Assessing the ethics of prison policies to ensure human rights compliance
Suicides and self-inflicted critical events in Italian prisons
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21471133 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Silvia Coretti (0000-0002-4035-2321, Sapienza University of Rome), Silvia Fedeli (0000-0002-2281-9856, Sapienza University of Rome, corresponding author), Michele Santoni (0000-0001-5971-4751, University of Milan) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 84 |
| Pages | 102428 |
| Publication date | 2024-09-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | European Journal of Political Economy (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0176-2680 • E-ISSN: 1873-5703 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.ejpoleco.2023.102428 |
| OpenAlex | W4383102091 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 44 |
Considering self-inflicted critical events (suicides, attempted suicides, self-harm acts, hunger strikes) in Italian prisons as indicators of the respect of inmates' human rights, this study examines their relationship with the characteristics of the Italian prison system between 2016 and 2021, using a unique prison-level dataset covering the 188 national prisons. Both individual panel regressions and seemingly unrelated regressions show that reducing prison overcrowding reduces critical events. The same result is achieved by increasing mandatory treatments (restraint acts) performed discretionally by prison staff. Because the former policy is politically sensitive and difficult/costly to implement, policymakers may prefer to rely on the latter as a “death-avoidance strategy”, despite the greater likelihood of violating inmates’ human rights. These findings may help explain the increasing use of acts of restraint in Italian prisons in recent times
Criminology · Harm · Human rights · Overcrowding · Political science · Prison · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Healthcare Decision-Making and Restraints · Law · Psychology · Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending · Social Psychology
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Inside the Box
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |