Improving the Institutional Behaviour of Prisoners: Challenges and Opportunities for Behaviour Analysis

Prisoner misconduct presents a significant issue to correctional administrators, disrupting the orderly running of regimes, endangering safety, and negatively impacting the health and well-being of both prisoners and frontline staff. While an extensive literature has emerged around rehabilitative intervention with offenders, research efforts have been more commonly directed towards reducing post-release recidivism, resulting in a relatively sparse literature concerning the in-prison behaviour of prisoners. Persistent and rising levels of violent and disruptive behaviour in prisons highlight the need for greater research attention to be devoted to this issue. The field of applied behaviour analysis may be well placed to address this research deficit, with historical work in prisons and more recent efforts in juvenile justice settings suggesting that approaches derived from behaviour analysis may hold promise in correctional settings. This includes an emerging literature relating to the adaptation of school-wide Positive Behavioural Interventions and Supports (PBIS) to juvenile justice facilities. PBIS offers a framework within which to integrate a continuum of evidencebased practices to address the needs of the population to which it is applied. Preliminary evidence suggests that the approach is feasible, is viewed positively by residents and staff, and can be efficacious in improving resident behaviour in these settings. However, addressing prisoner misconduct within adult prisons may present distinct challenges to that of juvenile forensic settings, given differences in their size, staffing ratios, and focus on education and rehabilitation. This thesis aimed to contribute to the literature on identifying effective behavioural interventions for use with adult prisoners. First, a comprehensive systematic review was conducted to explore the range of interventions directed towards reducing prisoner misconduct and identify “what works” in reducing institutional infractions (Chapter 2). Findings suggested that cognitive behavioural approaches reduced violent infractions but not overall misconduct, while therapeutic community interventions and educational approaches reduced overall misconduct. Second, focus groups were conducted with prisoners and frontline staff (prison officers) to assess valued intervention outcomes and explore potential barriers for PBIS implementation (Chapter 3). Three overarching values were identified: a need for rehabilitation, consistency, and respect. Potential barriers to PBIS included pessimistic views towards rehabilitative approaches and perceptions of limited resources. Third, the intervention design process of a universal (Tier 1) intervention strategy was described that incorporated evidence-based practices, stakeholder values, and institutional data on prisoner behaviour, whilst also operating within available resources (Chapter 4). The resulting intervention was a peer-led approach that focussed on increasing prisoner engagement in purposeful activity. Fourth, a feasibility study was conducted to establish the viability of the intervention as well as the feasibility of research procedures in the setting (Chapter 5). The intervention successfully promoted prisoner engagement, with prisoners reporting beneficial effects on behaviour, social relationships, and well-being. Staff perceptions of the approach were more tempered but generally positive. Institutional records did not appear sufficiently sensitive to detect changes in prisoner misconduct, suggesting that alternative measurement approaches may need to be identified. Finally, opportunities and barriers to behaviour analytic research in adult prisons were explored (Chapter 6), highlighting the continued relevance of the seven dimensions of behaviour analysis to prisonbased research.<br/

Modelling the conjugate heat transfer during the fast-filling of high-pressure hydrogen vessels for vehicular transport

Compressed gas in cylinders is currently the preferred solution for storing hydrogen on board vehicles. Fast-filling combined with high storage pressures is required to meet competitive targets of long driving ranges and short refuelling times. Experiments and CFD models have shown that the fast-filling leads to significant rise in temperature within the hydrogen cylinder, which can lead to its structural failure. Thus, controlling the rise in temperature is vital during the refuelling process. This paper describes the implementation of a universal thermodynamic model that determines the gas and structural temperature during the fast-filling of hydrogen cylinders. It includes the computation of conjugate heat transfer from the gas to the cylinder structure. The thermodynamic model requires negligible computational time without compromising accuracy and can used to implement different fast-filling scenarios on a laptop or personal computer. The flexibility and robustness of the model is shown as it is capable of modelling the fast-filling of cylinders while varying different key parameters such as fill time, structural material, cylinder volume, final pressure, filling rate, initial temperatures and pressures

Evaluation of a comprehensive power management system with maximum power point tracking algorithm for multiple microbial fuel cell energy harvesting

This study presents a comprehensive power management system (PMS) for tracking the maximum power point (MPP) and harvesting energy from up to five microbial fuel cells (MFCs). The harvested energy powers the electronics, with backup options available if needed. The PMS is capable of regulating the output voltage, allowing it to be increased up to 3.3 V using a hysteresis-based control approach. The MPP for each MFC is determined using a variable step size incremental conductance algorithm, regulating the duty cycle of dedicated synchronous boost converters without requiring additional electronic components. The PMS efficiency depends on the target output voltage and MFCs' power output characteristics. Efficiencies up to 87% are achieved by combining the boost converters' outputs. The PMS conserves energy by disabling idle electronic components, with PMS power consumption below 5.8 mW at 3 .3 V output. The PMS is tested with simulated and real tubular MFCs under various conditions

Supporting Academy Football Coaches to Develop Psychological Attributes in Male Academy Players

The overarching purpose of this thesis was to support academy football coaches to better facilitate the psychological development of young players. To achieve this purpose, three empirical studies were conducted, each with a respective aim. Study one (Chapter 3) aimed to first identify the key psychological attributes to develop within young academy players. Building on study one, study two (Chapter 4) aimed to explore the coaching strategies that can facilitate the development of each psychological attribute, and also to examine the observable behaviours that indicate that the attribute is developed. Finally, study three (Chapter 5) aimed to apply the knowledge constructed in study one and two by designing, delivering, and evaluating a sport psychology coach education and support programme at a case study football academy. Study one (Chapter 3) interviewed nine academy coaches who worked within a category one football academy, with eight psychological attributes constructed from thematic analysis of the interviews: commitment to develop, confidence, coping with the demands of high-level sport, drive to achieve goals, emotional control, resilience, self-aware and reflective, and strong work ethic. The findings provide greater direction for the attributes to develop in academy players but also indicate that current frameworks may not fully capture the key psychological attributes players need to develop in order to successfully progress out of the academy. Study two (Chapter 4) interviewed twelve, category one and two, academy football coaches to explore the coaching strategies used to develop each of the eight psychological attributes identified in study one. Fifty-two coaching strategies were constructed across the attributes providing academy coaches with a catalogue of user-friendly strategies to support their players’ psychological development with. Study two also identified behaviours that indicated the successful development of each attribute, knowledge that can help coaches to observe, intervene, monitor, and assess the psychological development of their players. Study three (Chapter 5) involved the design, delivery, and evaluation of a 14-month coach education and support programme with a case study academy: Dock FC. Summary coach interviews indicated that the programme was well received and helped increase awareness and to some degree their application of strategies to support the psychological development of their players. An indirect approach to the programme was taken to reflect the landscape of psychological support in academies present at the time of the study. Summary player focus groups, along with the coach interviews and researcher reflections indicated that this approach worked well, offering a tangible approach for sport psychology practitioners to adopt, more readily, in football academy environments. The research within this thesis offers empirically informed knowledge which extends the extant literature significantly. The thesis provides novel information on: (a) the key psychological attributes to prioritise the development of in the modern-day academy football player; (b) coaching strategies to support the development empirically informed psychological attributes; (c) behavioural indicators of successful psychological development; and (d) the real-world application of supporting academy coaches to develop targeted psychological attributes in the modern-day academy football academy. The insights provided in this thesis may help improve the holistic development that young football players receive throughout their football academy journey.<br/