Power of Connections: How Personal Attachment to Family, Friends, and Others, Impacts Behavior during Imprisonment

• In Event: Bonds Behind Bars: Family Connections & Social Support in Prison

Abstract

A number of criminological theories argue that the nature of an individual’s personal relationships and level of attachment impact their likelihood of exhibiting criminal or deviant behavior, and inmate misconduct during imprisonment. However, the nature of different types of personal relationships and in-prison behavior has yet to be fully explored. We address this void through an examination of the effect of the level of attachment inmates have to their family members, friends, intimate partners, and their lawyers, on whether they commit prison infractions, the frequency of misconduct, and the seriousness of prison infractions. We also examine if the effects of the level of attachment on prisoner misconduct are variant across inmate characteristics such as gender, race/ethnicity, and age. Implications for policy and theory derived from the findings are discussed.

Authors

• Michelle Landers, Florida State University

• William D. Bales, Florida State University