Place Management in a Correctional Setting

Abstract

Since the concept of place management was first introduced to environmental criminology in 1994, much has been learned about its application and usefulness. Through the study of a wide variety of places, it is now recognized that how a place is managed can affect the type and amount of crime that occurs at that specific location. Madensen's (2007) recent work with bars in Cincinnati further enhanced our understanding of the place management concept by hypothesizing that effective place management could be a result of four operational elements: organization of the physical space, regulation of conduct, control of access, and acquisition of resources (ORCA). To date, the application of place management concepts as reflected in the theory has been limited to community-based settings and has not been applied to custodial or institutional settings such as jails. This study is intended to test the concepts of effective place management in a jail setting to determine whether or not the number of incidents of inmate misconduct and disorder can be reduced thereby. Using a mixed-method design, this study measured the impact place management interventions implemented in a county jail had on a number of outcome measures, including the number of written, major misconduct reports for both male and female inmates, and the perceptions of inmate behavior held by officers, supervisors, and administrators. An interrupted time series (ARIMA) analysis of written inmate misconduct reports was used to evaluate whether or not the implementation of place management interventions reduced the amount of reported inmate misconduct in both male and female housing units. Qualitative analysis of the themes presented during individual and focus group interviews was used to assess changes in perceptions of inmate behavior held by officers, supervisors, and administrators, and to enhance understanding of the factors that may be responsible for producing changes in behavior. The results provide evidence that the identified elements of effective place management have broader application than previously hypothesized.