Evaluating the impact of ‘rehabilitative adjudications’ in four English prisons

ABSTRACT

Effective responses to rule-breaking in prison are critical for maintaining safety, stability and order. This study explored the impact of rehabilitative adjudications, in which rehabilitative skills and procedural justice (PJ) principles are used explicitly within a traditional disciplinary process for responding to rule-breaking. A trial in four prisons brought evidence of improved prisoner perceptions of PJ and stronger intentions to comply with rules and regulations. While no significant improvements in more serious custodial conduct were identified, the findings support the use of this concept within a wider prison approach to underpin a culture characterised by fairness and hope – both well-evidenced features of prisons that enable rehabilitation and desistance.

KEYWORDS:

• Rehabilitation
• disciplinary processes
• impact
• procedural justice
• rule-breaking

Acknowledgements

The authors are very grateful to the Governing Governors, senior management teams and the prison residents who volunteered to be part of this trial.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 In England and Wales, women’s prisons are classified as open, closed, or both, rather than with the categories A–D that are used for men’s prisons. The prison rules, and policy and practice of adjudications for rule-breaking, are the same, however.