bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Felodipine and Vasomotion Physiology
Authors: Kokkas Basile , Papadopoulos Constantinos , Kotoula Maria , Kouyoumtzis Andreas , Kouvelas Demetrios , Karatzas Demetrios , Paradelis Athanassios
Published: June 2008

This study concerns the investigation of felodipine's influence on some parameters of vasomotion physiology.

Felodipine is a new generation 1,4 dihydropyridine (1,4 DHP) Ca2+-entrance blocker with marked vascular selectivity. It was found that felodipine 1-10 μM presents a Ca2+entrance-blocking activity when the bovine aortic smooth muscle is normal or stimulated by K+65.4 mM or the α-adrenoceptor agonist phenylephrine 1 μM. The same action is observed after nifedipine, a first-generation 1,4 DHP derivative with less angioselectivity in clinical practice. It was also found that felodipine 1-10 μM antagonizes the contraction of the bovine aortic ring that is induced by phenylephrine 10 μM or KCl 65.4 mM. On the contrary, felodipine 1-10 μM increases the contraction of the rat aortic ring that is induced by the same substances. It is known that some 1,4 DHP derivatives that are Ca2+activators can also behave as Ca2+blockers and that their final action is dependent upon membrane potential. Now it is also proved that the kind of animal species may also influence the action of the 1,4 DHP derivatives. It was finally found that felodipine increases the catecholamine stores of the sympathetic nerve terminal at the mouse heart (H) and liver (L). Obtained values were as following: control 15.00 ± 7.7 (H) and 17.72 ± 3.5 (L). Felodipine 54.50 ± 4.9 (H) and 41.54±10.4 (L). Since catecholamine stores depend on secretion (Ca2+-dependent) and reabsorption (mostly Na+-dependent) rates, the increase after felodipine may be attributed to a decreased secretion due to a Ca2+entry inhibition. As felodipine is known to block L-channels, the active and remarkable functional role of the existing sympathetic presynaptic L-channels is confirmed.
The Diagnostic Importance of Computed Tomography in Aortobronchial Fistula—A Case Report
Authors: Urschel J.D.
Published: June 2008

Aortobronchial fistula secondary to thoracic aortic aneurysm is an unusual cause of hemoptysis. Computed tomography is the diagnostic procedure of choice. An illustrative case is reported.
Development of a Model Practice for Pediatric Residents
Authors: Mankad Vipul N. , Shell Richard T.
Published: June 2008

A model pediatric residents' group practice which functions independently of the hospital administration and, to a large extent, of the university administration was developed for the specific purpose of training pediatric residents. During the second year of operation (1981), the residents' group practice met 91 per cent of all expenses, including faculty and resident salaries. The residents' group practice shares many characteristics of a private practice ( e.g., continuity of physician-patient relationship, appointment keeping, efficient patient flow, and physician par ticipation in practice management). Through their involvement in the management of the practice, residents learn about socioeconomic aspects of pediatric practice and learn how to provide af fordable primary care of high quality. Suggestions for developing similar models elsewhere are described.
Diagnostic Styles of Attending Pediatricians, Residents, and Nurses in Evaluating Febrile Children
Authors: McCarthy Paul L. , Cicchetti Domenic V. , Stashwick Carole A. , Spiesel Sydney Z. , Dolan Thomas F.
Published: June 2008

In order to compare the diagnostic styles of attending pediatricians (A), residents (R), and nurses (N) in judging the degree of illness of a febrile child prior to physical examination, we studied the frequency with which they used 139 different history variables and 186 observation variables in evaluating 162 consecutive children ≤24 months of age with temperature ≥38.3 C. Because individual history and observation variables were not used with sufficient frequency, comparison of diagnostic styles based on the individual variables was not possible. The individual history and observation variables were then combined into 25 history and 30 observation categories respectively. One observation category, "Eyes," was used with sufficient frequency to allow com parison of A, R, and N diagnostic styles. In the Eyes category, there were 11 variables describing visual response to stimuli ( e.g., looking at the observer) and 10 variables describing appearance of the eyes ( e.g., glassy, shiny). Attendings used variables describing visual response to stimuli significantly more frequently than R or N, which may indicate a greater facility in evaluating age-appropriate behavior and/or may be a technique to increase the sensitivity of clinical judg ments.

