Advancing Corrections Journal - Edition #14, What Else Works … Volume 2 (ACJ14-A003)

Article 3: Making Good Use of Dead Time: Emotional Learning Programs for Prisoners in Solitary Confinement (ACJ14-A003)

Abstract

Emotional learning (EL) programs have been adopted by correctional facilities due to their positive impacts on social and emotional intelligence in schools. This paper focuses on the promise of the EL program, Houses of Healing (HOH), which California prisoners residing in solitary confinement completed. Survey data from 200 male participants was analyzed. Participant responses reveal prisoners experienced an 83 percent or greater improvement in hopefulness, identifying triggers, handling anger, and ability to remain in control and cope when upset. Frequency of meditation practice and perceived helpfulness of physical exercise correlated with improvement in hopeful feelings and coping abilities.

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Authors

Dr. Ann Marie Rocheleau

Professor, Stonehill College, United States

Dr. Ann Marie Rocheleau is a Professor in the Sociology & Criminology Department at Stonehill College in Massachusetts. She has written several articles on prison violence and the correctional response to it. Along with her co-authors Robert Johnson and Alison B. Martin, she helped write Hard Time: A Fresh Look at Understanding and Reforming the Prison, published in 2017. This book examines the history, evolution and culture of maximum security prisons and those who live and work in them. Previously, Rocheleau served as Program Coordinator for the nationwide Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators, working to raise the conditions of confinement in juvenile correctional facilities. She started her career at the Massachusetts Department of Correction (DOC), where she evaluated substance abuse and other prison programs. She was also the first Director of Treatment at Old Colony Correctional Center in Bridgewater, MA, and the first Substance Abuse Coordinator for the entire DOC.

Shannon Curran

Counselor, Massachusetts Department of Correction, United States

Shannon Curran graduated from Stonehill College in 2022 with a double major in Criminology and Psychology. Shannon currently works at the Massachusetts Department of Correction as a counselor, where she facilitates group programs on interpersonal skills acquisition and substance use disorder treatment. Shannon also conducts individual counseling sessions and works to establish relapse prevention plans prior to release.

Advancing Corrections Journal - Edition #14, What Else Works … Volume 2 (ACJ14-A003)

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