Psychopathology in supermax prisons: A New York state study.
Item
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Title
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Psychopathology in supermax prisons: A New York state study.
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Identifier
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AAI3284389
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identifier
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3284389
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Creator
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Wynn, Jennifer R.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Todd R. Clear
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Date
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2007
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Sociology, Criminology and Penology
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Abstract
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Supermax prisoners are among the most isolated and understudied populations in the criminal justice system. Few researchers are permitted access to supermax units; little public oversight exists. Despite the country's rapid build-up of supermax prisons in recent years, less than a dozen empirical studies have measured their impact on institutional safety, inmate behavior or the psychological harm they pose. Nevertheless, extant research demonstrates that supermax prisons are filled disproportionately with mentally ill inmates and that the restrictive conditions may contribute to symptoms of psychopathology where none existed previously. However, findings are weakened by small samples, lack of comparison groups and interviewer bias.;This dissertation makes a substantive contribution to the supermax literature through an empirical analysis of data from personally administered surveys to a large sample of supermax inmates (N = 175) in the country's fourth largest prison system, the New York State Department of Correctional Services, which has one of the highest percentages of inmates in supermax housing, and where it is estimated that up to 60% of inmates suffer from mental illness. Because the sample included both inmates who were and were not on the mental health caseload, it was possible to control for the effect of preexisting mental illness on inmates' differential experiences in and adaptation to the general prison population and supermax confinement.;Findings showed that while mentally ill and non-mentally ill supermax inmates resembled each other on correlates of violence in the community and in general population, mentally ill inmates were significantly more likely than other inmates to attempt suicide, engage in self-harm, experience victimization and receive disciplinary infractions for symptomatic behavior. In addition, findings showed that behavior among all inmates worsened rather than improved in supermax.;The hypothesis that mentally ill inmates manifested significantly more behavioral pathology and psychiatric distress in supermax than non-mentally ill inmates was also supported. The effect of mental illness on psychiatric distress was large, with mental illness explaining nearly 50% of the variance. Finally, findings showed that inmates with no mental health problems in the community or in general population manifested symptoms of psychopathology once in supermax.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
