NCJ Number
177850
Journal
Journal of Offender Rehabilitation Volume: 28 Issue: 3/4 Dated: 1999 Pages: 1-21
Date Published
1999
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This article presents results from a survey of 775 adult male inmates regarding their perceptions of violence in prison.
Abstract
Data were obtained from a survey administered over a 6-week period to 775 men just released from incarceration in the Texas Department of Corrections, Institutional Division. The survey examined relationships between perception of the level of prison violence and individual sociodemographic and criminal history characteristics such as race, ethnicity, age, education level, age at first arrest, number of prior incarcerations and number of years in prison. Race and ethnicity did not appear to be a factor in perceptions of violence and danger in prison. Younger men were generally more likely than older to perceive prison as a dangerous place. While inmate age was not a statistically significant factor in fear of being attacked, it was statistically significant on all of the other items. Sociodemographic characteristics appeared highly correlated with perceptions of the institutional experience generally. Tables, references