Violent Victimization and Fear of Crime Among the Prison Staff in Finland

• In Event: Poster Session

Abstract

Prison violence has been featured in the media in recent years and it has also become a concern during the Council of Europe anti-torture Committee´s and the Parliamentary Ombudsman´s visits to prisons. As a result, investigations on prison security have been carried out and legislation has been reformed. However, research on prison violence has been limited in Finland.

The aim of this study is to find out prison staff experiences of violence and concerns about violence. The purpose is to answer the following research questions: 1) how much and what kind of mental or physical violence prison staff experience at work and 2) how concerned are staff about violence against them or between prisoners. The research material is a survey of prisons staff which was carried out in the investigation work of the security and control work of the Criminal Sanctions Agency. Logistic and linear analysis is used as the research method.

Author

• Jyri Paasonen, University of Vaasa