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.