These data demonstrate the variety of diagnostic styles of A, R, and N. There is a need to define valid and reliable observation data to identify serious illnesses in febrile children.
A Urine Preservative System to Maintain Bacterial Counts
Authors: Goodman Larry J. , Kaplan Raymond L. , Landau William , Jung Eduard , Barrett Jean E. , Levin Stuart , Harris Alan A.
Published: June 2008

The urinary tract is a common site of infection in the hospitalized, institutionalized, or ambulatory patient population. Ideally, urine should be cultured immediately or refrigerated up to 24 hours for quantitative examination for microorganisms. In the evaluation of patients at their homes or in long-term care facilities, rapid plating or refrigeration may not be practical. This is also true when evaluating small children in whom external collection devices are required to obtain a specimen. Because of these limitations, we evaluated a urine preservative and transport system, the Sage Products Urine Culture Tube, in a study of 1469 clinical specimens. This tube utilizes boric acid (1.1% final concentration) as a preservative. The Urine Culture Tube was easy to use and was as effective as refrigeration in maintaining bacterial counts. This system may be particularly useful where rapid transport or refrigeration is limited.
Alternative Methods of Reproduction
Authors: Sokoloff Burton Z.
Published: June 2008

Artificial donor insemination (DI), surrogate parenting, in vitro fertilization, and embryo transfer are alternative methods of reproduction being utilized with increasing frequency. Technological developments are being studied in detail. Because of the secrecy inherent in the families involved, there has been little written describing the emotional and psychological well-being of the participants. Significant factors, such as unlimited pregnancies per donor, lack of recordkeeping of the genetic background of each insemination, need for psychological counseling of the parents, the impact of the "family secret" of the pregnancy, and the well-being of the offspring, have not been adequately addressed. There has been little effort to make use of our experience in adoption in relation to many of these same areas. No medical guidelines or legislation exist. The inherent problems associated with these parenting methods and practices are discussed along with recommendations for improvement.
Blood Pressure in Full-term Healthy Neonates
Authors: Tan K.L.
Published: June 2008

The blood pressure (BP) of 46 healthy full-term infants was studied in the first 6 consecutive days of life using the Dinamap. The BP gradually increased with age to peak at 4 or 5 days of age before subsiding a little at 6 days. There was a significant increase in BP values from the second to the third day of life in both the systolic and diastolic pressures during the waking state but not during sleep. The waking and sleeping BP, almost identical in the first day, diverged with increasing age, although no significant difference could be demonstrated between the respective values during the 6 days of study in systolic, diastolic, or mean arterial pressure. BP values obtained in the left and right upper limbs and right lower limb were similar for the respective days, with minor variations in pattern.

The waking and sleeping heart rate, identical on the first day, also diverged with increase in age but again no significant difference was observed on the first 6 days. There was no correlation between the BP and heart rate on any of the 6 days. However, a positive correlation between the daily mean systolic pressure and heart rate only in the waking state was observed over the course of the 6-day study period.
Randomized Study of Six Umbilical Cord Care Regimens
Authors: Gladstone Igor M. , Clapper Laura , Thorp James W. , Wright Dennis I.
Published: June 2008

Two hundred and seventy one infants were enrolled in a study to compare six different methods of treating the umbilical cord. Antimicrobial control was equal for all methods. Repeated triple dye application was considered least acceptable by staff and parents and had the longest attachment time. Povidone-iodine was associated with the shortest attachment time and was most liked. If there is no special need to treat a specific nosocomial outbreak, duration of cord attachment and satisfaction of staff and parents can help clinicians decide on a cord care regimen.
Persistent Neonatal Hyperinsulinism
Authors: Mathew P.M. , Young J.M. , Abu-Osba Y.K. , Mulhern B.D. , Hammoudi S. , Hamdan J.A. , Sa'di A.R.
Published: June 2008

Over a 3-year period, the diagnosis of persistent neonatal hyperinsulinism (PNH) was made in seven infants, from an unselected cohort of 18,726 births, all of Saudi Arabian origin. Thus the incidence of PNH was one in 2,675 births. The high incidence, associated consanguinity, and occurrence in siblings suggest that PNH may be inherited as an autosomal recessive disorder.
Hemangiomatosis of the Colon and Peritoneum
Authors: Ibarguen S. Eduardo , Sharp Harvey L. , Snyder Charles L. , Ferreli Kathy L. , Leonard Arnold S.
Published: June 2008

A 3-month-old infant presented with ascites, anemia, minimal rectal bleeding, and thrombocytopenia. He was found to have several hundred small cavernous hemangiomas of the colon and peritoneal surfaces. Treatment consisted of laser surgery, subtotal colectomy, and steroids.

A brief review of the literature on intestinal hemangiomatosis is included as well as the complications of the disease and current therapy.
Streptococcal Pharyngitis
Authors: White Christopher B. , Harris Richard , Weir Michael R. , Gonzales Inez , Bass James W.
Published: June 2008

Despite its imperfections, the throat culture remains the "gold standard" against which all rapid streptococcal antigen detection tests are compared. Using triple throat swabs, the accuracy of a rapid latex agglutination (LA) test and back up throat culture was determined and compared with a simultaneously obtained additional throat culture in children with suspected streptococcal pharyngitis. Although there was a 95 percent concordancy between throat cultures, the sensitivity of the throat culture was only 87 percent. Despite the LA test's lower sensitivity (78 percent), in this clinical population with a relatively low prevalence of positive throat cultures (19 percent), the predictive value of a negative LA test was only slightly lower than that of the throat culture (94-95 percent vs. 97 percent). Backup throat cultures are commonly recommended for patients with initially negative LA test results, but 10 percent of the patients with group A beta-hemolytic streptococci-positive throat cultures would have been undetected using this approach.
Constricting Bands
Authors: Johnson Charles Felzen
Published: June 2008

