On any given day, more than 6% of the U.S. prison population is held in solitary confinement--a practice that has profound and lasting effects on the mental and physical health of incarcerated people and adverse impacts on staff. To help counter these harms, Amend at the University of California, San Francisco adapted a Norwegian model (“the Resource Team”) for U.S. prisons. This multidisciplinary approach brings together specialized staff and peer mentors to engage people who have spent extended periods in isolation and increase meaningful out-of-cell time.
We surveyed correctional staff in Washington, Oregon, and California who had served on Resource Teams to better understand how this model may affect staff. Respondents overwhelmingly agreed that Resource Teams made restricted housing units safer, built trust with incarcerated people, improved overall prison safety, and reduced staff stress. Compared with pre-team involvement, staff reported less emotional exhaustion, greater confidence in managing high-risk individuals and de-escalating potentially violent situations, and a lower likelihood of wanting to leave corrections. These changes were statistically significant.
Although Resource Team members represent only a small fraction of corrections staff in these states, the model demonstrated a substantial positive impact on the prisons where it operates and the experience of staff in units with the highest rates of violence. These findings add to a growing body of evidence that engaging incarcerated people with high needs in meaningful activities can enhance staff health and well-being, improve prison culture, and increase safety for everyone involved.
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Madeline Adee
Manager of Impact & Evaluation, Amend at University of California, San Francisco, United States
Madeline Adee has worked at the intersection of public health and incarceration for over a decade. Her work has focused on research and interventions to improve health and well-being in prisons, and to address human rights concerns. Madeline is currently the Manger of Impact and Evaluation at Amend at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Amend is an organization based at the UCSF School of Medicine that works to transform prisons by sharing expertise to reduce harm and promote the health and humanity of prison staff and people who are incarcerated.
