POPULATION DENSITY AND INMATE MISCONDUCT RATES IN THE FEDERAL PRISON SYSTEM

• NCJ Number: 43392
• Journal: Federal Probation Volume: 41 Issue: 2 Dated: (JUNE 1977) Pages: 26-31
• Author(s): P L NACCI; H E TEITELBAUM; J PRATHER
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 6 pages
• Corporate Author: Administrative Office of the United States Courts
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

DATA FROM 37 INSTITUTIONS WERE USED TO COMPARE INCIDENCE OF RULE INFRACTIONS AND POPULATION DENSITY. IT WAS FOUND THAT TOTAL ASSAULTS AND ASSAULTS ON INMATES INCREASED AS DENSITY INCREASED, ESPECIALLY AMONG YOUNGER INMATES.

Abstract

THIS STUDY ANALYZED JUVENILE/YOUTH INSTITUTIONS, YOUNG ADULT INSTITUTIONS, INTERMEDIATE-TERM ADULT, AND LONG-TERM ADULT INSTITUTIONS. THE RULE INFRACTIONS WERE SEPARATED INTO THREE OVERLAPPING CATEGORIES: (1) INFRACTIONS ADJUDICATED BY THE INSTITUTIONAL DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE (IDC); (2) TOTAL ASSAULTS (INMATE/INMATE, PLUS INMATE/STAFF ASSAULTS); AND (3) INMATE ASSAULTS UPON INMATES. GENERALLY, ASSAULTS MAKE UP ABOUT 15-20 PERCENT OF IDC MATTERS. THE DENSITY INDEX WAS OBTAINED BY DIVIDING THE AVERAGE DAILY POPULATION FOR AN INSTITUTION BY THE YEAREND PHYSICAL CAPACITY. AVERAGE DENSITY INDEXES FOR THE STUDY PERIOD, JULY 1973 TO JUNE 1976, WERE: JUVENILE/YOUTH, 1.03; YOUNG ADULT, 1.13; LONG-TERM ADULT, 1.18, AND INTERMEDIATE-TERM ADULT, 1.21. THEREFORE, ALL INSTITUTIONS WERE OVERCROWDED AT TIME OF SURVEY. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DENSITY AND MISCONDUCT WAS STRONGEST IN INSTITUTIONS HOUSING YOUNG ADULTS, CORRELATING SIGNIFICANTLY WITH IDC (R EQUALS .50), TOTAL ASSAULTS (R EQUALS .63), AND ASSAULTS ON INMATES (R EQUALS .64). IN INSTITUTIONS FOR JUVENILES AND YOUTHS, HIGH CORRELATIONS WERE FOUND FOR TOTAL ASSAULTS AND INMATE ASSAULTS (.47 AND .48), BUT NOT FOR IDC (A NEGATIVE .317). INTERMEDIATE-TERM ADULT INSTITUTIONS HAD A SIGNIFICANT CORRELATION WITH IDC OFFENSES (.21), BUT NEGATIVE ASSAULT CORRELATIONS. IN LONG-TERM ADULT INSTITUTIONS THE INMATE ASSAULT CORRELATION ALMOST REACHED SIGNIFICANCE (.18), BUT THE IDC OFFENSE RATES WERE VERY LOW (A MINUS .16). THE IDC FIGURES MAY REFLECT THE TYPE OF SUPERVISION IN JUVENILE INSTITUTIONS, WHICH MAKES IT HARDER FOR IDC OFFENSES (HOMOSEXUALITY, CONTRABAND, ESCAPES, ETC.) TO OCCUR. IN LONG-TERM ADULT INSTITUTIONS, CROWDING MAY HELP TO CONCEAL IDC OFFENSES. WITH PRISON DENSITIES INCREASING, DANGEROUS SIDE EFFECTS WILL OCCUR UNLESS ALTERNATIVES TO INCARCERATION ARE FOUND, ESPECIALLY FOR JUVENILES AND YOUNGER INMATES WHO ARE MORE PRONE TO VIOLENCE, AND UNLESS THE PERCEPTION OF CROWDING IS DECREASED. SUGGESTIONS FOR REDUCING THE PERCEPTION OF DENSITY INCLUDE LOWER LIGHTING, PARTITIONED DORMITORIES, LOW NOISE LEVELS, NATURAL GREENERY, SIMPLE SPACES, ACTIVITIES THAT FRACTIONATE TIME, FEWER MASS ACTIVITIES, FREEDOM TO BE ALONE, AND SOCIAL HOMOGENEITY. AREAS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH ARE DISCUSSED.