Bands around extremities may be from congenital, infectious, accidental, or purposeful causes. The older child may reveal the cause of self-inflicted or caregiver-inflicted banding. Banding in a nonverbal child will challenge the diagnostic acumen of the physician. Bands of unknown cause, or bands that may have been placed purposefully by a caretaker, must be reported as possible child abuse. Failure of the caretaker to seek help for the consequences of a band may suggest that the bands were intentionally placed. This failure may also be construed as medical neglect. Four cases of banding, which were referred to a child abuse program for consultation, are described.
Iron-fortified Formulas
Authors: Taylor James A. , Bergman Abraham B.
Published: June 2008

Primary care pediatricians in Washington State were surveyed regarding their attitudes about iron-fortified formula. Of the 210 responding physicians who stated an opinion 70 (33%) feel that there are definite indications for non-fortified formula, and 33 (16%) routinely recommend formula without added iron.

Despite evidence that adding iron to formula has helped reduce the prevalence of anemia in children and does not cause gastrointestinal symptoms, iron-fortified formula is not universally recommended by pediatricians.
Ulcerative Esophagitis
Authors: Borowitz Stephen M.
Published: June 2008

A case of upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage in a newborn infant due to ulcerative esophagitis is described. This is a previously undescribed cause of upper gastrointestinal neonatal bleeding. This case further illustrates the safety and efficacy of fiberoptic endoscopy in elucidating the source of upper gastrointestinal bleeding in the immediate newborn period.
Gelastic Epilepsy
Authors: Iannetti Paola , Chessa Luciana , Raucci Umberto , Basile Luciano A. , Fantozzi Luigi M. , Bozzao Luigi
Published: June 2008

Gelastic (laughing) epilepsy, relatively uncommon, is usually associated with hypothalamic hamartomas, pituitary tumors, astrocytomas of the mammillary bodies, and dysraphic conditions. Cases of unknown etiology are rare. In three of the four cases reported here, the diagnoses were hamartoma of the tuber cinereum; lobar holoprosencephaly; and lissencephaly type I, grade 2. In the fourth, radiographic investigation gave a normal result; a genetic etiology was suggested because of bilateral familial idiopathic epilepsy. In all patients, EEGs showed both focal spikes and generalized spike-and-wave discharges. The primary underlying neurophysiologic disorder may be provoked by the diffuse hyperexcitability of the cortex and subsequent firing of the thalamocortical networks with which the cortical brain is reciprocally interlinked.
Triggering Federal Court Intervention in State Prison Reform
Authors: CHILTON BRADLEY STEWART , NICE DAVID C.
Published: June 2008

What “triggers” federal court intervention in prison reform litigation? The authors present a causal model of federal judicial intervention in the prison reform litigation of 48 states (all except Alaska and Hawaii). From analysis of variables posited by numerous qualitative case studies to be critical, the causal model indicates that federal court intervention in state prison systems can be correlated to various factors, including political ideology, socioeconomic factors, and the “problem environment” of state prison conditions. The authors offer the analysis in the hope that it will stimulate additional discussion of the jurisprudence and behavior of federal judicial intervention in prison reform litigation.
Psychological Determinants of the Prison Experience
Authors: VAN VOORHIS PATRICIA
Published: June 2008

This article applies the technology of psychological classification to explore the effects of personality characteristics on prison adjustments and experiences. Bivariate and multivariate analysis assess the comparative effects of four personality types (committed criminal, neurotic, situational, and character disordered) on official disciplinary infractions, staff ratings of interpersonal behaviors, and self-reports of stress, aggressive behaviors, nonviolent infractions, and victimizations. The effects of other predictors, including age, race, marital status, employment status, prior prison time, prior prison revocations, and sentence length are also considered. Results indicate that inmates who were diagnosed as character disordered and those who had extensive prior prison experiences were more likely than others to have been cited for prison infractions. Young, White inmates and those who had never been revoked during prior sentences were more likely to report victimizing experiences. Inmates most likely to score high on the stress measure were White and neurotic anxious, whereas character-disordered inmates scored atypically low. Finally, older, White, situational inmates were viewed most favorably as staff rated the quality of their interpersonal relationships with other inmates.
AIDS Education in U.S. Prisons: A Survey of Inmate Programs
Authors: MARTIN RANDY , ZIMMERMAN SHERWOOD , LONG BILLY
Published: June 2008

