Effectiveness of Policy Options for Responding to In-Prison Violence in Pennsylvania State Prisons

• In Event: Varied Perspectives on Violence and Victimization among Inmates: A Look at Risk, Prevalence, and Prevention

Abstract

The rate of violent incidents (both against other inmates and against staff) in Pennsylvania state prisons has increased by at least 5% over the past year, which is the largest one-year increase in violent incidents in the recent history of the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (PA DOC). The PA DOC has recently set as a goal to decrease this rate of in-prison violence incidents by 10% by 2020. To do this, the department has convened a taskforce of a large cross-section of staff across all of Pennsylvania’s 26 state prisons to examine explanations for the recent uptick in in-prison violence, and to develop a coordinated violence reduction strategic plan. At the core of this plan is experimentation and rigorous evaluation in order to determine what proves to be effective and what does not. An array of strategies are already being piloted, including a group-based focused deterrence strategy modeled after the Boston Operation Ceasefire model, and swift and certain sanctioning strategy modeled after the Hawaii HOPE probation supervision model. Other experiments include targeted strategies for reducing prison contraband, the use of dietary supplements (Omega 3 vitamins) that have shown promise for reducing aggressive behavior, and violence prevention treatment programming. This paper will present data on explanations for the recent increase in prison violence, and initial results on the comparative effectiveness of the various utilized strategies for reducing in-prison violence in the PA DOC.

Author

• Bret Bucklen, PA Department of Corrections