Inmate Custody Levels and Prison Rule Violations

Abstract

Researchers have recently combined individual-level data with institutional measures to detect prison-level correlates of inmate misconduct. Although this body of literature has yielded insights into how the prison environment contributes to misconduct, we argue that it has ignored an important level of analysis, namely the custody level. As some inmates are placed in more restrictive confinement than others, custody levels may absorb some of the variation in individual-level and/or prison-level correlates of misconduct. Accordingly, we analyzed data from over 70,000 inmates who were housed in Texas prisons during 2008 and found that custody levels were strongly and positively associated with misconduct, even (a) after accounting for the endogeneity of custody levels and (b) once inmate- and prison-level measures were included. We draw on labeling theory in our efforts to explain the relationship between custody levels and misconduct.

Canada’s Mother-Child Program: Examining Its Emergence, Usage, and Current State

“…In a study conducted by Worrall & Morris (2011), a positive relationship between prison misconduct and custody level was found with higher custody levels being associated with a greater likelihood of misconduct. Berk & de Leeuw (1999) also found an association between inmate's security classification score and inmate misconduct in California prisons.…”

Bible College Participation and Prison Misconduct: A Preliminary Analysis

“…Other research indicates disciplinary infractions are influenced by the overall characteristics of the inmates as well as the staff (Camp et al, 2003). Although earlier work has shown custody levels have a minimal impact on misconduct (Camp & Gaes, 2005), a more recent study of Texas prisoners by Worrall and Morris (2011) found that increases in custody levels (i.e., higher levels of risk) were associated with a greater likelihood of rule violations.…”

Prison gang integration and inmate violence

“…Prison crowding has been linked with inmate violence (e.g., Franklin et al, 2006;), as has sentence length (e.g., Camp et al, 2003;Craddock, 1996;Jiang & Fisher-Giorlando, 2002). Inmates' custody level, perhaps more indicative of "deprivation" than any other variable, has also been linked with violence, although not in a clear manner (Bench & Allen, 2003;Berecochea & Gibbs, 1991;Worrall & Morris, 2011).…”

“…Another study found that as much as one in four young inmates were victimized within just one month (O'Donnell & Edgar, 1998). More recent data revealed that 14 percent of inmates acted violently toward other inmates within a five-year period (Worrall & Morris, 2011). Regardless of the data source, it is clear that "a significant proportion of prisoners are subjected to multiple forms of victimization" (Maitland & Sluder, 1998:64; see also Bottoms, 1999).…”

“…These figures have prompted a number of researchers to identify the causes and correlates of inmate violence, particularly betweeninmate violence (for recent reviews see Camp, Gaes, Langan, & Saylor, 2003;Steiner & Wooldredge, 2008;Worrall & Morris, 2011).…”