Investigating the “Code of the Prison” on Inmate Misconduct Among South Korean Inmates

• In Event: Cultural and Subcultural Approaches to Crime and Inmate Misconduct

Abstract

Criminologists have long been interested in whether or not preincarceration belief systems that inmates bring into prisons exert a negative effect on inmate misconduct. Despite the popularity of the importation model, the majority of institutional misconduct research has focused on individual characteristics, such as race, prior recode, education, and sex as proxies to test this theory. The current study draws on Anderson’s (1994) “code of the street” and relies on self-report data from 951 male inmates in adult prisons in South Korea. The current study fills a void in previous research by examining direct impacts of imported belief systems on inmate interpersonal aggression toward fellow inmates and correctional officers.

Authors

• Brandon Dulisse, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

• Jaeyong Choi, Angelo State University