Official records and self-reports collected from 10 prisons were used to conduct a cross-sectional analysis of patterns of inmate adjustment. Profiles consisting of background variables, personality types, and environmental factors revealed that violent inmates are either those who cannot relate to other people or who are assaultive. Many had previous institutional experience. Victims are generally "lambs," with less prior criminal or institutional experience. However, many victims are aggressive in their relations with staff and other inmates. Both violent and victimized inmates have trouble adjusting to the prison environment, which they rate as worse than do non-assaultive or non-victimized inmates. The author suggests that prison violence is related to the effect of incarceration on the individual's identity and masculinity. 3 tables and 24 references (Author abstract modified)
Violent and Victimized in the Male Prison
NCJ Number
130654
Journal
Journal of Offender Rehabilitation Volume: 16 Issue: 3/4 Dated: (1991) Pages: 1-25
Date Published
1991
Length
25 pages
Annotation
This study expands upon the available literature on prison violence by examining similarities and differences between violent and victimized male inmates. Environmental factors affecting inmate behaviors are also described.
Abstract