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Reexamining the cruel and unusual punishment of prison life

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Law and Human Behavior

Abstract

It has been widely assumed that prison is destructive to the psychological and emotional well-being of those it detains. However, this assumption has rarely been critically examined. The present report evaluated the evidence pertaining to the effects of imprisonment. Studies on the effects of prison crowding, long-term imprisonment and short-term detention, solitary confinement, death row, and the health risks associated with imprisonment provide inconclusive evidence regarding the “pains of imprisonment.” Rather, the evidence points to the importance of individual differences in adapting to incarceration. As the use of incarceration is unlikely to decrease in the near future, research on its effects is urgently needed and a situation-by-person approach may be the most fruitful research strategy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre, 2244 Innes Road, K1B 4C4, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

    James Bonta (Chief Psychologist)

  2. Psychology, Carleton University, Carleton, Canada

    James Bonta (Chief Psychologist)

  3. Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada

    James Bonta (Chief Psychologist)

  4. Division of Social Sciences, University of New Brunswick at Saint John, P.O. Box 5050, E2L 4L5, ‘A’, Saint John, N.B., Canada

    Paul Gendreau (Professor)

  5. Saint John Police Force, Canada

    Paul Gendreau (Professor)

Authors
  1. James Bonta
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  2. Paul Gendreau
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Authorship is alphabetical and the opinions expressed in this paper do not necessarily represent Ministry policy.

We would also like to thank Don Andrews for his critique of an earlier draft of this manuscript.

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Bonta, J., Gendreau, P. Reexamining the cruel and unusual punishment of prison life. Law Hum Behav 14, 347–372 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01068161

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