How reliable are official data for decision-making in prison? Results from a comparison of official misconduct data with self-reported violence by inmates inside young offender institutions

The significance of inmate personal records exceeds a mere registration function. Inmate personal records influence decision-making processes in daily prison work and are often the only data source for criminological (prison) research. It is indisputable that the data of official records are selective reconstructions of a complex reality. However, the extent of the discrepancy between official records and the reality is unknown. In the course of the research project Violence and Suicide in Youth Correctional Facilities for the first time it was possible to compare recorded acts of violence in the inmates' personal records and their self-reported offences concerning violence against other inmates. This article discusses aspects of decision-making based on official records and takes on methodological issues concerning the reliability of coding official records. The comparison between official records and self-reported data reveals a discrepancy of 1:5.3 for violence among inmates on the offender level (16 inmates with entries in their personal records vs. 84 inmates who reported violence in the survey), and 1:6.5 for violent acts between inmates on the case level (23 registered violent acts vs. 149 self-reported acts)

The interrelation between victimization and bullying inside young offender institutions

Bullying and victimization are serious problems within prisons. Young Offender Institutions (YOIs), in particular, suffer from high rates of inmate-on-inmate violence. More recent theories about the development of bullying in closed custody institutions imply a relationship between the experience of victimization and the usage of bullying. In our study, we test this linkage using longitudinal survey data taken at two time-points from 473 inmates (aged 15-24) inside three YOIs in Germany. We first analyze the extent of bullying and victimization, and then used a longitudinal structural equation model to predict inmate bullying behavior at time 2 based on victimization that occurred at time 1. Age is used as a predictor variable to account for differences in the amount of victimization and bullying. Results suggest that bullying and victimization are high in the YOIs, which were subject to research. Most inmates reported being a bully and a victim at the same time. Younger inmates use more direct physical bullying but not psychological bullying. An increase in psychological bullying over time can significantly be explained by victimization at an earlier measurement time point. Our study therefore supports recent theoretical assumptions about the development of bullying behavior. Possible implications for prevention and intervention are discussed. Aggr. Behav. 41:335-345, 2015. (c) 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Violence as adaptation strategy? Dealing with hardship in prison

Young prisoners are a population group reckoned as highly strained and marginalised. Violence can be understood as a possible adaptation strategy to cope with the hardship that might even be intensified by the imprisonment. The following contribution goes into this matter and presents numerous findings of a longitudinal study about young people in youth custody. In doing so, several features of importation and deprivation respectively are put into relation to violence among young male prisoners