NCJ Number
86699
Journal
Psychosomatic Medicine Volume: 43 Issue: 2 Dated: (April 1981) Pages: 95-105
Date Published
1981
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This study investigated the relationship between change in housing mode and corresponding blood pressure (BP) among 569 male prisoners as an analogue to animal studies which have shown that crowding elevates BP.
Abstract
The transfer from single occupancy cells to multiple occupancy dormitories was associated with a statistically significant mean increase in systolic blood pressure (SBP). In contrast, men remaining in single cells had little mean change in SBP over time. Inmates who were retransferred to cells after a short stay in dormitories experienced a mean decline in SBP, suggesting that crowding may be reversible in its early stages. SBP also declined after continued stay in dormitories, indicating that adaptation may occur. The paper discusses the implications of these findings for crowding theory and their contribution to an understanding of response to the prison environment. Study data and 47 references are included. (Author abstract modified)