Impacts of conservation activities on people who are incarcerated

A Case Study Based on Qualitative and Quantitative Analyses

Bibliographic Data

ID4240281
AuthorsNalini Nadkarni, Nalini M Nadkarni (0000-0002-0841-7391, University of Utah), Jacqueline Chen (University of Connecticut), J N Morris (0000-0003-2519-2400, Wofford College), Jeremy Morris (0000-0002-8861-9929), Amanda Carriero, Amanda E Carriero (University of Utah), Thomas Kaye, Thomas G Kaye (0000-0001-7996-618X, Oregon State University), Kelli Bush (The Evergreen State College), Megan Young (0000-0001-7777-3966), M B Young (0000-0002-0229-4108, University of Utah), Laura George (0000-0002-7863-6768, University of Utah)
Year2022
Volume27
Issue3
Publication date2022-01-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueConservation Ecology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1195-5449 • E-ISSN: 1708-3087
PublisherResilience Alliance (PUBLISHER • CA)
DOI10.5751/es-13423-270344
OpenAlexW4312551012
LanguageEN
References cited13

In the past two decades, conservationists and the corrections sector have implemented collaborative ecological restoration projects, creating more inclusive arenas for conservation. These venues provide people who are incarcerated with opportunities to have a positive impact on their environment, and for ecologists to communicate science and the importance of nature with people in nature-deprived environments. We provide examples of conservation programs and their associated media pieces nationwide, whose descriptions, to date, have been almost entirely anecdotal and without formal evaluation. In this study, a collaboration of ecologists and social scientists analyzed impacts on the “incarcerated citizen scientists” who participated in two conservation projects coordinated by these ecologists at the Salt Lake County Jail, Utah, using quantitative and qualitative approaches, including voluntary pre- and post-surveys. The quantitative results informed potential outcomes, but were inconclusive. However, the qualitative results revealed that a majority of the participants reported gaining knowledge about science and conservation, and that about a quarter of them reported psychological benefits from participating, such as feeling that they were able to give back to their community through the project. These results document the potential positive impacts that participation in ecological restoration projects can help promote well-being and community involvement, and to increase science knowledge from all participants. The results also reinforce the importance of collaborations between scientists who use quantitative and qualitative approaches and analytical tools, which, when combined, provide the capacity to measure, analyze, and interpret data from human participants. These considerations should be further explored with collaborations of natural scientists, social scientists, corrections staff, and people who are incarcerated as ecological restoration projects in correctional institutions become more prevalent

Environmental planning · Environmental resource management · Feeling · Geography · Political science · Public relations · Qualitative property · Qualitative research · Social science · Sociology · Computer Science · Economic and Environmental Valuation · Environmental Education and Sustainability · Psychology · Social Psychology · Urban Green Space and Health · Ecology

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