NCJ Number
216739
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 34 Issue: 6 Dated: 2006 Pages: 631-642
Date Published
2006
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This empirical study examined the effects of race, ethnicity, and citizenship on serious forms of prison violence.
Abstract
Results indicate that the most violent inmates were Hispanics and Native Americans among males and African-Americans and Native Americans among females. Asian inmates were the least violent inmate group. Citizenship was found to be unrelated to prison violence among the sample in the study. The United States correctional population is becoming more diverse and comprised of increasingly more violent inmates. The enormity of the correctional population, its growth, and the racial and ethnic disparities that it conveys are upsetting. The question raised in this study is whether the racial and ethnic composition of the correctional population influences prison violence. Utilizing a sample of 1,005 inmates, this study explored the racial, ethnic, and citizenship correlates among male and female inmates. The results of this study contribute to an empirical base for an increasingly important research area, the intersections between criminal defendants, their racial and ethnic characteristics, and their effects on prison violence in an era of increasing variability between prison and community. Tables, references