Psychology prof testifies before national prisons commission
Craig Haney, professor of psychology and an expert on incarceration,
testified before the National Commission on Safety and Abuse
in America's Prisons earlier this month.
Craig Haney
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Haney participated in a panel that addressed crowded prison
facilities, discussing the research on social density and the
links between crowding and what Haney calls "institutional
pathology." He discussed the interconnectedness of crowding,
understaffing, underdeveloped leadership, and underresourced
facilities, and explained how crowding contributes to the creation
of institutions where violence and abuse are likely and/or tolerated.
Haney provided a 10-minute opening statement and fielded questions
from commissioners and other expert witnesses during the 90-minute
session. He also submitted a written statement in advance of
his testimony. Haney appeared with Vincent Nathan, an attorney
and consultant, and Richard Stalder, the secretary of Louisiana's
Department of Public Safety and Corrections and president of
the Association of State Correctional Administrators.
Other panels focused on the size and demographics of the prison
population, personal accounts of crowding and isolation, and
physical and mental health care in prisons.
The two-day hearing took place July 19-20 in Newark, New Jersey.
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