Gendered Factors on Prison Misconduct and the Intersection of Race within State Prisons

• In Event: Understanding Important Group Differences in Prison Misconduct and Other Experiences

Abstract

Recently, there has been an interest in the study of prisoner misconduct as it relates to rates of recidivism. However, criminological research has largely ignored the ways in which prisoner misconduct may be affected by gender and race. Therefore, this project aims to analyze gendered risk factors and their correlation to rates of prison misconduct within female correctional facilities. More specifically, this project will examine the ways in which mental illness may act as a risk factor for women within correctional facilities. The data for this project were collected by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) and included the Survey of Prison Inmates (SPI), a national, wide-ranging survey of prisoners aged 18 or older who were incarcerated in state or federal correctional facilities within the United States. Therefore, the examination of this project includes a cross sectional design utilizing a bivariate and multivariate regression analysis. Given the data utilized and the gaps in previous research, this project proposes that female incarcerated persons who have a mental illness are more likely to engage in prison misconduct. In addition, this paper argues that incarcerated persons of color with a corresponding mental illness are more likely to engage in prisoner misconduct.

Authors

• Olivia Shaw, Arizona State University

• Veronica Holyk, Arizona State University

• Cassia Spohn, Arizona State University