Umsorgt oder schikaniert?

During the COVID-19 pandemic several hygiene and protective measures were necessarily implemented to contain the novel virus. The requirement for social distancing poses particular challenges for the prison system, resulting in additional—albeit unmerited—restrictions for already imprisoned persons. Conceivably, there may also be peculiarities in the perception and purpose attribution on the part of the inmates. This study therefore focussed on German prisoners’ (n = 956) attribution and acceptance of pandemic-related measures. Also, the impact of the institutions’ style of communication and justification on the prisoners’ perception were investigated. Qualitative and quantitative data suggest that there is discontent with the dissemination of information and that the measures were not only perceived as acts of caring and protection but also as harassment. Moreover, the attribution and disapproval of measures is influenced by age. Correlations were found between a justified informative communication and a conducive attribution as well as reduced disapproval of measures. Attribution is also associated with symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. The attribution as harassment was found to partially mediate the effect of the style of communication on the disapproval of measures. Results suggest that reasoning-oriented and justification-oriented communication on restrictive and protective measures in penal institutions reduces the chance of undesirable attributions of these measures. Even in the coercive context of the penal system the inmates’ self-responsible cooperation is ultimately crucial when it comes to complying with protective measures and it does not arise from issuing orders without providing reasons.