Measuring the Quality of Prison Life (MQPL) Surveys 2022-23
- from someone incarcerated at Logan Correctional Center
- from someone incarcerated at Decatur Correctional Center
- from someone incarcerated at Taylorville Correctional Center
- from someone incarcerated at Dixon Correctional Center
In 2022-2023 JHA executed our second IDOC-wide survey of all incarcerated people. This paper-based survey was optional, confidential, and anonymous; people responded by using a postage-paid return envelope sent directly to JHA. JHA used a modified version of the “Measuring the Quality of Prison Life” (MQPL) Individual in Custody Questionnaire, which was developed by a research team at the Prisons Research Centre at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. This survey is used in prisons in other countries, and is also being piloted in prisons in New York and Pennsylvania. Using the results of this survey, JHA plans to look at our prisons’ “culture” or social environment, and how this affects people. We will also utilize these results to inform our prison advocacy work, and to compare/contrast them with results from NY and Pennsylvania to inform the field of prison oversight overall.
JHA also fielded an online Quality of Life survey with correctional staff; you can find those results below.
Top Issues Reported by Facility
Our “Top Issues Reported” publications highlight some of the most common issues raised by facility in response to our MQPL survey question "What are the most negative things about life in this prison?” We selected this question to analyze because it is where most survey respondents chose to report the issues that they were experiencing while incarcerated. Please scroll further down to find full qualitative and quantitative results by facility.
Full Survey Results by Facility (more coming soon!)
- from someone incarcerated at Pinckneyville Correctional Center
- from someone incarcerated at Decatur Correctional Center
Find results from our first IDOC-wide survey here.