Prisons Crowding: A Psychological Perspective

Paulus, Paul B.; Cox, Verne C.; McCain, Garvin

doi:10.1007/978-1-4612-3812-6

Cited by 81 publications

(46 citation statements)

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“…In contrast to research showing that spatial density generally has small and inconsistent effects, there is fairly consistent support for the notion that the number of people an individual interacts with (social density) significantly affects the person's feelings and behaviors (e.g., aaum & Valins, 1977;Paulus, 1988). Surprisingly, studies of household density have not used number of people as a predictor of negative effects.…”

mentioning

confidence: 83%

Crowding, Perceived Control, and Relative Power: An Analysis of Households in India¹

Ruback

Pandey

1991

J Applied Social Pyschol

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Data from rural villagers in India suggested that the perception of control was related to physical health but that household density (persons per room) had few effects. In a second study, separate interviews were conducted with the husband and wife in each of 167 households, which varied greatly in terms of number of household members and number of rooms. Results indicated that, once socio‐economic status and demographic factors were statistically held constant, household density had no effects. However, the density of the household in which respondents were raised did significantly affect several measures, with people who were raised in more crowded homes generally experiencing more negative outcomes in their present homes. Although number of persons in the household had few effects on respondents, the number of children in the home had several negative outcomes, particularly for women. Results also showed that, even when other variables were held constant, the perception of control over the environment was a significant predictor for both men and women on almost all dependent measures and that other perceived ways of dealing with problems (control over self and acceptance of things as they are) were much less important. At the bivariate level, the greater the difference between husbands and wives in perceived control over the environment, the more negative were the wives' reactions and experiences. However, when all other variables were held constant, this difference added no significant explanatory power for women but did explain some measures for men, with men suffering more mental distress and reacting more negatively to their home the greater their relative power.

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confidence: 83%

Crowding, Perceived Control, and Relative Power: An Analysis of Households in India¹

Ruback

Pandey

1991

J Applied Social Pyschol

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“…Overcrowding can increase the stress of imprisonment by increasing uncertainty, moving prisoners from cell to cell, or forcing cell sharing between prisoners who may be strangers and who fear each other as unknown and potentially unpredictable cohabitants (Cox, Paulus and McCain 1984;Paulus 1988). However, Snow et al (2002) and Kruttschnitt and Vuolo (2007) have argued that sharing cells may have the opposite effect by protecting a prisoner against suicide through companionship and observation.…”

Section: Overcrowdingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nonetheless, moving prisoners to a different prison can create feelings of upset, anxiety and confusion due to the prison being unfamiliar and remote from home (Liebling 1999;Prisons and Probation Ombudsman 2005). Cox, Paulus and McCain (1984) and Paulus (1988) recognise that overcrowding can create more noise, constant activity and violations of personal space. In addition, it can cause delay in prisoners participating in activities, accessing services or exposing them to unwanted intrusions, which can create distress and anger.…”

Section: Overcrowdingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does Overcrowding in Prisons Exacerbate the Risk of Suicide among Women Prisoners?

Sharkey

2010

The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice

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This article reveals the main contributory factors to suicide among female prisoners and shows that overcrowding is a factor exacerbating the risk of suicide. In-depth interviews were conducted with ten female prisoners in one closed prison in 2007. They focused on incidents of self-harm and attempted suicide revealing the negative impact of the prison experience and, in particular, the effect of overcrowding. There are few studies looking at the link between overcrowding and suicide. This study highlights the need to explore this link especially at a time when overcrowding and suicide in prisons are high.

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“…At the level of the household, there is evidence that poverty and the correlates of poverty are related to mental distress and physical symptoms. For example, research indicates that the number of people with whom an individual interacts affects attitudes and behaviors (e.g., Baum & Valins, 1977;Paulus, 1988). Research from India indicates that household density is negatively related to psychological health (Ruback & Pandey, 1991) and females' reported physical symptoms (Ruback & Pandey, 1991), although there appears to be a stronger relationship between subjective crowding and health than between objective crowding and health (e.g., Fuller, Edwards, Vorakitphokatorn, & Sermsri, 1993).…”

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confidence: 99%

Mental Distress and Physical Symptoms in the Slums of New Delhi: The Role of Individual, Household, and Neighborhood Factors¹

Ruback

Pandey

2002

J Applied Social Pyschol

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Same‐gender researchers interviewed 218 male and 198 female residents of 7 slums in New Delhi, India, which varied in terms of both household‐level variables (e.g., number of people and number of rooms per house) and neighborhood‐level variables (e.g., number of families sharing a water source). Consistent with prior research, women rated household stressors more negatively than did men. In contrast, men rated environmental stressors (traffic, garbage, air pollution, and crime) more negatively than did women. Individual‐level factors (age and psychological variables) significantly predicted both mental distress and physical symptoms. However, multivariate analyses revealed significant household‐and neighborhood‐level effects on mental distress, but not physical symptoms.

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Prisons Crowding: A Psychological Perspective

Cited by 81 publications

References 0 publications

Crowding, Perceived Control, and Relative Power: An Analysis of Households in India¹

Crowding, Perceived Control, and Relative Power: An Analysis of Households in India¹

Does Overcrowding in Prisons Exacerbate the Risk of Suicide among Women Prisoners?

Mental Distress and Physical Symptoms in the Slums of New Delhi: The Role of Individual, Household, and Neighborhood Factors¹

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Prisons Crowding: A Psychological Perspective

Cited by 81 publications

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Crowding, Perceived Control, and Relative Power: An Analysis of Households in India1

Crowding, Perceived Control, and Relative Power: An Analysis of Households in India1

Does Overcrowding in Prisons Exacerbate the Risk of Suicide among Women Prisoners?

Mental Distress and Physical Symptoms in the Slums of New Delhi: The Role of Individual, Household, and Neighborhood Factors1

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Crowding, Perceived Control, and Relative Power: An Analysis of Households in India¹

Crowding, Perceived Control, and Relative Power: An Analysis of Households in India¹

Mental Distress and Physical Symptoms in the Slums of New Delhi: The Role of Individual, Household, and Neighborhood Factors¹