Violence in prison – the role of institutional characteristics

• In Event: Violence in Jails and Prisons

Abstract

In this paper the results of an empirical study in five German federal states are presented. Nearly 4.000 male prisoners in almost 40 correctional facilities were interviewed using a standardized questionnaire. The return rate was fifty percent. In a first step, prevalence rates on victimization and offending are shown. These are rather high; for instance every tenth prisoner committed at least one violent act in the last four weeks. In a second step, hierarchical linear models are computed to analyze individual as well as institutional characteristics as predictors of violent behavior in prison. The results show that primary individual characteristics like drug use or applying to violent norms explain violent behavior. However, institutional characteristics have an additional effect, proving subcultural rather than disorganization theory: Structural conditions or the demographic composition of the correctional facilities are irrelevant for individual violent behavior. But in facilities with a high share of drug consumers or a low reporting rate the violence is more common. Accordingly, analyzing institutional characteristics seems an necessary task for future research in violence in prison.

Authors

• Dirk Baier, Criminological Research Institute of Lower Saxony

• Marie Christine Bergmann, Criminological Research Institute of Lower Saxony