Beyond Punishment: Applying PRISM in a New Zealand Maximum Security Prison

Abstract

Institutional violence has typically in the past focused on individual risk factors (substance abuse, impulsivity, personality, mental health functioning, etc.). Over recent years, the focus in assessing for violence in institutional settings has shifted from internal variables to environmental (or situational) factors. A newly developed institutional measure, Promoting Risk Intervention by Situational Management (PRISM), a structured approach to examine situational risk factors was applied to New Zealand maximum security prison units. Assessment found distorted views of violence and safety (confirmed that violence was sporadic and not predictable and more likely to relate to situational risk factors), problems in leadership on violence management, a lack of specific training or recruitment for working in maximum security or consistent specialist training. The area of most concern related to a restricted unlock regime with no treatment options and limited recreational activities. Specific issues included population mix with gang issues preventing prisoner movement to maintain gang parity, and “siltage,” with other prisons reluctant to take transfers. Stiltage in this case refers to prisoner flow through the institution being choked up. Staff found use of risk scenarios a ‘natural’ move to a future rather than past risk consideration. Changes as a result of PRISM included attention to staff mix, implementation of an active management approach, and some flexibility regarding quality-of-life experiences. The application of PRISM to each unit endorsed the need for a differential approach with varying needs found. Unfortunately, the lack of a more flexible prison environment and continued serious violence in these units prevented major changes at this stage. The implications of applying PRISM in the face of such issues, as well as increasing level of imprisonment with limited funding are discussed.

Keywords:

• prison violence
• structured professional judgment
• institutional risk factors, maximum security
• violence management

The views expressed in this report are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Department of Corrections (nor do they reflect New Zealand Government policy).

Notes

¹Both of the PRISM pilot researchers are experienced forensic clinical psychologists with many years of experience in the assessment and treatment of offender violence in New Zealand Corrections settings. In addition, both evaluators have been trained in measures requiring structured professional judgment (i.e., HCR-20, SVR-20, and RSVP) and had reviewed and studied the PRISM manual and relevant literature. Guidance, supervision, and review of the research was also provided by one of the PRISM's developers, Professor David Cooke.

²In most cases, it was not possible to canvass such a lengthy period due to the high turnover of staff, the progression of prisoners across units, as well as the already transitory nature of most of the offenders (i.e., short-serving prisoners or those well-behaved enough to transfer to lower security units over a relatively short period). Indeed, at the time of the pilot, we had only met two prisoners who had resided in any one of these units for at least two continuous years.

³In the midst of this research, one prisoner was reported to have stabbed another prisoner multiple times. He was subsequently found guilty of attempted murder.

⁴It was reported that messages would be sent out to prisoners on lower security to commit an assault in order to be reclassified and transferred to Auckland East to bolster particular gang membership.

⁵The research finished in February 2009, unfortunately on March 1, 2009, there was a serious violent incident in B Block in which a prisoner was murdered by a group of four other prisoners in the block. The victim was reported to have been strangled to death with a radio power cord in a gang-related revenge attack.

⁶Just prior to the conclusion of the research in January 2009 one prisoner in C Block in a planned attack stabbed another prisoner several times with a sharpened steel rod in a corridor outside the cells. One of these stab wounds to the heart caused injuries that required emergency hospital surgery to save the victim's life (‘Burton guilty of attempted murder,’NZ Herald, 12 November 2009).