Prison Guard-Dispensed Vigilante Justice? An Exploratory Analysis of Inmate-Staff Inappropriate Relationships and Brutality Behind the Prison Walls

• In Event: Staff Misconduct in Prison

Abstract

In the present study, we administered 501 questionnaires to correctional officers within the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to identify characteristics of guards who engage in brutal acts toward inmates. We found that younger, male officers who reported being dissatisfied with their jobs were at a high risk of brutalizing inmates as well as officers who lacked family support at home or supervisory support at work. Finally, guards who perceived that inmate-staff boundary violations were rampant within the prison workplace tended to admit to engaging more acts of brutality than their peers. We contend that these officers, in particular, may have felt inclined to administer their own brand of vigilante justice. Our study has important implication for the management of prisons and jails.

Authors

• Robert Worley, Lamar University

• Eric Lambert, University of Nevada, Reno

• Vidisha Worley, Lamar University