Most literature on inmate assaultive behavior considers only one level of analysis, thereby ignoring the importance of prison context on inmate behavior. This study improved on past research by combining inmate and prison-level data into a multilevel model explaining inmate-on-inmate, nondeadly assaults. Data from 1,054 male inmates in 30 prisons revealed that age and aggression were the most robust predictors of inmate-on-inmate assaults. In terms of multilevel effects, aggressive inmates were found to commit more assaults in prisons that were more crowded and had a greater percentage of younger inmates (e.g., younger than age 25). Policy implications and suggestions for a multilevel theory of prison violence are discussed.
Adams, K. (1983). Former mental patients in a prison and parole system: A study of socially disruptive behavior. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 10, 358-384.
2.
Aday, R.H., & Webster, E.L. (1979). Aging in prison: The development of a preliminary model. Offender Rehabilitation, 3, 271-282.
3.
Akman, D. (1966). Homicides and assaults in Canadian penitentiaries . Harvard Journal of Penology and Crime Prevention,12, 102-112.
4.
Bryk, A., & Raudenbush, S. (1992). Hierarchical linear models: Applications and data analysis methods. Newbury Park, CA : Sage.
5.
Buss, A.H., & Perry, M. (1992). The Aggression Questionnaire. Journal of Personality and AsocialPsychology, 63, 452-459.
6.
Camp, S.D., & Gaes, G.G. (2005). Criminogenic effects of the prison environment on inmate behavior: Some experimental evidence. Crime & Delinquency, 51, 425-442.
7.
Carroll, L. (1974). Hacks, Blacks, and cons. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books.
8.
Clayton, O., & Carr, T. (1981). The effects of prison crowding upon infraction rates. Criminal Justice Review, 17, 69-77.
9.
Ellis, D., Grasmick, H., & Gilman, H. (1974). Violence in prison: A sociological analysis. American Journal of Sociology, 80, 16-43.
10.
Flanagan, T. (1983). Correlates of institutional misconduct among state prisoners: A research note. Criminology, 21, 41-65.
11.
Franklin, T.W., Franklin, C.A., & Pratt, T. (2006). Examining the empirical relationship between prison crowding and inmate misconduct: A meta-analysis of conflicting research results . Journal of Criminal Justice,34, 401-412.
12.
French, S.A., & Gendreau, P. (2006). Reducing prison misconducts: What works!Criminal Justice and Behavior, 33, 185-218.
13.
Gaes, G., & McGuire, W. (1985). Prison violence: The contribution of crowding versus other determinants of prison assault rates. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 22, 41-65.
14.
Giallombardo, R. (1966). Society of women: A study of a women's prison . New York: John Wiley.
15.
Goffman, E. (1961). Asylums. New York: Anchor Books .
16.
Griffin, M.L., & Hepburn, J. (2006). The effect of gang affiliation on violent misconduct among inmates during early years of confinement. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 33, 419-448.
17.
Harer, M., & Langan, N.P. (2001). Gender differences in predictors of prison violence: Assessing the predictive validity of a risk classification system. Crime and Delinquency, 47, 513-536.
18.
Harer, M., & Steffensmeier, J. (1996). Race and prison violence . Criminology, 345, 323-357.
19.
Irwin, J., & Cressey, D. (1962). Thieves, convicts, and the inmate culture. Social Problems, 10, 142-155.
20.
Jiang, S., & Fisher-Giorlando, M. (2002). Inmate misconduct: A test of the deprivation, importation, and situational models. The Prison Journal, 83, 335-358.
21.
Kratcoski, P. (1988). The implications of research explaining prison violence and disruption. Federal Probation, 52, 27-32.
22.
Mackenzie, D. (1987). Age and adjustment to prison. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 14, 427-447.
23.
Malibi, J.C., Holley, J.P., & Walls, J. (1979). Age and prison violence. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 6, 175-186.
24.
McCorkle, R.C., Miethe, T., & Drass, K.A. (1995). The roots of prison violence: A test of the deprivation, management, and not-so-total institutions models. Crime and Delinquency, 2, 197-221.
25.
Mumola, C.J. (2005). Suicide and homicide in state prisons and local jails (Bureau of Justice Statistics special report). Washington, DC: Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs.
26.
Myers, L., & Levy, G. (1978). Description and prediction of the intractable inmate. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 15, 214-228.
27.
Petersilia, J., & Honig, P. (1980). The prison experience of career criminals (RAND Report Series R-2511-DOJ). Santa Monica, CA: RAND.
28.
Poole, E., & Regoli, R. (1980). Race, institutional rule-breaking, and disciplinary response: A study of discretionary decision-making in prison. Law and Society Review, 14, 931-946.
29.
Reisig, M. (1998). Rates of disorder in higher-custody state prisons: A comparative analysis of managerial practices. Crime and Delinquency, 44, 229-244.
30.
Schrag, C. (1961). A preliminary criminal typology. Pacific Sociological Review, 1, 11-16.
31.
Stephan, J.J., & Karberg, J. (2003). Census of state and federal correctional facilities , 2000. Washington, DC: Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs.
32.
Sykes, G. (1958). The society of captives. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
33.
Thomas, C. (1977). Theoretical perspectives on prisonization: A comparison of the importation and deprivation models. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, 68, 135-145.
34.
Toch, H., & Adams, K. (1986). Pathology and disruptiveness among prison inmates . Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 23, 93-109.
35.
Useem, B., & Piehl, A.M. (2006). Prison buildup and disorder. Punishment and Society, 8, 87-115.
36.
Wheeler, S. (1961). Socialization in correctional communities. American Sociological Review, 26, 697-712.
37.
Wolfgang, M. (1961). Quantitative analysis of adjustment to the prison community. Journal of Criminal Law, Criminology, and Police Science, 51, 608-618.
38.
Woolredge, J. (1991). Correlates of deviant behavior among inmates of U.S. correctional facilities. Journal of Crime & Justice,16, 1-25.
39.
Woolredge, J., Griffin, T., & Pratt, T. (2001). Considering hierarchical models for research on inmate behavior: Predicting misconduct with multilevel data. Justice Quarterly, 18, 203-231.
40.
Wright, K. (1989). Race and economic marginality in explaining prison adjustment. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 26, 67-89.
41.
Wright, K. (1991). The violent and victimized in the male prison . Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 16, 1-25.
