A House is Not a Home: The Impact of Prison Architecture on Inmate Behaviors

• In Event: Predictors of Sentencing Decisions and the Effects of In-Prison Experiences

Abstract

The rise in incarceration in the United States has inspired considerable research on the prison experience and predictors of inmate behaviors (Bonta & Gendreau, 1990; Caplow & Simon, 1999; Garland, 2001; Hochstetler & DeLisi, 2005; Barker, 2006; Gottschalk, 2009; Currie, 2013; Steiner et al., 2014). However, one aspect of the prison environment that has been largely overlooked is the potential impact of prison architecture. Although literature on the variation in design and its potential importance is extensive (Johnston, 2000; Fairweather & McConville, 2000; Wener, 2012; Moran, 2015; Jewkes et al., 2016), there are very few studies that empirically assess whether the physical design of prison facilities actually has a significant impact on the behavior of inmates. Using data provided by the Florida Department of Corrections, this study examines the effect of differences in prison architecture on the likelihood and type of inmate misconduct.

Author

• Melissa Nadel, Florida State University