Literature Review based on prison

Study in Bangladesh

1. The Jail Administration in Bangladesh: A Critical Review

(Md. Nahidul Islam Ph.D Fellow, Department of Law , University of Rajshahi.Senior Lecturer,
Department of Law,Prime University, Dhaka.and Md.Ahsan Habib,Assistant Judge)

This article is to explore and analyze the flaws and loopholes of the existing laws regarding jail
administration in Bangladesh as well as try to portrait the miserable conditions prevailing in the every jail
in Bangladesh. this article try to provide the best possible solutions to surmount the existing problems of
the jail administration of Bangladesh so that the prisoners will be able to sustain as a human being in the
world.

2. The present rights of prisoners in Bangladesh: Disparity between law and practice

M. Anwarul Aziz Kanak .Lecturer, Dept. of Law & Justice, Southeast University and Mohammad
Mizanur Rahman Chowdhury.Lecturer, Department of Law, International Islamic University Chittagong

This paper describes the existing rights of prisoners and narrates the points relating to prisoners rights
that are indicated in the various Act. The rights and privileges mentioned in the law for the prisoners have
not been made available for them which they can claim as a human being. The authors in this research
have pointed out the real situation of prisoners and state the gap between the law and practice. In the
modern civil societies the state should give emphasis to ensure the available rights to the prisoners for
upholding the dignity of a person. .(28th February 2014)

3. Jails in Bangladesh

Mohammed Bin Kashem

University of Chittagong, Bangladesh

The purpose of this study is to describe the conditions of jails in Bangladesh. This study includes
description of the problems of overcrowding, jail facilities, and health care delivery. The study revealed
that the problems of overcrowding is more serious in the metropolitan district jails because of a heavy
influx of short term convicts. Sometimes lower jails (District and Sub-Jails) accommodated ten times
more than the actual capacity. Respondents have emphasized the need for separate jails for undertrial
prisoners. Health care services particularly in sub-jails are very poor. The findings suggest that inadequate
space, lack of recreational facilities, and poor environmental conditions are the critical problems of
jails.Institutional treatment programs such as individual or group counseling are not available in jails. In
the absence of any enforceable correctional standards, inmates are living under inhumane conditions
inside the jail walls. Although a bureaucratic process for improvement of this situation exists, there has
been little concrete action beyond the development of a plan for the expansion of the existing facilities

(International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice Spring 1996, vol. 20, no. 1)
4. Women prisoners in Bangladesh:Some sociological insights for reform

Tahsina Akhter .Assistant Professor, University of Dhaka,

This study try to focus prisoner in prison suffer from intersecting discrimination, and are largely ignored
in prison systems designed for men. The issue of women incarceration in Bangladeshs prisons has been
overlooked and ignored not only in the scholarly literature of the country but by the policy makers of the
country too. In Bangladesh research or presentation about female incarnation from their socioeconomic
background is less evaluated throughout the ages. Society is not made for law rather law is made for
society and people. It has become the call of the time now to dig insights from sociological point of view
for the reform of the present incarceration system for women in Bangladesh. As there is no work been
done before from Sociology discipline about the subject matter in Bangladesh, this paper will be pioneer
for the research community in this area.(2014)

Study in other countries

1. Drug use and initiation in prison: results from a national prison survey in England and Wales

A. Boys, M. Farrell, P. Bebbington, T. Brugha, J. Coid, R. Jenkins, G. Lewis, J. MarsdenH. Meltzer, N.

Singleton& C. Taylor

This study try to investigate heroin and cocaine use in a sample of British prisoners, and to explore the
characteristics of inmates who use these drugs for the first time while in prison.

A total of 3142 prisoners (88.2% of those selected) completed a structured interviewer-administered

questionnaire. Interview measures of personal demographics, social history, psychiatric morbidity and
drug use. Find that more than 60% of the heroin users and cannabis users reported that they had used
these drugs in prison compared with less than a quarter of the life-time cocaine users. More than a quarter
of the heroin users reported that they had initiated use of this drug in prison. The extent of an individuals
experience of prison was related more consistently to heroin and/or cocaine use in and out of prison than
other personal background, social history or psychiatric variables assessed .lastly findings indicate that
prisons are a high-risk environment for heroin and other drug initiation and use. Although related to drug
use, psychiatric variables were not generally associated with initiation in prison, which was dominated by
prison exposure. There is a need to explore ways of reducing heroin initiation in prison as part of a
broader risk-prevention strategy.(14 May 2002)

2. Substance abuse and dependence in prisoners:a systematic review

Seena Fazel, Parveen Bains& Helen Doll Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, UK,

Oxleas NHS Trust, London, UK and Department of Public Health, University of Oxford, UK

This study about the prevalence of substance abuse and dependence in prisoners on reception into
custody. A systematic review of studies measuring the prevalence of drug and alcohol abuse and
dependence in male and female prisoners on reception into prison was conducted .. Relevant information,
such as mean age, gender and type of prisoner, was recorded for eligible studies. Find out that Thirteen
studies with a total of 7563 prisoners met the review criteria. There was substantial heterogeneity among
the studies. The estimates of prevalence for alcohol abuse and dependence in male prisoners ranged from
18 to 30% and 10 to 24% in female prisoners. The prevalence estimates of drug abuse and dependence
varied from 10 to 48% in male prisoners and 30 to 60% in female prisoners.

