NCJ Number
63218
Journal
Popular Government Volume: 44 Issue: 4 Dated: (SPRING 1979) Pages: 8-11
Date Published
1979
Length
4 pages
Annotation
A STATISTICAL STUDY OF THE NUMBER AND CAUSES OF ASSAULT IN 10 NORTH CAROLINA PRISONS EVALUATES THE EXTENT OF VICTIMIZATION, ASSAULT-AGE AND RACE CORRELATIONS, AND RECOMMENDS CHANGES FOR LESSENING PRISON VIOLENCE.
Abstract
DATA ANALYZED FOR THE LAST QUARTER OF 1975 SHOWED 16 ASSAULTIVE INCIDENTS, 22 ASSAULTS, AND 915 VICTIMIZATIONS PER 100 INMATES PER YEAR. IN COMPARISON WITH THE URBAN FREE COMMUNITY, INMATES WERE 48 PERCENT MORE LIKELY TO BE VICTIMIZED. INMATES YOUNGER OR OLDER THAN THE GENERAL PRISON POPULATION WERE MORE VULNERABLE THAN THE AVERAGE PRISONER AGE 18 TO 33 YEARS. IN 61 PERCENT OF ALL ASSAULTS THE VICTIM AND THE ASSAILANT WERE OF THE SAME RACE. IN CASES OF INTERRACIAL INCIDENTS, BLACKS WERE MORE LIKELY TO ASSAULT WHITES. ALTHOUGH RECOMMENDED MEASURES TO REDUCE PRISON VIOLENCE INCLUDE MORE SINGLE-CELL FACILITIES AND MORE SUPERVISORY PERSONNEL, THESE SUGGESTIONS ARE NOT COST EFFECTIVE. HOWEVER, MORE EFFICIENT MANPOWER ALLOCATION WOULD BETTER CONTRIBUTE TO PRISON REFORM IN THAT RATES OF PRISON ASSAULT DISPLAY DEFINITE CYCLES OVER THE COURSE OF THE DAY AND THE WEEK. THE TOTAL ASSAULT RATE CAN BE REDUCED BY SEPARATING VIOLENT INMATES FROM LESS ASSAULTIVE PRISONERS, AND SUPERVISING THE FORMER MORE CLOSELY WITHOUT AN INCREASE IN STAFF SIZE. THIS SEGREGATION OF INMATES WOULD SEPARATE THOSE OVER 33 YEARS FROM THE MORE AGGRESSIVE OVER 21-YEAR-OLD GROUP, ASSIGNING MORE SUPERVISORS TO THE YOUNGER GROUP. A REDUCTION IN VIOLENCE SHOULD BE ACHIEVED WITHOUT THE SUBSTANTIAL COSTS THAT CONSTRUCTION AND STAFF ADDITIONS REQUIRE. FOOTNOTES AND TABULAR DATA ARE INCLUDED. (MRK)