Prisons and other correctional environments are in many ways optimal settings for the development, delivery, and study of AIDS education and prevention programs. Prior research has shown such programs to be widespread, but little is known about their impact. This article presents findings from a recent nationwide survey of AIDS education efforts in U.S. prisons. Results (a) provide baseline information about major program variations that evaluators must take into account and (b) serve as a catalyst for discussion of the types of questions that require their attention.
Prison Wardens' Job Satisfaction
Authors: CULLEN FRANCIS T. , LATESSA EDWARD J. , KOPACHE RENEÉ , LOMBARDO LUCIEN X. , BURTON VELMER S.
Published: June 2008

Using a national sample, the authors explore the level and determinants of prison wardens' job satisfaction. The data revealed that, both absolutely and compared with other occupational groups, wardens had a high level of job satisfaction. In general, individual characteristics, organizational conditions, previous work experiences, and a prison's regional location did not influence satisfaction scores. Dimensions of the work role, however, were significantly related to job satisfaction. Wardens were more satisfied who had supportive relations, emphasized human services to inmates, and exercised administrative autonomy within their prison.
The Influence of Career Orientation on Support for Rehabilitation among Correctional Staff
Authors: ROBINSON DAVID , PORPORINO FRANK J. , SIMOURD LINDA
Published: June 2008

Career orientation and work values were examined as factors that may relate to support for rehabilitation among correctional staff. The study surveyed a representative sample of 332 correctional and case management staff from the five geographical regions of the Federal Correctional Service of Canada. Not surprisingly, correctional officers were found to be less supportive of rehabilitation than case management staff. Among correctional officers, possessing favorable attitudes toward the field of corrections, showing an interest in career development, preferring work that involves people, and desiring work that provides outlets for personal growth were all positive predictors of support for rehabilitation. A desire to work with people was the only significant predictor the authors identified in the smaller sample of case management officers. The results indicated that demographic variables were not helpful in understanding why some correctional workers are more supportive of programming than others. The findings are discussed in terms of the challenges inherent in creating an engaged correctional workforce that supports programming.
A Case Management Treatment Program for Drug-Involved Prison Releasees
Authors: MARTIN STEVEN S. , INCIARDI JAMES A.
Published: June 2008

This article considers the application of the case management model for community-based treatment of prison releasees. The case management model has been successfully applied to rehabilitation in the social work and mental health fields. The analogies to issues of building protective factors and relapse prevention suggest a direct application to the treatment of drug abusers, and the monitoring components of case management parallel many of the desired supervisory functions of parole and probation. This article reviews the rationale, potential, and few existing applications of case management approaches for criminal justice clients. It then presents findings from an ongoing outcome evaluation of a case management program for parolees. Both the positive and negative results from this study suggest that case management treatment, when mandated in the context of criminal justice supervision, shows promise in reducing relapse to drug use and recidivism.
Constitutional Challenges to the Compulsory HIV Testing of Prisoners and the Mandatory Segregation of HIV-Positive Prisoners
Authors: HAAS KENNETH C.
Published: June 2008

Intravenous drug use is both a common aspect of the pre-imprisonment lifestyles of many American prisoners and a leading risk factor for contracting HIV—the virus that causes AIDS. Moreover, incarcerated inmates frequently engage in behavior that can spread the disease, particularly homosexual activity and intravenous drug use. Correctional officials face increasing pressure to protect inmates and staff from HIV infection, and some have responded by implementing policies requiring all inmates to undergo HIV testing and by housing HIV-positive inmates in separate units. Screening and segregation policies, however, have been challenged on constitutional grounds by HIV-positive prisoners. This article examines the leading constitutional developments in this emerging area of law and finds that most courts so far have been inclined to reject constitutional challenges to mandatory testing and segregation policies. There are enough unsettled issues, however, to warrant expanded appellate review and eventual U.S. Supreme Court resolution of the key constitutional questions.
Prison College Programs
Authors: McCOLLUM SYLVIA G.
Published: June 2008

Administrators who opt to provide education programs in prison are faced with the need to structure programs that span primary, secondary, and postsecondary levels. There seems to be consensus in the United States that prison education programs can properly include literacy, vocational education, and life-skill programs. However, this agreement doesn't extend to college programs. Prison college programs have a long history in the United States but their acceptability has ebbed and flowed over the years. Support of college programs in prison peaked in the 1960s and 70s, but became less popular in the 1980s and 90s. These programs depend, to a large extent, on federal tuition assistance. Amendments to federal legislation are offered almost annually, to exclude all prisoners from any college tuition assistance entitlement. These efforts have been unsuccessful, to date, but they reflect a section of public opinion which remains critical of tax supported grants to pay for prison college programs. Do inmate education programs reduce recidivism? Although some argue that it is not reasonable to correlate postrelease outcomes with any one prison program or situation, legislators and the public focus on recidivism and its correlation to specific programs. A significant body of research has developed in recent years that demonstrates a positive correlation between higher education and postrelease success. Despite this, currently, at least in the United States, college programs continue to be the most vulnerable of all prison education programs. If research data continue to show that these programs are cost effective and impact recidivism in positive ways, the situation may stabilize.
Miami's Treatment Drug Court for Felony Defendants: Some Implications of Assessment Findings
Authors: GOLDKAMP JOHN S.
Published: June 2008

