ABSTRACT
Findings from the analysis of in-prison violence provide ample evidence favoring the applicability of a multilevel social control–opportunity theory to an understanding of in-prison violence. Both individual- and facility-level factors were relevant for predicting violent offending and victimization among inmates as well as officer safety. At the individual level, background factors and prison experiences were comparable in relevance to the outcomes examined, for both inmates and officers. The most pervasive effects on violence and victimization among inmates at the micro level included an inmate’s age, race, gang membership, and history of incarceration (background factors), and time served, job hours, security classification, and perceptions of officer legitimacy (prison experiences). At the macro level, these effects included population and facility size (but not “crowding”), rule under-enforcement, general reactions of inmates to rule enforcement, and how officers exercise their authority over inmates. Finally, the most relevant micro-level predictors of officer safety at level-1 included an officer’s race, supervisory status, primary assignment, frequency of interactions with coworkers versus inmates, job training, role problems, peer and supervisor support, and work stress. At the macro level, these predictors included facility design, security level, rule under-enforcement, and general reactions of inmates to rule enforcement.
