NCJ Number
211233
Date Published
2005
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This chapter compares the types of bullying experienced and perpetrated by male inmates in two prison settings in the north of England.
Abstract
One prison is a young-offender institution ("Yardley"), and the other is a "Rule 43" adult male prison ("Princeton"), where offenders are placed either because they are too disruptive to be placed in a standard prison, or they are considered too vulnerable. Both studies used questionnaires administered in one-to-one interviews with inmates, and similar questionnaires were distributed to and returned by prison officers. The questionnaires in the two studies were broadly comparable in coverage. They differed in logistics by having the younger offenders receive a definition of bullying near the beginning of the questionnaire, while the participants from the adult prison were given a list of bullying behaviors. A total of 40 inmates chosen randomly from the prison database were interviewed. At both prisons, each of which had antibullying policies, the majority of inmates interviewed felt safe; however, 5 out of 40 of Yardley inmates felt unsafe compared to 2 out of 45 at Princeton. Victimization rates for bullying were similar, 13 out of 40 young inmates and 13 out of 45 adult inmates. Bullying incidents were apparently less serious at Princeton. There was evidence that the antibullying policy at Princeton was more effective than at Yardley. The Princeton policy involved a clear, short, readable statement against bullying signed "voluntarily" by inmates and known well by officers. The evidence from Yardley, however, suggests that its antibullying policy was not well disseminated among inmates, and officer awareness of the policy was lacking. 12 references