We analyzed results from semi-structured interviews and participant observation with educators, clinical staff, and administrators who worked at nearly 100 different correctional facilities centrally managed by eight separate state prison systems to understand how the beliefs they hold about the life experiences and future trajectories of incarcerated people influence prison social climate. We found that staff who regard incarcerated people as past and/or future neighbors are more likely to foster a safe, mutually respectful prison social climate conducive to positive personal transformation. Envisioning prison social climate as a product of the relationship between staff and incarcerated people demonstrates how prisons and communities interact with each other to shape the past and future possibilities for people who are incarcerated. Our results offer six policy implications, to (1) mandate administrative-institutional commitment to creating a positive prison social climate in which correctional staff and incarcerated people are partners in rehabilitation; (2) expand existing program opportunities in prison to ensure widespread availability of educational, vocational, and therapeutic treatment programs; (3) increase representation of staff who share experiential and demographic characteristics with incarcerated people to reduce or eliminate unconscious bias; (4) generate public awareness of, and support for, rehabilitative measures proven to better prepare incarcerated people for release from prison; (5) increase community engagement by publicizing graduation and other positive events; and (6) foster a mutually supportive work environment among educational, clinical, and administrative staff.

我们分析了在由八个独立的州监狱系统集中管理的近 100 个不同惩教设施中工作的教育工作者、临床工作人员和管理人员的半结构化访谈和参与观察的结果，以了解他们对生活经历和未来轨迹的看法。被监禁的人影响监狱的社会氛围。我们发现，将被监禁者视为过去和/或未来邻居的工作人员更有可能营造安全、相互尊重的监狱社会氛围，从而促进积极的个人转变。将监狱社会氛围设想为工作人员与被监禁者之间关系的产物，展示了监狱和社区如何相互互动，为被监禁者塑造过去和未来的可能性。我们的研究结果提供了六项政策含义，以 (1) 授权行政机构致力于营造积极的监狱社会氛围，让惩教人员和被监禁者成为康复合作伙伴；(2) 扩大监狱中现有的计划机会，以确保广泛提供教育、职业和治疗性治疗计划；(3) 增加与被监禁者具有相同经历和人口统计特征的工作人员的代表性，以减少或消除无意识偏见；(4) 提高公众对已证明可以更好地为被监禁者出狱做好准备的改造措施的认识和支持；(5) 通过宣传毕业和其他积极活动来提高社区参与度；(6) 在教育、临床、