This episode looks at the relationship between sleep and marijuana use. The researchers were interested in knowing how people’s use of marijuana to help sleep predicts frequency of marijuana use, problematic use, how well people sleep, and what, if any, relationship exists between these and the race or sex of the individual. The results indicate that marijuana use is related to worse sleep efficiency, an association that held true across differences in sex and race. This research adds to what is known about marijuana use and sleep quality, especially among young adults, and disrupts common misconceptions about this topic.

Download the one-pager (PDF).

Drazdowski, T. K., Kliewer, W. L. & Marzell, M. (2021). College students’ using marijuana to sleep relates to frequency, problematic use, and sleep problems. Journal of American College Health, 69(1), 103–112. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2019.1656634

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.

Dr. Wiley discusses the Justice Community Opioid Innovation Network (JCOIN) and the Learning Experiences to Advance Practice (LEAP) program. She also explains the goals, foci, and next steps for JCOIN.

Download the one-pager (PDF).

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.

In the final episode of this season of the Aced It! podcast we provide strong theoretical and empirical evidence regarding what prison staff can do to improve outcomes for everyone. To do this, we review recent research about residents: prison philosophies and strategies that harm them and barriers they face to accessing programs in custody. Finally, we provide a look at some non-U.S. (global) harm reduction programs in prison settings.

Download the one-pager (PDF).

Byrne, J. M. (2020). The effectiveness of prison programming: A review of the research literature examining the impact of federal, state, and local inmate programming on post-release recidivism. Fed. Probation, 84, 3.

Kaiser, K. A., Piquero, A., Keena, L., & Howley, C. (2022). Assessing the institutional barriers and individual motivational factors to participation in prison-based programs. Crime & Delinquency, 00111287221114804.

Sander, G., Shirley-Beavan, S., & Stone, K. (2019). The global state of harm reduction in prisons. Journal of Correctional Health Care, 25(2), 105–120.

Timler, K., Brown, H., & Varcoe, C. (2019). Growing connection beyond prison walls: How a prison garden fosters rehabilitation and healing for incarcerated men. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 58(5), 444–463.

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.

Culture and climate are at the forefront of many discussions in prisons/jails, in research domains, and among the general public. These issues are also at the forefront of the research study behind this podcast. The four articles we present in this podcast cover some of the key ideas or talking points that contextualize these conversations in current research. Drawing on published scholarly work, we will weave our discussions around four areas: 1) the barriers to correctional staff help-seeking; 2) why some correctional officers get into this occupation; 3) the relationship between turnover intent and job stress/involvement, and 4) the moral and social climate of prisons.

Download the one-pager (PDF).

Auty, K. M., & Liebling, A. (2020). Exploring the relationship between prison social climate and reoffending. Justice Quarterly, 37(2), 358–381.

Burton, A. L., Jonson, C. L., Petrich, D. M., & Miller, W. T. (2023). Nefarious and disconcerting motivations for choosing a correctional officer position: A deviant case analysis. Criminal Justice and Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1177/00938548231187415

Lambert, E. G., Solinas-Saunders, M., Haynes, S. H., May, D. C., Keena, L. D., Leone, M., & Buckner, Z. (2023). The association of organizational justice views and turnover intent among correctional staff. Criminal Justice Studies, 1–22.

Wills, C., Bates, K., Frost, N. A., & Monteiro, C. E. (2021). Barriers to help-seeking among correction officers: Examining the influence of institutional culture and structure. Criminal Justice Studies, 34(4), 423–440.

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.

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.

Download the one-pager (PDF).

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 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.

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.

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.