One of the most innovative responses to the dramatic increase in the drug-caseloads of the 1980s in American courts was the Miami Drug Court, a treatment-oriented drug court that sought to bring substance abuse treatment to bear on the problems of drug-involved felony defendants in a diversionary, alternative processing approach. The treatment drug court model pioneered by Dade County officials in 1989 defined a new, hands-on role for the judge in managing the processing and treatment of defendants and an unorthodox courtroom approach that was based on teamwork among defense, prosecution, treatment, and other court-related agencies. Perhaps the greatest contribution of the court innovation was the attempt to marry the methods of drug treatment (and an understanding of drug-involved behavior) with the goals of criminal processing in a judge-supervised treatment program based on outpatient methods in the community. This article describes the Miami Drug Court Model and reports on findings from an empirical assessment to determine its impact that followed defendants into and through the Drug Court starting in the fall of 1990 for an observation period of 18 months and examined issues in a number of key criminal justice and treatment areas. In addition to considering the implications of the evaluative findings for the promise of the Miami Drug Court Model as an alternative processing strategy, this article examines policy issues relating to selection and extension of a target population posed for the treatment drug court approach and illustrates the need for differentiating among drug court candidates in planning effective and efficient treatment programs.
HIV Education for Inmates: Uncovering Strategies for Program Selection
Authors: HOGAN NANCY LYNNE
Published: June 2008

Recently, an expanded mission has emerged for correctional policy to focus on HIV/AIDS education interventions which not only benefit the institution, but also benefit society as a whole. It is hoped that by targeting the hard-to-reach populations found incarcerated and promoting behavior change, transmission may be prevented. This article focuses on identifying the required ingredients to uncover an effective educational strategy. These include: looking at educational paradigms, providing an in-depth understanding of different forms of risky behavior, uncovering everyday interpretation within racial, cultural, and gender frameworks, and choosing the most effective communication modes for the inmate population.
Perceptions of Punishment: Inmates and Staff Rank the Severity of Prison Versus Intermediate Sanctions
Authors: PETERSILIA JOAN , DESCHENES ELIZABETH PIPER
Published: June 2008

Proponents of the newer intermediate sanctions argue that there are “equivalencies” of punishment between community-based and prison sentences and that, at some level of intensity, community-based programs have roughly the same punitive “bite.” There is little research, however, on the relative severity of intensive supervision in comparison to other sanctions. This study was designed to examine how offenders and staff in Minnesota rank the severity of various criminal sanctions and which particular sanctions they judge equivalent in punitiveness. In addition, we explored how both groups rank the difficulty of commonly imposed probation conditions and which offender background characteristics are associated with perceptions of sanction severity. Our results suggest that there are intermediate sanctions that equate, in terms of punitiveness, with prison. For example, inmates viewed 1 year in prison as “equivalent” in severity to 3 years of intensive probation supervision or 1 year in jail, and they viewed 6 months in jail as equivalent to 1 year of intensive supervision. Although inmates and staff ranked most sanctions similarly, the staff ratings were higher for 3 and 6 months in jail and lower for 1 and 5 years probation. The two groups also differed on the difficulty of complying with individual probation conditions: Staff judged most probation conditions as harder for offenders to comply with than did inmates. Our results provide empirical evidence to support what many have suggested: It is no longer necessary to equate criminal punishment solely with prison. At some level of intensity and length, intensive probation is equally severe as prison and may actually be the more dreaded penalty. The results should give policymakers and justice officials pause, particularly those who suggest they are imprisoning such a large number of offenders—not to use prisons' ability to incapacitate and rehabilitate—but rather to get “tough on crime.”
Communication Policy Changes from 1971 to 1991 in State Correctional Facilities for Adult Males in the United States
Authors: DICKINSON GEORGE E. , SEAMAN THOMAS W.
Published: June 2008

The objective of this research is to determine whether and how correctional institutions's policies on correspondence, visitation, and telephoning have changed between 1971 and 1991. Data were gathered in 1971, 1981, and 1991 from state correctional institutions for adult males in maximum and medium security facilities. The findings indicate to the authors that correctional institutions are making serious commitments to reduce the social isolation of inmates through more liberal communication policies. Implications for further research are suggested to determine the effects of inmates' increased contacts with the outside society through more liberal policies regarding correspondence, visitation, and telephoning.
Functional Literacy Education for Jail Inmates: An Examination of the Hillsborough County Jail Education Program
Authors: SMITH LINDA G. , SILVERMAN MITCHELL
Published: June 2008

