Doing your own time: Peer integration, aggression and mental health in Dutch male detainment facilities

Abstract

Background Prior research demonstrates a strong positive association between social integration (e.g., strong social ties) and individual health. However, researchers also emphasize that this correlation may vary by context and potentially reverse direction under certain conditions. In this study, we draw on competing criminological theories of peer relations to examine if social integration, measured by trust in peers, is positively or negatively associated with violence and mental health of men detained in pre-trial confinement facilities. Methods We test our hypotheses with peer network and health data from 502 Dutch male pre-trial detainees. Results Results suggest that peer trust has no direct association with reported rates of peer aggression while detained and low peer trust is generally protective for mental health. Conclusions Our study thus adds to a small body of literature finding that social integration within certain correctional settings may not operate in the same way that it does in the general population and may actually contribute to adverse mental health outcomes.

Social Networks and Health in a Prison Unit

“…Alternatively, prisons are atypical environments that place people convicted of serious crimes into close proximity, increasing the potential for personal conflicts, stress, and peer influence toward poor health behaviors. Under these conditions, inmates most embedded in peer networks may have worse health behaviors than those who "keep their heads down" and avoid peer ties (Kreager, Palmen, et al 2016). These processes may also depend on the health outcome of interest-a tight-knit peer network may increase social support and decrease depressive symptoms or stress-related illnesses but simultaneously promote the diffusion of infectious disease or high-risk health behaviors.…”

Social Organization in Prison: A Social Network Analysis of Interpersonal Relationships among Dutch prisoners

“…With a larger network of people to choose from, and prisoners held for longer periods of time, it is likely that more social ties come to develop. Moreover, as was found by Kreager, Palmen, et al (2016), having few prison ties may be adaptive for prisoners with short sentences, as there is less incentive to embed oneself in the prison social structure given impending release and community reentry. Nonetheless, as is apparent in Figure 1, few prisoners in the Dutch prison units had no social ties at all (so-called "isolates").…”

“…The current study set out to examine the network structure of social relations among prisoners using a social network perspective (cf. Kreager, Palmen, et al, 2016). The advantage of a social network perspective is that it acknowledges the interdependence between individuals and their social contexthere referring to the web of relationships between prisoners within Dutch prison unitsand that characteristics of individuals as well as characteristics of their social ties and structure at large can be modeled simultaneously.…”

“…First, the Dutch prison context is characterized by relatively short sentence lengths. Relatively short prison sentences and associated high turnover rates might cause difficulties building trusting relationships with fellow prisoners (see also Kreager, Palmen, Dirkzwager, & Nieuwbeerta, 2016). In addition to the limited time required to establish trusting and meaningful connections, prisoners with short sentence lengths may remain strongly connected to those outside of prison and see limited value in creating strong prison-based ties.…”

“…In addition, the time that prisoners can spend together in the unit is quite limited as compared to other network contexts; in the Netherlands, time on the unit outside of one's cell is limited to hours of leisure and yard time. Moreover, the average sentence length in Dutch prison is short and may cause prisoners to be less inclined to invest in prison peer relations (Kreager, Palmen, et al, 2016). The Prison Inmate Network Study (PINS: Kreager et al, 2017;Schaefer et al, 2017) set in an American state penitentiary, found the average number of prison peer nominations to be similar to adolescent school-based networks (i.e., four social ties per person).…”