Administrative segregation

Date and country of first publication

1982
United States

Definition

At its current state, this definition has been generated by a Large Language Model (LLM) so far without review by an independent researcher or a member of the curating team of segregation experts that keep the Segregation Wiki online. While we strive for accuracy, we cannot guarantee its reliability, completeness and timeliness. Please use this content with caution and verify information as needed. Also, feel free to improve on the definition as you see fit, including the use of references and other informational resources. We value your input in enhancing the quality and accuracy of the definitions of segregation forms collectively offered in the Segregation Wiki ©.

Administrative segregation, also known as ad seg, is a term used in correctional facilities to refer to the confinement of an inmate in a separate area or cell due to disciplinary or administrative reasons. In administrative segregation, inmates are isolated from the general prison population and are subjected to more restrictive conditions.

Administrative segregation may be used as a disciplinary measure for inmates who have violated prison rules or engaged in misconduct. It is also used for administrative reasons, such as protecting an inmate from harm, separating rival gang members, or preventing the spread of influence or contraband.

In administrative segregation, inmates typically have limited or no access to communal activities, such as group meals or recreation time. They may also have restricted access to personal possessions or privileges. The length of time an inmate spends in administrative segregation can vary, depending on the severity of the infraction or the administrative reason.

The use of administrative segregation has raised concerns regarding its effects on inmates' mental health and overall well-being. Prolonged isolation can lead to increased rates of depression, anxiety, and other psychological issues. Therefore, correctional facilities are often encouraged to implement alternatives to administrative segregation, such as therapeutic programs or other forms of discipline.

Further reading

Barak-Glantz I.L. (1982) "A decade of disciplinary, administrative, and protective control of inmates in the Washington State Penitentiary: A research note", Journal of Criminal Justice, 10(6), pp. 481-492. . DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1016/0047-2352(82)90080-0 10.1016/0047-2352(82)90080-0]

Ellis J. (1993) "Securtiy officer’s role in reducing inmate problem behaviors: A program based on contingency management", Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 20(1-2), pp. 61-72. . DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1300/J076v20n01_05 10.1300/J076v20n01_05]

Pizarro J.; Stenius V.M.K. (2004) "Supermax Prisons: Their Rise, Current Practices, and Effect on Inmates", The Prison Journal, 84(2), pp. 248-264. . DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1177/0032885504265080 10.1177/0032885504265080]

Jackson M. (2006) "The litmus test of legitimacy: Independent adjudication and administrative segregation", Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice, 48(2), pp. 157-196. . DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1353/ccj.2006.0018 10.1353/ccj.2006.0018]

O'keefe M.L. (2007) "Administrative segregation for mentally ill inmates", Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 45(1-2), pp. 149-165. Haworth Press Inc.. DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1300/J076v45n01_11 10.1300/J076v45n01_11]

Toch H. (2008) "Cumulative default: The cost of disruptive prison careers", Criminal Justice and Behavior, 35(8), pp. 943-955. . DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1177/0093854808318594 10.1177/0093854808318594]

O'keefe M.L. (2008) "Administrative Segregation From Within: A Corrections Perspective", The Prison Journal, 88(1), pp. 123-143. . DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1177/0032885507310999 10.1177/0032885507310999]

Kupers T.A.; Dronet T.; Winter M.; Austin J.; Kelly L.; Cartier W.; Morris T.J.; Hanlon S.F.; Sparkman E.L.; Kumar P.; Vincent L.C.; Norris J.; Nagel K.; Mcbride J. (2009) "Beyond supermax administrative segregation: Mississippi's experience rethinking prison classification and creating alternative mental health programs", Criminal Justice and Behavior, 36(10), pp. 1037-1050. . DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1177/0093854809341938 10.1177/0093854809341938]

Lanes E. (2009) "The association of administrative segregation placement and other risk factors with the self injury free time of male prisoners", Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 48(6), pp. 529-546. . DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1080/10509670903081342 10.1080/10509670903081342]

Anonymous; Dombrowski K. (2010) "Re entry: A guide to success?", Dialectical Anthropology, 34(4), pp. 477-481. . DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1007/s10624-010-9167-9 10.1007/s10624-010-9167-9]

Lanes E.C. (2011) "Are the "worst of the worst" self injurious prisoners more likely to end up in long term maximum security administrative segregation?", International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 55(7), pp. 1034-1050. . DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X10378494 10.1177/0306624X10378494]