Offenders incarcerated in jails in Hillsborough County, Florida, had the opportunity to participate in an education program using computer-assisted instruction for basic literacy education and GED preparation. Although literacy levels were low with a tested mean of sixth grade prior to entering the program, participants made statistically significant gains in knowledge during 6 weeks of instruction. Overall, participants gained 2.40 grades during this period. Significance tests based on gender, race, and age were conducted with males, Blacks, and juveniles showing significantly higher gains in knowledge within these groups. However, when a logistic regression model was created using low/high gains as the dependent variable, only age remained significant indicating an interaction effect with gender and race. Participants in the program showed high levels of satisfaction with the program, and 90% had plans to continue their education upon release from incarceration. Based on the research conducted thus far, the program is operating successfully.
Tea Ceremony and Tatami Mat Making: Gender Differences in Access to Educational Programs in Japanese Prisons
Authors: GERBER JURG , WEEKS SUSAN L. , DENQ FURJEN
Published: June 2008

Gender roles in the larger society are often reflected in prisons: Female inmates in most countries are confronted with prison conditions that are different from those of male prisoners. The goal of this study is to ascertain if the same holds true for Japan. We administered questionnaires to inmates in two prisons in Japan (N = 174) and conducted face-to-face interviews with officials in the same institutions concerning educational and vocational programs available to inmates. Our results indicate that fewer programs are found in prisons for females and that these programs reflect the traditional role of women in Japan.
The International Use of Incarceration
Authors: MAUER MARC
Published: June 2008

A 52-nation survey on the international use of incarceration shows a broad variation in the degree to which countries make use of imprisonment. The survey shows that Russia and the United States now lead all other nations, with an incarceration rate that is 5-8 times that of most industrialized nations. Although rates of violent crime in the United States are considerable higher than in other nations, this has not been the primary factor leading to the 155% increase in new court commitments since 1980 because 84% of the increase was due to drug, property, and public order offenses. Cross-national comparisons of incarceration have found that sentence length is a key variable in explaining differences in the use of incarceration and that relative punitiveness may be a function of the degree of general societal inequality.
Assessment of and Services for Substance-Abusing Women Offenders in Community and Correctional Settings
Authors: PRENDERGAST MICHAEL L. , WELLISCH JEAN , FALKIN GREGORY P.
Published: June 2008

This article summarizes previous literature on the needs of substance-abusing women offenders and presents the main findings of a nationwide survey of community-based and corrections-based treatment programs for women offenders and of site visits to such programs. Several program characteristics were found that pose obstacles to women's entry and successful involvement in treatment: absence of child care, especially among programs for both men and women; restrictive screening instruments that deny access to, for example, pregnant women and women with mental impairment; and needs assessment protocols that lack comprehensive standards, resulting in a failure to properly perceive women's needs and provide, or refer to, appropriate services. To effectively address the problems of drug abuse, drug-related health problems, and drug-related criminal activity among women, programs should move toward a system-oriented approach to service delivery that emphasizes linkage of criminal justice agencies, drug treatment programs, and social service agencies to arrange for the crucially needed ancillary services that must complement drug treatment to promote lasting change.
Responding to Female Prisoners' Needs
Authors: MORRIS ALLISON , WILKINSON CHRIS
Published: June 2008

We know a considerable amount about the difficulties female prisoners face before, during, and after sentence. Prisons have attempted to respond to this by introducing such devices as needs analyses, sentence plans, reviews, and the like. This article reports on a project that examined organizational responses to prisoners' needs. The fieldwork was carried out in three women's prisons in England and involved interviews with 200 prisoners, both pre- and postrelease. The article specifically addresses the difficulties in translating good practice into actual practice, in translating rhetoric into reality.
A Dual Experiment in Intensive Community Supervision: Minnesota's Prison Diversion and Enhanced Supervised Release Programs
Authors: DESCHENES ELIZABETH PIPER , TURNER SUSAN , PETERSILIA JOAN
Published: June 2008

In 1990, Minnesota enacted legislation to implement an intensive community supervision program as an alternative both to prison and to routine parole. The National Institute of Justice funded RAND to evaluate the program. This article reports on two randomized field experiments designed to measure the implementation and impact of the programs. Detailed information on offender background, services received, and 1-year outcomes was collected for 300 participants. Results showed that the programs were fairly well implemented. Two-year follow-up results indicated that prison-diversion offenders under intensive community supervision posed no greater risk to public safety than those initially sentenced to prison. The prison-diversion program resulted in savings of about $5,000 per offender per year, but these savings were offset by the greater cost of intensive supervision for parolees.
Sex in Prison: Exploring the Myths and Realities
Authors: SAUM CHRISTINE A. , SURRATT HILARY L. , INCIARDI JAMES A. , BENNETT RACHAEL E.
Published: June 2008

