Examining the Influences of Sanction Severity within State Prisons

• In Event: Crime, Victimization, and the Responses to Inmate Crime in Prisons and Jails

Abstract

Correctional administrators often maintain order and security within prisons through a system of rewards and punishments. In regards to punishment, few studies have examined the factors that predict the severity of sanctions for inmate misconduct. Drawing from the focal concerns perspective, we use data from the 2004 Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities to examine the influences on institutional sanctioning decisions within state prisons across the U.S.

Authors

• Daniel Butler, University of Nebraska

• Benjamin Steiner, University of Nebraska at Omaha