Supermax Impacts on Recidivism

• In Event: Inside Prisons

Abstract

Theory and research on long-term solitary confinement, sometimes termed supermaximum or "supermax" housing, suggest both that people placed in the housing are perceived by the prison system to be especially dangerous and violent and that such confinement increases the likelihood of future crime. This study examines the characteristics of people prisons place in supermax housing to assess, first, whether correlates of recidivism, such as prior record and offense type, are also correlates of supermax placements and, second, whether the potential criminogenic impacts of supermax are amplified for people who enter prison with varying propensities of recidivism. The analysis and findings are important for understanding better this especially controversial form of restrictive housing and the implications of placement decisions for individuals placed in it as well as for the prison system and society.

Authors

• Joshua Cochran, University of Cincinnati

• Daniel Mears, Florida State University

• Jennifer Brown, Independent Researcher