Prison narratives, mass media, and conclusions drawn from institutional research have fostered a perception of widespread “homosexual rape” in male penitentiaries. However, studies of sexual contact in prison have shown inmate involvement to vary greatly. To explore the nature and frequency of sexual contact between male inmates in a Delaware prison, the authors administered a survey of sexual behavior. Respondents were questioned extensively about sexual activities that they engaged in, directly observed, and heard about “through the grapevine” prior to their entry into a prison treatment program. Findings indicate that (a) although sexual contact is not wide-spread, it nevertheless occurs; (b) the preponderance of the activity is consensual rather than rape; and (c) inmates themselves perceive the myth of pervasive sex in prison, contradicting their own realities.
Implementing Detention Intake Reform: The Judicial Response
Authors: BAZEMORE GORDON , DICKER TODD J.
Published: June 2008

This study examines several influences on judges' attitudes toward implementation of new detention intake policies in Florida. Based on a statewide survey of all circuit judges on the juvenile bench, the analysis focuses specifically on the relative impact of judges' agreement with the statutory purpose of detention, working relationships with other juvenile justice professionals, and a variety of demographic and occupational variables on support for these reforms. The findings, which indicate that agreement with the statutory purpose of detention exerts the dominant influence, have implications for policy-makers interested in improving the implementation process in juvenile justice.
Management Assessment and Policy Dissemination in Federal Prisons
Authors: FLEISHER MARK S.
Published: June 2008

In 1990, the Federal Bureau of Prisons implemented an instrument for on-site management accountability known as the institution character profile (ICP). The ICP was designed to assess the quality of work life for staffers, the working and living conditions for inmates, the stability of the institution within its community setting, and the nature of the professional relationship between federal agencies. This article describes the dynamics of the ICP as both an expression of the Bureau of Prisons' organizational culture that reaffirms core management principals and an effective conduit to disseminate programmatic and operational policies.
Employer Attitudes Toward Hiring Ex-Offenders
Authors: ALBRIGHT SHELLEY , DENQ FURJEN
Published: June 2008

The purposes of this article are to determine (a) employer attitudes toward hiring ex-offenders and (b) how these attitudes are affected by the level of training the ex-offender received while incarcerated, government incentives to hire, type of offense committed, and the relationship of the crime to the job to be filled. Eighty-three Houston and Dallas employers were surveyed on their attitudes toward hiring ex-offenders. In general, although the initial willingness to hire ex-offenders was low among employers, other findings indicate that the level of education, government incentives, and the relationship of the crime to the job increase employer willingness to hire an ex-offender. The type of offense, however, when disclosed, appears to have a negative effect on employers' willingness to hire, especially toward those with violent and sexual crimes as well as crimes against children. Limitations and policy applications of the findings are also discussed.
Work Release in Washington: Effects on Recidivism and Corrections Costs
Authors: TURNER SUSAN , PETERSILIA JOAN
Published: June 2008

This article presents results from two studies of Washington State's prison work release program conducted between 1991 and 1994. The first study analyzed a cohort of all male prisoners released from Washington prisons in 1990 (N = 2,452) to describe how work release operates and how successfully inmates perform in the program. The second study compared the recidivism of 218 offenders, approximately half of whom participated in work release and half of whom completed their sentences in prison. Results of the evaluation were mostly positive. Nearly a quarter of all prisoners released made a successful transition to the community through work release. Few work release inmates committed crimes while on work release. Recidivism and correctional costs for work releases and nonwork releases were similar.
The Relationship Between Prisonization and Social Skills among Prison Inmates
Authors: LAWSON DARREN P. , SEGRIN CHRIS , WARD TERESA D.
Published: June 2008

This study examined the process of organizational assimilation and how it was affected by social skills, within the context of a midwestern correctional facility. Participants were inmates housed in a maximum-, medium-, or minimum-security prison. A survey was distributed that measured frequency of inmates' external communication, sources of internal communication, prisonization, powerlessness, and social skills. Results supported links between prisonization and amount of internal and external communication and powerlessness. However, inmates' prisonization was not related to their social skills. Results indicated that inmates' assimilation into prison culture is influenced by intra- and extraprison variables.
Individual and Contextual Influences on Sentence Lengths: Examining Political Conservatism
Authors: HUANG W. S. WILSON , FINN MARY A. , RUBACK R. BARRY , FRIEDMANN ROBERT R.
Published: June 2008

This study examined the impact of legal, extralegal, and contextual variables on prison sentence lengths for violent felons sentenced in Georgia from 1981 to 1989. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted for all violent crimes and separately for four types of violent crime: murder and manslaughter, rape, aggravated assault, and robbery. Results indicated that the legally relevant factors—seriousness of the crime and number of convictions—had the strongest influence on sentence lengths. Across most violent crimes, male, older, and better-educated offenders received longer sentences than those without such characteristics. Political conservatism had a positive effect on sentence lengths for overall violent crime, robbery, and aggravated assault. Interaction effects for political conservatism and the number of convictions were significant, indicating that sentence length increased disproportionately as a court's conservatism and the felon's number of convictions increased. Findings suggest that political conservatism is an important contextual feature affecting prison sentence length.
The March of Folly
Authors: IRWIN JOHN
Published: June 2008

