A Correctional Culture of Masculinity or Survival? Gendered Perspectives of Violence Involvement Among Incarcerated Youth

• In Event: Gender Differences in Corrections

Abstract

The study of boys’ and men’s violence within a variety of contexts is prominent in criminological work. Research has analyzed violence culture and the relationship between violent behavior and individual characteristics from the male perspective. Additionally, scholarship on correctional violence has primarily focused on violent behavior among incarcerated men. Research that focuses on violence among young women, however, is limited, and there is little work that has compared young men’s and women’s perspectives of violence in incarcerated settings. This presentation helps to fill this gap by comparing descriptions of violence involvement among male and female incarcerated youth. This is achieved by using interviews with over 300 youth, which include over 700 violent incident narratives. More specifically, this paper compares similarities and differences in prevalence of and reasoning for violence participation from the male and female incarcerated youth perspectives. Analyses address situational dynamics and characteristics of violent incidents focusing on the youth correctional setting, and the culture of violence. Additionally, comparative analyses are conducted on methods of violence participation and avoidance, and on youths’ perceptions of safety while incarcerated. The presentation concludes with a consideration of the implications for gender specific policy and programming related to violence involvement among incarcerated youth.

Authors

• Daniel Scott, University of California, Irvine

• Amy M. Magnus, University of California, Irvine

• Cheryl Maxson, University of California, Irvine