Digitizing the Prison: The Light and Dark Future

This article takes a rather unusual form blending an interview with my own reflections on the digitization of our prisons. Its focus is based on an interview with Steven van de Steene1 who is a corrections technology expert. He previously led the design, development and implementation of Belgium’s PrisonCloud2 for the Federal Public Services Justice as IT Director. Heralded as innovative, PrisonCloud has received much attention from other countries, especially those aspiring to develop their own prisons’ digital capability. To date the Belgium’s PrisonCloud implementation still remains one of the only catch all digital provision that prisoners can access, other examples are closely following and different technologies are ready to support this intergrated approach. In this interview Steven draws our attention to important features of digitization identifying the successes and challenges for making this valuable transition within the context of the prison. Steven’s insights provide us with some thoughts on prisons of the future

Why Foreign Languages Should Be Taught in Elementary

Abstract In this paper, I will be discussing the importance learning a foreign language during Elementary. Learning a foreign language is not only beneficial for a student’s job career and opportunities, but it also helps the brain. Research has shown that learning a foreign language at a younger age is actually easier for students, versus waiting until high school to introduce a foreign language. I will be addressing issues such as why schools wait until high school, the harm in waiting till high school, why this is a problem, oppositions of this topic, and more. Specifically, this paper will discuss why it is important to start at an early age, the benefits included, and facts based on previous research. This paper will include stories of other schools who have installed a foreign language program and their successes. This will serve as great examples of why other school districts should implement a foreign language program. Keywords: foreign language, elementary, school, high schoo

A Study of In-cell Television in a Closed Adult Male Prison: Governing Souls with In-cell Television

In-cell television is now a permanent feature of prisons in England and Wales, and a key part of the experience of modern incarceration. In-cell television was formally introduced in 1998 and its introduction took twelve years to complete across the prison estate. Its introduction was not informed by research and no formal evaluation of in-cell television in prisons has taken place. This thesis, therefore extends the small body of prisoner audience research with an exclusive focus on capturing the experience of the use of in-cell television. The research aimed to examine the impact of in-cell television on social relations in prison life in one closed male adult prison. An ethnographic research strategy was adopted and was directly informed by Layder’s (2005) theory of ‘domains’ and his ‘adaptive’ approach was used to interrogate the data from interviews and from diaries. Data collection was carried out using two methods: semi-structured interviews with nineteen prisoners and nine staff, and nine structured diaries completed by prisoners. The thesis concluded that in-cell television provides a key therapeutic resource in prisons. The study suggests that this resource is widely adopted and utilised by prisoners, staff and the institution to ‘care’ for prisoners in line with self-governance techniques and strategies. Television is exploited by prisoners and staff to enable forms of personal and inter-personal control. The thesis extends what current prison policies state about the provision of in-cell television with regard to formal policies on the incentives and privileges system for prisoners and also the interventions to promote and secure safer custody. The placement of television inside prison cells has resulted in significant shifts in the social, temporal and spatial characteristics of prison life and the types of encounters prisoners experience. Social relations within the prison setting are now routinely extended and stretched beyond the confines of the prison space as a consequence of in-cell television. Television normalises the prison cell and thus legitimates this space to hold prisoners for long periods of time, typically without structured activity. As a consequence, television’s place in the modern prison has also come to represent an unanticipated resource in the package of care for prisoners. The thesis offers a revised perspective on the role of television in prison and significantly contributes to an understanding of emotional responses to incarceration and social relations both inside and outside the prison setting. Principles of governmentality and dimensions of personal and interpersonal control emerge as fundamental to the understanding of in-cell television and the thesis offers new and significant insights into prisoners’ emotionality and their experience of what have been referred to as the ‘pains’ of incarceration (Sykes 1958/1999). This understanding and theorising about prison life was achieved through a theoretical synthesis of Layder’s (2005) domains within concepts such as governance and self-regulation, rationalization of emotions, uses and gratifications of media use, domestication of television and reach

Ecophysiology of metal-reducing Aeromonas and Shewanella strains from Great Bay Estuary