Societies, from time to time throughout history, have marched toward disaster with the acquiescence of otherwise sensible people. The current increase in the use of incarceration represents such a “march of folly.” Prison expansion is being driven by the notion that criminals are morally inferior and that they respond only to the threat of serious punishment. These assumptions are simplistic and socially divisive. Furthermore, incarceration is very expensive and fails to deal effectively with the reality that most criminals are returned to society. Criminal laws need to be reformed so that incarceration is reserved for the most serious violent offenders.
Explaining Variation in Perceptions of Inmate Crowding
Authors: WOOLDREDGE JOHN D.
Published: June 2008

The impact of population crowding on an individual's mental well-being has important implications for the goals of institutional corrections, making it worthwhile to understand what influences inmate perceptions of crowding. This study examined possible influences on these perceptions for 581 inmates of 3 Ohio facilities that operated at their design capacities at the time of data collection. Both preinstitutional variables (age, race, and whether an inmate was incarcerated for a sex-related offense) and institutional variables (victimization experience, visitation, and a facility's architectural design) were significant predictors of the perception of crowding. The implications of these results are presented.
Alcoholic Offenders: Survey Data Suggesting Auxiliary Treatment Interventions
Authors: WALSCH THOMAS C.
Published: June 2008

Alcohol abuse and dependency remain a serious problem among incarcerated offenders. Successful treatment requires specific interventions that augment generic substance abuse treatment. The purpose of this study is to delineate areas for intervention with alcoholic inmates. One hundred twenty-eight alcoholic inmates (64 men and 64 women) from the Massachusetts state prison system were randomly selected and interviewed. Measures included the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST), the Alcohol Dependence Scale (ADS), and Hare's Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R). The data suggests that, along with substance abuse treatment, interventions should be directed at: (a) early intervention; (b) physical, sexual, and emotional trauma issues; (c) depression and suicide potential; (d) occupational skills; (e) safe sex education; (f) violent behavior; and (g) psychopathic characterological issues, when warranted.
The Social Construction of Intermediate Punishments
Authors: PETERSEN REBECCA D. , PALUMBO DENNIS J.
Published: June 2008

Intermediate sanctions have been said to provide judges with a wider range of sentencing options so that they might better match the severity of punishment with the seriousness of the crime, while diverting nonviolent offenders from prison without posing a risk to public safety. However, the social construction of intermediate sanctions assumes that government is a rational actor that wants to achieve just deserts and crime reduction. The authors argue that instead, intermediate sanctions are socially constructed via political symbolism that is meant to convince the public that government is continuing to be tough on crime while reducing prison costs. Through discussion of shock incarceration and intensive probation, the authors contend that a more favorable way of “doing criminology” and influencing public policy is through discourse about principles of social justice.
Privatizing Corrections: Changing the Corrections Policy-Making Subgovernment
Authors: STOLZ BARBARA ANN
Published: June 2008

Contracting with private corporations to construct and/or operate prisons has become a commonly proffered response to problems of prison overcrowding and limited corrections resources. The involvement of private for-profit corporations in corrections has implications for who participates, how they participate, and where participants influence corrections policy making, as well as for the dynamics of that process. Or, in the language of political science, the participation of private corporations in corrections has consequences for the corrections subgovernment and for monitoring and accountability within that subgovernment. This article describes likely changes in the corrections subgovernment as a consequence of the privatization of prisons. The article is primarily theoretical, with the expectation that this subgovernment model will subsequently be tested empirically. Suggesting issues of monitoring and accountability that may arise with changes in subgovernment politics, it recommends that the National Institute of Justice convene interested parties to address these concerns.
The Meaning of Punishment: Inmates' Orientation to the Prison Experience
Authors: VAN VOORHIS PATRICIA , LEE BROWNING SANDRA , SIMON MARILYN , GORDON JILL
Published: June 2008

This article examines inmates' perceptions of sentencing intents (e.g., deterrence, rehabilitation, incapacitation, and retribution). Two prison populations are sampled: 114 minimum security and 111 maximum security federal prisoners. Four months following admission, subjects were surveyed about their perceptions of their prison experience. The authors examine (a) inmates' identification with sentencing intents; (b) the interrelationships among these orientations; and (c) factors associated with the orientations. Results find inmates in both samples either adhered to several orientations, accepting notions of rehabilitation while also finding prison to be a deterrent, deserved, and a reparation, or they saw no purpose to the prison sanction. Multivariate analyses, for penitentiary inmates, found that inmates most likely to focus on rehabilitation were non-White, young, unemployed at the time of their arrest, and not entrenched in crime as a lifestyle. Older, White, inmates, and those employed at arrest, were more likely to observe that no purpose was served. Models were less conclusive for minimum security inmates.