NCJ Number
227922
Journal
Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 36 Issue: 8 Dated: August 2009 Pages: 793-807
Date Published
August 2009
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This study examined the effect of exposure to violent crime while incarcerated on longer term psychological adjustment following release in violent and nonviolent offenders released to an urban community.
Abstract
Consistent with prior findings exposure to violence while incarcerated was associated with indicators of adjustment. After controlling for exposure outside of incarceration, exposure to violent crime while incarcerated accounted for significant variation in multivariate composites indicating antisocial behavior and emotional distress. The results of this study add to the existing literature by suggesting that these experiences could have sustained harmful psychological effects well beyond release from prison or jail. This suggests that attending carefully to the context of exposure should be a central feature of research on the effects of violence. The relation between exposure to violence and psychological adjustment had for many been a focus of intense research interest, but the majority of the research has been limited to children and adolescents. In this study, 38 violent incarcerated offenders and 86 nonviolent incarcerated offenders were assessed for their experiences as witnesses to or victims of violent crime during incarceration as well as outside of the prison or jail setting. Tables, figure, notes, and references