Prisoners' Perception of Treatment: A Pilot Study in Serbian Prisons

Abstract

The paper focuses on prisoners' perception of the quality of treatment in Serbia. The study took place in all six prisons in the Vojvodina region of the Republic of Serbia, where surveying was conducted in 2020. The sample consists of 237 prisoners from open, semi-open, and closed prison regimes. The results of regression analyses showed that prisoners' perception of the quality of treatment in Serbian prisons is influenced by their satisfaction with prison workers, perception of fairness in life, and the environment in which they grew up. Perception of fairness in life was the strongest predictor of prisoners' perception of the quality of treatment, followed by satisfaction with prison workers. Overall findings suggest that prisoners' outlook on fairness in life and the quality of relations between them and prison workers are the essential components in the treatment process, which should be considered in studying resocialisation of prisoners. In conclusion, the significance of these findings for the treatment of prisoners is discussed.