The Victim–Offender Overlap Behind Bars: Linking Prison Misconduct and Victimization

Mental Health Service Utilization: General and Gendered Consequences for Prison Strains

“…The first is a dichotomous measure of social isolation 5 via a lack of contact (not receiving visits and telephone calls) with family and friends. The second dependent variable measures victimization since admission to prison using a survey question which asks inmates if, since admission, they had been injured in a fight, assault, or incident in which someone tried to harm them (see e.g., Jachimowski, 2018; Schnittker & Bacak, 2016; Teasdale et al, 2016; Toman, 2019). Due to the potential interrelated nature of the dependent variables (Lahm, 2015; Wooldredge & Steiner, 2012), victimization serves as a control variable in the social isolation models and social isolation is a control in the victimization models.…”

“…Victimization behind bars is of concern to researchers and practitioners alike, and scholars have long worked to identify the correlates of victimization. 2 Generally, Black individuals, married inmates, parents, those who were employed prior to imprisonment, and those who have served more time are less likely to report victimization (Lahm, 2009; Teasdale et al, 2016; Toman, 2019; Wooldredge & Steiner, 2012). On the other hand, inmates with a history of abuse, men, younger inmates, individuals convicted of a more serious offense, those who have a disciplinary record, inmates with more education or higher income, and those with more serious mental health problems are more likely to be victimized behind bars (Blitz et al, 2008; Lahm, 2009; Teasdale et al, 2016; Toman, 2019; Wooldredge, 1998; Wooldredge & Steiner, 2012).…”

“…Researchers have established that individuals with mental illness are at an increased risk of victimization in both the general population (Teplin et al, 2005; White et al, 2006), and incarcerated populations (Blitz et al, 2008; Wolff et al, 2007). Victimization during incarceration can have many detrimental effects, including symptoms of trauma, hostility, and depression (Listwan et al, 2010; Zweig et al, 2015), increased risk of misconduct (Toman, 2019), and recidivism (Listwan et al, 2013). Accordingly, reductions in victimization rates are a high priority for many prison systems (Wolff et al 2009; Wooldredge & Steiner, 2013), and the study of mechanisms that aid in their reductions are of critical importance.…”

“…Mental illness and victimization can co-occur and Azimi and Daigle (2017) find that some individuals with mental health problems may be at greater risk of certain forms of victimization due to risky lifestyle factors. Moreover, in the prison setting, an overlap between misconduct and victimization has been identified (Toman, 2019). Individuals with mental health problems are more likely to violate prison rules (Steiner et al, 2014) and so may be at greater risk of being in situations that increase the chance of victimization.…”

Social Support, Mental Health Problems, And Rule Infractions: A Study Of Female Inmates

“…Previous research suggests that individuals may experience mental health problems as a reaction to their confinement experience (Goodstein, MacKenzie, & Shotland, 1984;Ruback & Carr, 1984). This asserts that an individual who enters the prison environment with certain mental health needs can experience maladjustment during the term of incarceration (Toman, 2019).…”