ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we focus on the influence of the prison social climate on institutional violence. The climate of a prison represents the middle level of the ecology, shaped by individual, subcultural, organisational, and community-level factors. We argue that there is a need to both conceptualise and define the climate of a prison, as well as find ways to operationalise key constructs such that valid and reliable data can be collected and used to drive prevention efforts. Both psychological and sociological conceptualisations of the prison social climate are considered, along with suggestions for how to prevent violence by strengthening or improving the social climate. Finally, some recommendations for future research in this area are proposed.
