NCJ Number
175004
Journal
Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency Volume: 35 Issue: 4 Dated: November 1998 Pages: 480-502
Date Published
1998
Length
23 pages
Annotation
This study examined whether differences in the daily routines of inmates from three Ohio correctional institutions corresponded with differences in their likelihood of being physically assaulted by other inmates and their likelihood of being victims of theft.
Abstract
Samples included all inmates from one campus of the high- close podular prison (n=384); all inmates from 5 of the 10 living units in the medium-security prison (n=225); and all inmates from the first tier of each wing of the linear prison (n=132). Anonymous surveys were completed during a single count when inmates were confined to their cells for 30 minutes. The final sample consisted of 581 inmates. The outcome measures determined whether an inmate was victimized by physical assault and whether an inmate was victimized by theft during the 6 months preceding the survey. Lifestyle measures consisted of the number of hours, on average, an inmate spent per day in each of the following activities: education classes and studying in the library, vocational classes, working at a job, and active and inactive forms of recreation provided by the institution, aside from television and radio. The measure of "social distance" was constructed as a sum of inmate responses to six attitude statements. Approximately 25 percent of the respondents reported being victimized by either physical assault or theft during the study period. Victimization rates were similar across the three prisons despite their environmental differences. Inmates who participated in structured activities that had tight security measures were less likely to be victimized by physical assault, but such inmates were more likely to be victimized by theft, perhaps because their possessions were left unguarded during their activities. The positive relationship between recreation and physical assault refuted the hypothesis that recreation would reduce deviancy. 5 notes, 4 tables, and 66 references