The prevalence of substance abuse and dependence, although highly variable, is typically many orders of
magnitude higher in prisoners than the general population, particularly for women with drug problems.
This highlights the need for screening for substance abuse and dependence at reception into prison,
effective treatment while in custody, and follow-up on release.Specialist addiction services for prisoners
have the potential to make a considerable impact.(16 august 2005 )

3. Prison health care: a review of the literature

Roger Watsona, Anne Stimpsona, School of Nursing, Social Work and Applied Health Studies,
University of Hull, Hull HU6 7RX, England, UK

Tony Hostickb, Hull & East Riding Community Health Trust, West House, Westwood Hospital, Beverley
HU17 8BU, UK

The prison population is increasing and the health problems of prisoners are considerable. Prison is
designed with punishment, correction and rehabilitation to the community in mind and these goals may
conflict with the aims of health care. A literature review showed that the main issues in prison health care
are mental health, substance abuse and communicable diseases. Women prisoners and older prisoners
have needs which are distinct from other prisoners. Health promotion and the health of the community
outside prisons are desirable aims of prison health care. The delivery of effective health care to prisoners
is dependent upon partnership between health and prison services and telemedicine is one possible mode
of delivery. ( 23 June 2003)

4. Drug treatment in prison and aftercare: A Literature review and results of a survey of European
countries

Paul J. Turnbull &Tim McSweeney

This study show that Prison hold disproportionate numbers of drug users. Prisons contain
disproportionate numbers of drug users. A wide range of estimates exists (10 to 37%) but it is clear that
they make up a significant proportion of the prison population. Information from the survey of CoE
members suggests that about 10% of the prison population are drug users. The literature provides evidente
of the importance of aftercare, particularly for those who have received some form of treatment in prison
Many studies report how the provision of aftercare can have a dramatic impact upon post-prison drug use
and re-offending rates. this research find out that prison based treatment can work. Two key factors in
increasing treatment success, both in terms of reducing the chances of prisoners re-offending and
returning to drug use, appear to be the duration of the intervention (the longer the intervention the better
the outcome) and the provision of help and support on release. Aftercare is increasingly being seen as an
important component of an integrated treatment programme offered to drug-using prisoners.(1999)
5. A Review of Prison- and Non-Prison-Based Treatment Programs

Danielle M. Polizzi ,Doris Layton MacKenzie ,Laura J. Hickman

An evaluation of 21 sex offender prison- and non-prison-based treatment programs was undertaken using
the format of the University of Marylands 1997 report to the U.S. Congress.Eight of the studies were
deemed too low in scientific merit to include in assessing the effectiveness of the treatment. Of the
remaining studies, approximately 50% showed statistically significant findings in favor of sex offender
treatment programs. Of six studies that showed a positive treatment effect, four incorporated a cognitive-
behavioral approach. Non prison- based sex offender treatment programs were deemed to be effective in
curtailing future criminal activity. Prison-based treatment programs were judged to be promising, but the
evidence is not strong enough to support a conclusion that such programs are effective. Too few studies
focused on particular types of sex offenders to permit any type of conclusions about the effectiveness of
programs for different sex offender typologies. Try to reduce recidivism among sex offenders. a study of
adult rapists found that, on average, a rapist had attacked 7.5 victims, whereas the average number of
attacks among child molesters was found to be at least 10 times that number (i.e.,approximately 75
victims per offender) .this review identified the study by Nicholaichuk and associates (1995) as providing
evidence that treated sex offenders had significantly fewer sex offense reconvictions, and fewer
reconvictions leading to a return to prison, than untreated sex offenders.

6. Enhancing Employability in prison and beyond:A Literature Review

by Kieran McEvoy ,Queens University Belfast for NIACRO

People who have been in prison account for one in five of all crimes. Nearly threein five prisoners are re-
convicted within two years of leaving prison. Offending by ex-prisoners costs society at least 11 billion
a year. This all tells us we are failing to capitalise on the opportunity prison provides to stop people
offending for good. We need to make sure that a prison sentence punishes the offender, but also provides
the maximum opportunity for reducing the likelihood of re-offending. That means we need to redouble
efforts to rehabilitate prisoners back into society effectively.Just as striking are the deep problems faced
by many prisoners. Many have very poorskills, are unemployed on entering prison, and have a history of
homelessness, drug addiction and mental health problems. These problems do not excuse criminal
behaviour, but they do begin to show how we help people put a stop to it.