brennan ◽

Arielle Baskin-Sommers

Keyword(s):

Real Time ◽

Physical Aggression ◽

Social Threat ◽

Social Decisions ◽

Angry Rumination ◽

Incarcerated Men ◽

Over Time

Physically aggressive individuals are more likely to decide that others are threatening. Yet no research has examined how physically aggressive individuals’ social decisions unfold in real time. Seventy-five incarcerated men completed a task in which they identified the emotions in faces displaying anger (i.e., threat) and happiness (i.e., nonthreat) at low, moderate, or high ambiguity. Participants then rated their confidence in their decisions either immediately or after a delay, and changes in confidence provided an index of postdecisional processing. Physical aggression was associated with stronger differentiation of threatening and nonthreatening faces under moderate ambiguity. Moreover, physical aggression was associated with steeper decreases in confidence over time following decisions that threatening faces were nonthreatening, indicating more extensive postdecisional processing. This pattern of postdecisional processing mediated the association between physical aggression and angry rumination. Findings suggest a role for postdecisional processing in the maintenance of threat-based social decisions in physical aggression.

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Twelve Committed Men: the feasibility of a community-based participatory HIV-prevention intervention within a Canadian men’s correctional facility

Global Health Promotion ◽

10.1177/1757975916659045 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 25 (3) ◽

pp. 6-14 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ruth Elwood Martin ◽

Renee Turner ◽

Larry Howett ◽

Terry Howard ◽

Debra Hanberg ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hiv Prevention ◽

Group Discussion ◽

Correctional Facility ◽

Community Based ◽

Prevention Intervention ◽

Community Based Research ◽

Hiv Prevention Intervention ◽

Post Secondary ◽

Incarcerated Men ◽

Education Levels

Objectives: The intervention objectives were to evaluate and describe the feasibility of using a community-based research (CBR) approach to adapt and implement HIV-prevention materials and tools with incarcerated men. We found no prior published reports about CBR HIV-prevention education in Canadian correctional facilities. Methods: Twelve members of the correctional Peer Education Committee (PEC) and Aboriginal PEC, whom a correctional nurse identified as being interested in preventive health, were purposively invited to participate. Eight participants were serving life sentences, three were Aboriginal and their education levels ranged from below grade 8 to 11 years of post-secondary education. The setting was a medium-security federal correctional facility, housing 324 men. The intervention was guided by CBR and ‘greater involvement of people with AIDS’ principles. Participants were invited to attend four workshops, over seven days in May 2014, and to provide their insights regarding future scaled-up CBR HIV prevention. Each workshop included an HIV-prevention presentation and a focus group discussion, two of which were audio-recorded. Findings: All participants attended all sessions. Synthesis of mixed-method findings, with quantitative and qualitative data triangulation, demonstrated two major outcomes: ‘new knowledge was generated’ regarding feasibility of CBR HIV prevention in a men’s correction facility; and ‘capacity building occurred’ with increased participants’ social capital. Thirty incarcerated men requested HIV testing following the intervention, because participants spread their knowledge about HIV prevention to others. Participants asked to become ‘health ambassadors’ – champion advisors for future scaled-up CBR HIV-prevention intervention for the entire correctional facility. Conclusion: CBR HIV prevention is feasible within a Canadian men’s correctional facility.

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