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Sam Prawer

Senior Program Manager for Policy

Sam has over 10 years of experience in policy development and 7 years in state government. Formerly the Director of Government Affairs at Maine Department of Corrections (MDOC), Sam brings real-world experience developing, implementing, and advocating for policy reforms that drive lasting change for both staff and residents, address the factors that lead to incarceration, and support successful reentry. He has served on government councils and commissions, and his work has involved extensive collaboration with government staff, policymakers, incarcerated people, and community-based organizations. In both his role at MDOC and during his 5 years as a Legislative Analyst in the Maine State Legislature, Sam developed numerous legislative proposals from start to finish. He holds a JD from UCLA School of Law and a BA in Philosophy from Bates College

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1. Restricted housing environments can create a more harmful work environment for prison staff.
Sources: Stressed out in lock down: The impacts of work in extended restrictive housing on prison personnel, Aranda-Hughes V, Mears DP., Justice Quarterly. 2024; Prisons and mental health: Violence, organizational support, and the effects of correctional work., Lerman AE, Harney J, Sadin M., Criminal Justice and Behavior. 2022.
2. Restricted housing has been associated with adverse health and well-being outcomes for incarcerated people, both during incarceration and after release. Sources: Mental health disparities in solitary confinement. Simes JT, Western B, Lee A., Criminology. 2022; Shedding light on “the hole”: A systematic review and meta-analysis on adverse psychological effects and mortality following solitary confinement in correctional settings, Luigi M, Dellazizzo L, Giguère CÉ, Goulet MH, Dumais A., Front Psychiatry. 2020; Association of restrictive housing during incarceration with mortality after release, Brinkley-Rubinstein L, Sivaraman J, Rosen DL, et al., JAMA Network Open. 2019; Solitary confinement placement and post-release mortality risk among formerly incarcerated individuals: a population-based study. Wildeman C, Andersen LH., Lancet Public Health. 2020.
3. Research has generally not found evidence that restricted housing reduces institutional violence and, in some cases, has found associations with increased violence.
Sources: Exploring the effect of exposure to short-term solitary confinement among violent prison inmates, Morris RG., Journal of Quantitative Criminology. 2016; Solitary confinement of inmates associated with relapse into any recidivism including violent crime: A systematic review and meta-analysis, Luigi M, Dellazizzo L, Giguere CE, Goulet MH, Potvin S, Dumais A., Trauma Violence Abuse. 2022.