Measuring social climate in prisons: methods, procedures and practice

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Monitoring the social climate in prisons in Slovenia has a long tradition, dating back to the 1980s, when it began to be carried out periodically in all prisons in Slovenia. The results of the longitudinal measurement provide insight into the situation and trends in the development and change of the institutions and their functioning. After a long tradition of regular periodic measurement of the climate in Slovenian prisons, in recent years this type of monitoring has dwindled, which means that there is no longer any possibility for a longitudinal comparison and assessment of the current system’s performance. The methodological approach used in past Slovenian social climate measurements was developed at the time of the launch of the measurements by adapting questionnaires and analyses that were internationally recognised at the time. Using the same methodological framework means the possibility of longitudinal comparability and reliability, but at the same time, it leaves aside the developments that have taken place in the intervening decades in the field of new methods of measuring the prison climate in the world and is often inadequate to use in modern society. This calls for a modernisation of the system, striking a balance between the changes required by modern approaches to research on the one hand, and maintaining the basic elements of longitudinal comparability within the Slovenian system on the other. The main objective of the project is to update the methodology and to conduct research on the social climate in Slovenian prisons, and it will be carried out in several parts: Analysis and an update of the methodological framework for the study of the social climate using quantitative and qualitative methods. Development of recommendations and a protocol for longitudinal monitoring of the social climate in penitentiary institutions. Conducting a measurement of the social climate in penitentiary and re-education institutions. The research project, divided into three thematic strands, will make a substantial contribution to a systematic approach to the perception of the social climate in penitentiary institutions and in the re-education centre, also giving original information about other conditions within these institutions. It will be a big step forward in measuring the social climate and will allow comparability with international surveys.

Project no: V5-2341

Period: 1.10.2023 – 30.9.2025

Research group: SICRIS

Funded by the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency (ARIS) (url: http://www.aris-rs.si/en/) and the Ministry of Justice (https://www.gov.si/en/state-authorities/ministries/ministry-of-justice/)