Missouri Department of Corrections project aims to improve life behind prison walls

MOBERLY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri Department of Corrections is working with the Missouri Prison Transformation Project and the University of Missouri to improve the quality of life and well-being of prison inmates and staff.

The project held an open house Tuesday morning at Moberly Correctional Center to provide a firsthand look at a redesigned housing unit that is aimed at creating a more rehabilitative environment.

The Missouri Prison Transformation Project is a five-year-long study and was designed in partnership with the DOC.

Arnold Ventures allocated $50,000 toward renovations at Farmington Correctional Center, South Central Correction Center and the Women's Eastern Reception Diagnostic and Correctional Center.

"Researchers are exploring how changes to the physical environment including increased privacy, comfortable communal spaces and aesthetic upgrades such as paint, plants and lighting affects an inmate behavior," Missouri Department of Corrections spokeswoman Karen Pojmann said.

Associate Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Missouri Kelli Canada said the research is done in a randomized controlled trial, with inmates living in renovated wings and a controlled condition with inmates living in prison wings how they normally would.

"We will collect information from them, when they enter the facility about their quality of life, their connection to the other people they are living with, their connections with staff and kinda the culture and climate of the prison," Canada said.

Anthony Masiero is an inmate at the Moberly Correctional Center serving a 13 year sentence for first-degree-robbery. He's been living in the newly renovated wing for about eight months and said it has improved his daily life behind bars.

"Big difference, in here it is just cleaner, a more home feeling you have couches you have a little bit of get away space, out there you don't, out there you have a bunch of different people not giving a care," Masiero said.

The renovated wing also offers a kitchen, games and a single-person cell that gives inmates more privacy.

"This is luxury," Masiero said. "It automatically gives you a comfortable feeling but you still have to realize you are still in prison and not on the street,"

Inmate Tevin Lynch is serving a 12 year sentence for voluntary manslaughter and has been living in the new wing for about four months. When comparing a regular housing unit to the new unit, Lynch said the difference is night and day.

"It's more clustered, this place over here since we have single man cells it opens a lot more for your mental." Lynch said. "You build structure within yourself living conditions and it helps build that within yourself that you can carry on when you leave," 

"Its loud, the noise bounces off the hard surfaces there is just a lot of stuff going on there is a lot of plain colors and not a lot of visual stimulation that happens in a lot of these spaces," Canada said. "There is not a lot of privacy, its very loud, it can feel very chaotic, there is not anything interesting to look at so we wanted people to talk to through what would make this environment feel different for you and healthier to live and work in."

The project will track changes to training and communication, physical environment, self-improvement and community connections in prison.

The project anticipates outcomes of:

• Fewer inmates with conduct violations
• Lower rates of reincarceration
• Fewer grievances filed about prison staff
• Enhanced perceptions of prison culture and climate
• Improved health, sense of belonging, civic engagement and qualify of life, pre- and post-release
• Better staff job satisfaction and health; fewer work absences

According to Canada, more studies are taking place at prisons across the country. She said similar studies have been done internationally and showed less people are returning to prison.

Throughout the five years of research, Canada said researchers will do surveys with he inmates every three months and 18 months after they are released from prison.