Prison Behavior and the Self: Exploring the Relationship between Identity and Prison Misconduct

• In Event: Misconduct in Correctional Environments

Abstract

Identity or self-concept is has long been theorized to explain rule-violating behavior. Life-course criminology scholarship has incorporated identity as a core concept explaining desistance or disengagement from crime over time. Individuals who transform their identities from anti to prosocial or who are ready to move away from the past selves are more likely to desist from crime. However, the role of identity in prison misconduct or infractions has been understudied. The purpose of this study is to explore how various forms of identity are related to future prison misconduct, controlling for past misconduct and a host of other theoretical variables, in Minnesota prisons. To do so, we rely on a survey sent to inmates as well as administrative data.

Authors

• Michael Rocque, Bates College

• Grant Duwe, Minnesota Department of Corrections

• Valerie A. Clark, Minnesota Department of Corrections