title: A Multilevel Analysis of the Relationship Between Cell Sharing, Staff-Prisoner Relationships, and Prisoners' Perceptions of Prison Quality.
abstract: Prisons worldwide operate under crowded conditions, in which prisoners are forced to share a cell. Few studies have looked at the relationship between cell sharing and the quality of prison life in Europe. This study aims to fill this gap with a multilevel analysis on the link between cell sharing and quality of prison life, using results from a Dutch prisoner survey. Findings show that cell sharing is associated with lower perceived prison quality, which is partially mediated by reduced quality of staff-prisoner relationships. Cell sharing thus undermines the Dutch penological philosophy, which considers staff-prisoner relationships to be at the heart of prisoner treatment and rehabilitation. It is recommended that prisoners are held in single rather than double cells.
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Security and Justice, The Hague, The Netherlands t.molleman@minvenj.nl.
authors.forename: Toon
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Molleman
authors.affiliation: Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool, UK.
authors.forename: Esther F J C
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: van Ginneken
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003441:Crowding; D005260:Female; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands; D011329:Prisoners / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011330:Prisons; D011788:Quality of Life; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Dutch prisons; cell sharing; crowding; quality of prison life; staff–prisoner relationships