The Impacts of Restrictive Housing on Inmate Behavior, Mental Health, and Recidivism, and Prison Systems and Personnel, Florida, 2007-2020 (ICPSR 37849)
Version Date: Oct 14, 2021 View help for published
Principal Investigator(s): View help for Principal Investigator(s)
Daniel P. Mears, Florida State University
https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR37849.v1
Version V1
Summary View help for Summary
In partnership with the Florida Department of Corrections (FDC), this study a) collected prison administrative data to create person-level cohort-analysis files of inmates admitted to and released from Florida prisons between July 1, 2007 and December 31, 2015, b) collected stock population data of inmates incarcerated on June 30, 2011, c) examined recidivism outcomes, d) examined the effects of long-term solitary confinement on inmate behavior and mental health, and e) conducted a survey of prison personnel from November 4, 2019 to January 10, 2020, in order to conduct an analysis to address the need in public policy decision-making for evidence on the impacts of restricted housing on inmates, prisons and personnel, and public safety overall.
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Geographic Coverage View help for Geographic Coverage
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State
Restrictions View help for Restrictions
This data collection may not be used for any purpose other than statistical reporting and analysis. Use of these data to learn the identity of any person or establishment is prohibited. To protect respondent privacy, this data collection is restricted from general dissemination. To obtain this file, researchers must agree to the terms and conditions of a Restricted Data Use Agreement in accordance with existing ICPSR servicing policies.
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Time Period(s) View help for Time Period(s)
Date of Collection View help for Date of Collection
Study Purpose View help for Study Purpose
This study was designed to address the need for comprehensive, consistent evidence on the impacts of restrictive housing on inmates, on prisons, and their personnel. This is done to provide policymakers with the information needed to make informed decisions and prevent prison systems from investing in inmate management approaches that have adverse outcomes on inmates, facility personnel, and overall public safety.
Study Design View help for Study Design
Prison administrative records data were collected to provide information that would allow for estimation of the use of restrictive housing and its impacts on inmates and in turn, prison system safety, as well as recidivism of inmates. The survey data were collected to provide information that also would allow for estimating potential impacts on inmates as well as impacts on the prison system and personnel.
Analyses varied by data source. Three separate approaches were taken for the administrative records data. First, descriptive statistical analyses of the first and second administrative records data files were conducted to provide a profile of inmates in extended solitary restrictive housing. This profile provided a basis of comparison to the profile of inmates in the general population and to individuals in other forms of restrictive housing. Second, propensity score matching analyses were conducted to estimate the potential effects of long-term solitary restrictive housing on recidivism. Third, inmate-week data was used to estimate treatment-only fixed effects models, which analyze within-person changes, to examine how stays in long-term solitary restrictive housing are associated with inmate adjustment and behavior prior to, during, and after placement in the housing.
Analysis of the survey data were conducted using descriptive and regression analyses.
Sample View help for Sample
The descriptive release, descriptive stock, matching, and inmate-week data were constructed using administrative data provided by the Florida Department of Corrections.
The survey data set was constructed from a survey of prison personnel, conducted from November 4, 2019 through January 10, 2020. It included wardens and front-line, medical, and mental health staff at each of the state's major public correctional institutions. The sample N for the survey was 10,211.
Time Method View help for Time Method
Universe View help for Universe
Inmates and corrections officers at large public correctional facilities
Unit(s) of Observation View help for Unit(s) of Observation
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Mode of Data Collection View help for Mode of Data Collection
Description of Variables View help for Description of Variables
The descriptive release data set consists of administrative records data from the Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) used to create a person-level admission-and-release cohort analysis file; the data are about inmates admitted to and released from Florida prisons from July 1, 2007 to December 31, 2015 and were used to provide descriptive information about inmates.
The descriptive stock data set consists of inmates incarcerated in the FDC on June 30, 2011 and was also used to provide descriptive information about inmates.
The matching data set is a matching analysis data file, used for examining recidivism outcomes.
The inmate-week data set was used to examine the effects of long-term solitary confinement on inmate behavior and mental health.
The survey data were collected to provide information that also would allow for estimating potential impacts on inmates as well as impacts on the prison system and personnel.
Response Rates View help for Response Rates
The overall response rate from all eligible respondents was 58.8 percent. The completion rate was 53.3 percent among all eligible respondents and 90.6 percent among all individuals who accessed the survey.
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