Violence in youth custody: Risk factors of violent misconduct among inmates of German young offender institutions

Abstract

Inmate-on-inmate violence is a serious problem in prisons and young offender institutions. However, most studies on predictors of violent misconduct have focussed on adult inmates. This study examines the perpetration of violence in multiple young offender institutions, using the selfreport data of 865 male inmates. Prevalence rates indicate that violence occurs to a high extent in the institutions. Regression analyses show that both importation and deprivation variables significantly predict the perpetration of physical and sexual violence. Specifically, drug use during imprisonment, violent beliefs, and a negative inmate-staff relationship were found to increase the risk of violent misconduct. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Murder as Importation: An Empirical Study of the Continuity of Homicide Offending From Community to Confinement

“…A large corpus of studies using prisoner data from California (Caudill et al, 2014), Kentucky, Ohio (Cao et al, 1997), Tennessee (Lahm, 2008), Oregon (Cihan et al, 2017), Texas (DeLisi et al, 2011), the federal Bureau of Prisons (Dhami et al, 2007; Walters & Crawford, 2013), and regional and national-level U.S. data (Celinska & Sung, 2014; Diamond et al, 2012; Jiang & Fisher-Giorlando, 2002; Poole & Regoli, 1983; Worrall & Morris, 2012) provide empirical support for the importation model. The viability of the importation model is not limited to an American context as empirical support also exists using data from Canada (Ruddell & Gottschall, 2011), Germany (Klatt et al, 2016), and Romania (Dâmboeanu & Nieuwbeerta, 2016).…”

The relation of borderline personality disorder to aggression, victimization, and institutional misconduct among prisoners

“…Instances of violence and victimization are common in correctional settings. Up to one-third of male inmates report perpetrating physical violence during incarceration [16]. In addition, 43% of incarcerated men report knowing that a sexual assault occurred and 16% report witnessing a sexual assault within their correctional facility [17].…”

Ashley Smith and Incarcerated Young Women: Marginalized at Any Age

“…Younger prisoners are less able to cope with the stress of imprisonment and experience much higher levels of anxiety as a result of having been deprived of their families and social networks (Bala and Anand, 2012;Roberts 2004;Schulman and Cauffman, 2011). The fact that they have generally been found to be involved in more disciplinary infractions, inmate-staff assaults, and conflicts with others (Gover, Perez, and Jennings 2008;Klatt et al 2016;Kolivoski and Shook 2016;Kuanliang, Sorenson, and Cunningham 2008;Lahm 2008;Leigey and Hodge 2013;McShane and Williams 1989) compared with adult prisoners may also reflect their response to stress and difficulty coping (Coid et al 2003;Klatt et al 2016;Kolivoski and Shook 2016;Lahm 2008;Leigey and Hodge 2013). At least one study suggests that fighting and violence by incarcerated youth is a form of active coping utilized to reduce institutions stress (Schulman and Cauffman 2011).…”

“…The aggression many youths display in custody may actually be a reflection of impaired coping (Coid et al 2003; Kolivoski and Shook 2016; Leigey and Hodge 2013; MacKenzie 1987). However, young people differ in important ways from older adults that render them more vulnerable.…”

“…In the period of incarceration, the individual characteristics that a young person “walks into” prison with, together with characteristics of the institution itself (e.g., physical environment, staff, peers) contribute to the young person’s ability to adjust to prison life (Cesaroni and Peterson-Badali 2010; Gover 2000; Kolivoski and Shook 2016). However, institutional characteristics become more important in predicting young people’s adjustment the longer they remain in custody (Cesaroni and Peterson-Badali 2010; Gover, Perez, and Jennings 2008).…”