Fries B.E.; Schmorrow A.; Lang S.W.; Margolis P.M.; Heany J.; Brown G.P.; Barbaree H.E.; Hirdes J.P. (2013) "Symptoms and treatment of mental illness among prisoners: A study of Michigan state prisons", International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 36(3-4), pp. 316-325. . DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijlp.2013.04.008 10.1016/j.ijlp.2013.04.008]

Labrecque R.M.; Smith P. (2013) "Advancing the study of solitary confinement", Prisons and Prison Systems: Practices, Types and Challenges, 57-70. Nova Science Publishers, Inc.. DOI: [htttp://doi.org/ ]

Garces C. (2014) "Denuding surveillance at the carceral boundary", South Atlantic Quarterly, 113(3), pp. 447-473. Duke University Press. DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1215/00382876-2692146 10.1215/00382876-2692146]

Dill D.C.; Kopsick D.A. (2014) "Improving cooperation between customs and environmental agencies to prevent illegal transboundary shipments of hazardous waste", World Customs Journal, 8(2), pp. 47-62. International Network of Customs Universities. DOI: [htttp://doi.org/ ]

Pizarro J.M.; Zgoba K.M.; Haugebrook S. (2014) "Supermax and Recidivism: AN Examination of the Recidivism Covariates Among a Sample of Supermax Ex Inmates", The Prison Journal, 94(2), pp. 180-197. . DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1177/0032885514524697 10.1177/0032885514524697]

Garces C. (2014) "Ecuador's "black site" on prison securitization and its zones of legal silence", Focaal, 18-34. Berghahn Journals. DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.3167/fcl.2014.680102 10.3167/fcl.2014.680102]

Morgan R.D.; Gendreau P.; Smith P.; Gray A.L.; Labrecque R.M.; MacLean N.; Van Horn S.A.; Bolanos A.D.; Batastini A.B.; Mills J.F. (2016) "Quantitative syntheses of the effects of administrative segregation on inmates' well being", Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 22(4), pp. 439-461. American Psychological Association Inc.. DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1037/law0000089 10.1037/law0000089]

Batastini A.B.; Morgan R.D. (2016) "Connecting the Disconnected: Preliminary Results and Lessons Learned From a Telepsychology Initiative With Special Management Inmates", Psychological Services, 13(3), pp. 283-291. American Psychological Association. DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1037/ser0000078 10.1037/ser0000078]

Borchert J.W. (2016) "Controlling Consensual Sex Among Prisoners", Law and Social Inquiry, 41(3), pp. 595-615. Blackwell Publishing Inc.. DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1111/lsi.12221 10.1111/lsi.12221]

Balfour G. (2017) "It's Your Job to Save Me: The Union of Canadian Correctional Officers and the Death of Ashley Smith", Canadian Journal of Law and Society, 32(2), pp. 209-228. Cambridge University Press. DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1017/cls.2017.13 10.1017/cls.2017.13]

Chadick C.D.; Batastini A.B.; Levulis S.J.; Morgan R.D. (2018) "The psychological impact of solitary: A longitudinal comparison of general population and long term administratively segregated male inmates", Legal and Criminological Psychology, 23(2), pp. 101-116. John Wiley and Sons Ltd. DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1111/lcrp.12125 10.1111/lcrp.12125]

Walters G.D. (2018) "Checking the Math: Do Restrictive Housing and Mental Health Need Add Up to Psychological Deterioration?", Criminal Justice and Behavior, 45(9), pp. 1347-1362. SAGE Publications Inc.. DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1177/0093854818780177 10.1177/0093854818780177]

Labrecque R.M. (2018) "Taking stock: A Meta Analysis of the Predictors of Restrictive Housing", Victims and Offenders, 13(5), pp. 675-692. Routledge. DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1080/15564886.2018.1468367 10.1080/15564886.2018.1468367]

Brockman J. (2018) "The Research Challenges of Exposing Physicians’ Sexual Misconduct in Canada", Critical Criminology, 26(4), pp. 527-544. Springer Netherlands. DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1007/s10612-018-9418-7 10.1007/s10612-018-9418-7]

Hilton N.Z.; Ham E.; Seto M.C. (2019) "Assessment of Risk for Seclusion Among Forensic Inpatients: Validation and Modification of the Risk of Administrative Segregation Tool (RAST)", International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 63(8), pp. 1424-1445. SAGE Publications Inc.. DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X18823621 10.1177/0306624X18823621]

