Perceived Environmental Quality Indicators as Health-Enabling Elements Within Prisons

2024/01/23 by Susana Alves, Cristina Cabras, Diego Bellini +1
Environmental Science · Social Sciences · #Environmental Justice and Health Disparities #Place Attachment and Urban Studies #Urban Green Space and Health

paper · doi:10.1177/00328855231222443

crossref issued 2024/01/23 · crossref published 2024/01/23 · crossref published-online 2024/01/23 · openalex publication_date 2024/01/23 · crossref created 2024/01/24 · crossref published-print 2024/03/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref deposited 2026/05/01 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29 · crossref indexed 2026/07/29

Abstract

This study evaluates the transition from an older to a new prison facility in Italy to help researchers understand the health-enabling features within prisons from incarcerated persons’ point of view. A total of 216 inmates completed a questionnaire that measured the prison's environmental quality and quality-of-life related constructs. Bivariate correlations show that as inmates’ environmental perceptions improve, so does their place evaluation. When the older and newer prisons were compared, the results revealed the newer prison was more positively evaluated in terms of care of significant spaces, presence of light, beauty, safety, sociability, concentration, and satisfaction.

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