The seasonal abundance and distribution of mesophilic aeromonads at seven sites in Great Bay Estuary, NH were monitored over a 24 month period. Total heterotrophic bacteria, total and fecal coliforms, salinity, temperature, pH, total suspended solids, and chlorophyll were also measured in the samples. Aeromonads were isolated at each site throughout the year with the highest incidence and population density in the late summer to early fall. Aeromonad abundance correlated positively with the incidence of coliforms, temperature, and salinity. Aeromonas hydrophila ATCC 7966 grew anaerobically by using NO\sb3\sp-, fumarate, Fe (III), Co (III), or Se (VI) as terminal electron acceptors. Of thirty isolates from Great Bay, 100% were capable of reducing NO\sb3\sp-, Fe (III), and Co (III), and 43% carried out dissimilatory Se (VI) reduction. Final cell yields of A. hydrophila ATCC 7966 increased in direct proportion to the amount of oxidant provided (over the range 1.25-10 mM). Cells of A. hydrophila ATCC 7966 contained c-type cytochromes (420, 522, 553 nm). Hydrogen-reduced cytochromes were oxidized by Fe (III) or NO\sb3\sp-. Extracts of cells grown anaerobically with Fe (III), reduced it at a rate of 116 nmol$\cdot$min\sp{-1}\cdotmg protein\sp{-1}. Electron transport was inhibited by $\mu$m concentrations of: HOQNO (76%), quinacrine (88%), dicumarol (58%) oxygen (96%), CCCP (83%) and sodium azide (36%) and to a lesser extent by rotenone (18%). The results were consistent with the involvement of FAD dehydrogenase, quinones, cytochromes and an iron reductase in the respiratory chain. Co-culturing Aeromonas veronii and a dissimilatory iron-reducer Shewanella alga resulted in enhanced growth, citrate degradation and iron reduction as compared to the extent observed with either strain grown axenically. By 48 hours, the co-culture consumed twice as much citrate and produced half as much formate and twice as much acetate. The synergistic link between these two organisms was apparently formate: produced by A. veronii, it was, in turn, used as a substrate for iron reduction by S. alga

Modus Vivendi: The cell, emotions, social relations and television

ABSTRACT- This paper documents some of the findings from a doctoral study examining the role of in-cell television in a closed adult male prison. Interviews with serving prisoners and staff indicate the complex nature of relationships (social relations) within prison settings. In particular, prisoners’ relationships with other prisoners, especially those they share a cell with, was a significant feature of this research. Television’s role within these dynamic relationships has personal, social and policy value for prisons and the people within them. This paper draws upon two separate case examples of prisoners who, at the time of interview, shared a cell. The ways in which they relate to television and each other provides some initial understandings of what happens to prisoners when they share a cell together. This paper discusses the role of television in light of safer custody agendas with a particular focus on the emotive dimensions of the prison cell. Here the paper draws close attention to contemporary discussions about the salience of emotions and space. In particular the work of Crewe et al (2013) in relation to the emotional geography of the prison space and Moores' (2011) concept of 'reach' with respect to media use. The paper highlights the complexities of the ways in which space is negotiated within the cell and how everyday life with television is organised to nourish the pains of prison within a cell sharing context. This paper ends by making a number of statements about how future research needs to explore both the emotive and social geographies of the prison cell

Engaging with the Night Time Economy Community: Finding Ways to Enhance Violence Reduction Across Leicester City

This report documents the outcome of a series of consultations with the night time economy community in Leicester city. Its focus was to explore the ways in which this community and its stakeholders views and responds to the incidence of violent crime. The report describes the rationale and approach to understanding violent crime in the night time economy in the context of Leicester city. A number of key messages and themes have been identified as a result of this consultation. These messages have helped to secure a number of priorities to assist with violence reduction in the night time economy and more broadly enhance harm reduction associated with alcohol consumption. The report captures what Leicester city is doing well and highlights additional areas to enhance good practice for all stakeholders. A consolidated and joint approach is imperative to securing good working relationships across the night time community in order for it succeed

Some Observations on the Digital Landscape of Prisons Today

This article will provide a review of some of the developments that have taken place in prison with respect to communication digital technologies and draws upon data collated from interviews with prisoners, prison staff and also digital providers and key stakeholders from across corporate and third sectors. This article adds to a body of research conducted by Knight relating to in-cell television in a male adult prison. This part of the research goes some way to giving voice to ‘security experts with the knowledge and skills to suggest how Internet use in prisons could be managed’ . Moreover, it reflects on the evolving nature of digital technologies and considers how prisons are managing these and the extent to which digital technologies are being embraced by prisons, here in the UK, across Europe and the USA. More broadly, this short analysis tells us much about the ways in which our prisons resist technology, how this is mirrored by public perception and the degrees to which digital technologies achieve ‘luxury’ status

Co-Producing Digitally-Enabled Courses that Promote Desistance in prison and Probation Settings

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version.This paper sets out an approach to innovation in criminaljustice settings that gives service users a ‘voice’ through the co-production of digital content designed for services that promote desistance. The authors describe the benefitsandchallenges of involving service users in co-creating mediated digital content within a co-production framework