Trajectories of Prison Violence: A Multistate Examination

• In Event: The Sources and Consequences of Prison Violence, Part 1

Abstract

Prison violence profoundly shapes the culture and functioning of correctional settings. A key challenge that prison systems face is how best to identify incarcerated persons who will commit acts of violence, and continue to do so, throughout their time in prison. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to identify (1) distinct trajectories of violence that individuals follow throughout their incarceration terms, and (2) the characteristics of individuals who belong to each trajectory group. Monthly administrative data and semi-parametric, group-based models are used to identify distinct trajectories of violence committed by incarcerated persons across four state prison systems. Multinomial logistic regression is used to identify correlates of trajectory-group membership using a host of individual and offense characteristics. Analyses are conducted separately for each prison system. The results emphasize both similarities and differences in trajectory groups and their features across prison systems. We emphasize that understanding patterns and sources of heterogeneity in prison violence is critical to the development of effective prevention strategies. Implications for policy and future research are discussed.

Authors

• Jillian Turanovic, Florida State University

• Nancy Rodriguez, University of California, Irvine

• Hina Usman, University of California, Irvine