What is it about?

This study looks at how everyday interactions between staff and clients shape the social environment in prisons and forensic psychiatric hospitals. These settings are highly structured, and people spend long periods of time together, which makes relationships especially important. We found that when people approach others in a more cooperative, respectful, and supportive way, they experience the environment as safer, more cohesive, and more helpful for rehabilitation. In contrast, more controlling or dominant interaction styles were not linked to better outcomes. The results highlight that the social climate is not just determined by rules or structures, but by how people treat each other in daily interactions. Staff and clients influence each other continuously, and even small relational behaviours can have a meaningful impact on how safe and supportive the environment feels.

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Why is it important?

This study shows that rehabilitation in secure settings is strongly shaped by everyday human interactions, not just formal treatment programs. It highlights the importance of fostering cooperative and respectful relationships between staff and clients to create safer and more effective environments. The findings are especially relevant for training and supporting frontline staff, as they play a central role in shaping the social climate. Improving these daily interactions could enhance treatment engagement, safety, and long-term outcomes for both clients and staff.

Perspectives

My clinical work in secure settings has strongly shaped my research interests. I have always been fascinated by the unique microcosm that develops through the constant interactions between clients and staff in these environments. While my role as a forensic therapist is important, this work has made me deeply aware that much of the real change does not happen in formal therapy sessions. It happens in the everyday interactions on the ward. I have the utmost respect for my nursing and frontline colleagues, who are in continuous contact with clients and play a key role in shaping the social environment. It is in these many hours between therapy sessions that opportunities for social learning and corrective experiences arise, and where meaningful change often takes place.

Andrea Canel
University of Basel

Read the Original

This page is a summary of: Influence of social motives of clients and staff on the social climate of secure settings, Journal of Criminal Justice, January 2026, Elsevier,
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2025.102538.
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