Harbert B.J.; Gaines C. (2019) "Sounding lockdown: Singing in Administrative Segregation at the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women", Popular Music and the Politics of Hope: Queer and Feminist Interventions, 299-316. Taylor and Francis Inc.. DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.4324/9781315165677 10.4324/9781315165677]

Labrecque R.M.; Smith P. (2019) "Assessing the Impact of Time Spent in Restrictive Housing Confinement on Subsequent Measures of Institutional Adjustment Among Men in Prison", Criminal Justice and Behavior, 46(10), pp. 1445-1455. SAGE Publications Inc.. DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1177/0093854818824371 10.1177/0093854818824371]

Helmus L.M.; Johnson S.; Harris A.J.R. (2019) "Developing and Validating a Tool to Predict Placements in Administrative Segregation: Predictive Accuracy With Inmates, Including Indigenous and Female Inmates", Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, -. American Psychological Association Inc.. DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1037/law0000201 10.1037/law0000201]

Morgan R.D.; Van Horn S.A.; MacLean N.; Hunter J.T.; Bauer R.L. (2019) "The effects of imprisonment", The Wiley International Handbook of Correctional Psychology, 63-77. Wiley Blackwell. DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1002/9781119139980.ch4 10.1002/9781119139980.ch4]

Nolasco C.A.; Vaughn M.S. (2019) "Construing the Legality of Solitary Confinement: Analysis of United States Federal Court Jurisprudence", American Journal of Criminal Justice, 44(5), pp. 812-835. Springer New York LLC. DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-018-9463-5 10.1007/s12103-018-9463-5]

Valentine C.L.; Restivo E.; Wright K. (2019) "Prolonged isolation as a predictor of mental health for waived juveniles", Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 58(4), pp. 352-369. Routledge. DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1080/10509674.2019.1596188 10.1080/10509674.2019.1596188]

Labrecque R.M.; Mears D.P. (2019) "Prison System Versus Critics’ Views on the Use of Restrictive Housing: Objective Risk Classification or Ascriptive Assignment?", Prison Journal, 99(2), pp. 194-218. SAGE Publications Inc.. DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1177/0032885519825492 10.1177/0032885519825492]

LaBranche K.J.; Labrecque R.M. (2020) "Public Support for Solitary Confinement: A Randomized Experiment of Belief Updating and Confirmation Bias", Victims and Offenders, -. Routledge. DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1080/15564886.2020.1795766 10.1080/15564886.2020.1795766]

Zgoba K.M.; Pizarro J.M.; Salerno L.M. (2020) "Assessing the Impact of Restrictive Housing on Inmate Post Release Criminal Behavior", American Journal of Criminal Justice, 45(1), pp. 102-125. Springer. DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-019-09496-2 10.1007/s12103-019-09496-2]

(2020) "Consensus statement from the santa cruz summit on solitary confinement and health", Northwestern University Law Review, 115(1), pp. 335-360. Northwestern University School of Law. DOI: [htttp://doi.org/ ]

Batastini A.B.; Lester M.E.; Morgan R.D.; Atterberry E. (2021) "Stepping Up, Stepping Out: A Program Description and Preliminary Findings", Psychological Services, 18(4), pp. 679-688. American Psychological Association. DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1037/ser0000430 10.1037/ser0000430]

Labrecque R.M.; Tostlebe J.J.; Useem B.; Pyrooz D.C. (2021) "Reforming solitary confinement: the development, implementation, and processes of a restrictive housing step down reentry program in Oregon", Health and Justice, 9(1), pp. -. BioMed Central Ltd. DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1186/s40352-021-00151-9 10.1186/s40352-021-00151-9]

Labrecque R.M.; Campbell C.M.; LaBranche K.J.; Reddy L.; Zavita K.R.; Morgan R.D. (2021) "Administrative Segregation: A Review of State and Federal Policies", Criminal Justice Policy Review, 32(7), pp. 718-739. SAGE Publications Inc.. DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1177/0887403421998440 10.1177/0887403421998440]

Scanlon F.; Lester M.E.; Brace T.; Batastini A.B.; Morgan R.D. (2022) "Tried and True? A Psychometric Evaluation of the Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking Styles Short Form", Assessment, -. SAGE Publications Inc.. DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1177/10731911221132500 10.1177/10731911221132500]