NCJ Number
100304
Journal
Canadian Journal of Criminology Volume: 27 Issue: 4 Dated: (October 1985) Pages: 429-439
Date Published
1985
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This study examined the pattern of individual violence using data from incident reports and inmate files for all cases of death resulting from assault in Canadian penitentiaries from 1967 to 1981.
Abstract
During this period 9 prison staff and 66 offenders were killed. Study findings show that most of the homicides occurred in two large maximum-security facilities and at times and places when there was the maximum possibility of avoiding detection (e.g., in the inmate's cell, during guards' shift change, on weekends when staffing is reduced). Most of the homicides involved stabbings with a knife or similar instrument. Both victims and offenders tended to be young males with previous convictions, usually involving violent offenses. Canadians of French origins were more likely to be victimized than were those of British or Native American origins. Results support the notion that prison violence may be the result of an interaction between violence-prone personal dispositions and situational factors (i.e., a subculture of violence). 21 references.