Advancing Corrections Journal - Edition #14 - What Else Works ... Volume 2 (ACJ14-A008)

Article 8: What Needs to Work? Researching Prisoner Experiences in Chile (ACJ14-A008)

Abstract

This article, inspired by Liebling’s concept of the moral performance of prisons, summarizes empirical findings learned from a decade of field work in Chilean prisons and also reflects on how these findings have contributed to prison reform efforts in the country. Although the overall research employed a variety of methodologies, in this piece we emphasize the quantitative results of two, secondary datasets of prisoner self-reports: i) a national study in 75 prison facilities (n = 2,093), and ii) a study on the moral performance conducted in five large prisons (n=1,448) employing an adapted version of the Measuring Quality of Prison Life [MQPL] questionnaire. Our findings reveal a variety of problems affecting prison life in Chile, such as victimization and violence among inmates, institutional mistreatment, limited programme access, insufficient infrastructure conditions, reports on corruption and the like. In addition, we found common struggles; variations between inmates and facilities; and routes to move forward prison reform ‘from the inside’, including moral performance; the untapped potential of officers and guards; and locating experiences of humanity and hope. We also discuss how some policies and programs have been linked to some of the results of the surveys, analyzing their possibilities and limitations for prison reform.

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Authors

Guillermo Sanhueza

Associate Professor, University of Chile, Chile

Guillermo Sanhueza received his doctorate in Social Work and Sociology from the University of Michigan. Associate Professor, School of Social Work Loyola University Chicago & at the University of Chile. His research and teaching areas are related to social reintegration, prison conditions, the role of prison officials in prison life, and the processes of returning to the community after confinement. He currently directs the Fondef IDeA # id21i10255 project “Integrated Management Prototype for Effective Social Reintegration”.

Bethany E. Schmidt

Research Associate, Cambridge, England

Bethany E. Schmidt is Research Associate in the Prisons Research Centre at Cambridge since January 2016. In this role, she has been involved in project management responsibilities for the conduct and development of ‘outreach’ MQPL+ activities, including international projects, and other projects which form part of the overall research activities of the Prisons Research Centre. In October 2020, Bethany was appointed to the three-year post of Lecturer in Penology in the Prisons Research Centre. This role ‘replaces’ Professor Alison Liebling for the duration of her Leverhulme Major Research Fellowship. Bethany will take over much of Alison’s teaching and research project management responsibilities, in addition to the continuation of Bethany’s MQPL+ work. Bethany also teaches and supervises MSt and MPhil students.

Alison Liebling

Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Director, Institute of Criminology’s Prisons Research Centre, University of Cambridge, England

Alison Liebling is Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Cambridge and the Director of the Institute of Criminology’s Prisons Research Centre. She has carried out a significant programme of research on measuring the moral quality of prison life, the effectiveness of suicide prevention strategies in prison, and values, practices and outcomes in public and private sector corrections. She is particularly interested in the role of prison officers, in general, but also in bridging the ‘gap’ between interventions and the prison environment. Her most recent research is on staffprisoner relationships and prisoner social organisation in high security prisons, and on the meaning and experience of shared reading in prison PIPES (Psychologically-Informed Planned Environments).

Liza Zúñiga

PhD student, University of Chile

Liza Zúñiga is a PhD student, College of Social Sciences, University of Chile. Her areas of research include prison environments, the organizational culture of prison officers, and the training process of prison personnel. She is currently involved in two major research projects in Chile and Latin America: one on designing a prototype for an effective rehabilitation in Chile (Fondef IDeA # id21i10255 project); another, on life histories of incarcerated individuals from different countries in the region.

Advancing Corrections Journal - Edition #14 - What Else Works ... Volume 2 (ACJ14-A008)

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