Task Force Report on Administrative Segregation

M. Research

Although the segregated inmate population represents approximately 5.5% of all federally incarcerated inmates, limited research on these offenders exists. For example, the literature on the effects of segregation is limited and contradictory, and little is known about the psychological make-up and different coping skills of segregated men, women, and Aboriginal inmates. The Task Force recommends that the following two research initiatives be undertaken.

(a) Screening Protocol: Identifying the Needs of Inmates at Risk of Becoming Segregated

The profile of segregated inmates suggests that they are very different from non-segregated inmates. Segregated inmates are higher risk and have distinct and higher needs than non-segregated inmates. Owing to the abundance of case-specific factors, the needs of inmates at risk of being segregated could possibly be better identified upon admission. The Task Force recommends that a research project be initiated using existing databases to develop a screening protocol that would better assess the needs of inmates at risk of becoming segregated. This information will help Case Management Officers to ensure that the inmates’ needs are better identified and receive appropriate and early intervention.

The Task Force further recommends that the research project ensures that Aboriginal offenders and other cultural groups will not be adversely affected by the proposed screening protocol.

(b) The Effects of Long-Term Segregation

Although the literature on the effects of segregation is limited and contradictory, the Task Force is committed to the position that administrative segregation is harmful to inmates’ mental health and social functioning.

The Task Force found that the evidence supporting the position that segregation is harmful is primarily based on case studies and anecdotal evidence, whereas the evidence supporting the position that segregation is not harmful is based on empirical studies that do not evaluate what today’s segregation reality entails, and as a result, is difficult to generalize. The empirically-based evidence fails to evaluate factors that may affect inmates’ mental health and social functioning.

The factors that are typically not part of the empirical studies are: reasons for being segregated; process by which inmates are segregated; physical facilities and daily routines; lack of meaningful contact with staff members and other inmates; high prevalence of mental disorders among segregated inmates; length of the period of segregation; uncertainty of the release date; uncertainty of the behaviour required to increase the possibility of returning to the general inmate population; and process by which inmates are returned to the general inmate population (see Arbour, 1996; Gendreau & Bonta, 1984; Vantour, 1975).

Little is known about the psychological make-up and different coping skills of segregated male, women, and Aboriginal inmates. Research in these areas will provide information that could be used to identify segregated inmates who are more likely to be negatively affected by segregation. This information will help to develop interventions which are designed to facilitate inmates’ reintegration into the general inmate population and to negate the potentially harmful effects associated with segregation.