The Situational Context of Prison Violence

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

Abstract

Few studies have examined the situations under which violence in prisons unfolds and how various institutional and contextual factors contribute to violence in prisons. Incident reports can provide situational details not found in administrative misconduct data, such as information on the precursors to violence and the type and severity of injuries sustained. Accordingly, we use data from more than 2,000 incident reports provided by state prison systems to describe the nature and scope of prison violence, with a focus on examining (1) the situational correlates across the different types of violence (e.g., incarcerated persons and staff assaults, fighting), and the consequences of violence in terms of (2) injury severity and type, and (3) whether onsite or off-site medical treatment was received. In addition to discussing the implications of our findings for individuals and institutions, we highlight some of the unique insights gained through this methodology within the broader prison violence project.

Authors

• Natasha Frost, Northeastern University

• Kylie S. Reale, University of California, Irvine

• Kayla Bates, Northeastern University

• Nancy Rodriguez, University of California, Irvine