Richard C. McCorkle

The Roots of Prison Violence: A Test of the Deprivation, Management, and “Not-So-Total” Institution Models

Studies of prison violence typically focus either on individual-level aggression or large-scale collective acts. Most past work consists of case studies, limiting the generalizations from the results. The present study used data from 371 state prisons and measures of both individual and collective violence and attempted to identify the structural, managerial, and environmental determinants of prison disorder. Findings suggest that poor prison management is a predictor of rates of assault toward inmates and staff. However, the likelihood of prison riots is largely independent of structural, managerial, and environmental factors. The article also discusses the implications for public policy.

Personal Precautions to Violence in Prison

Although studies have documented increased levels of violence in U.S. prisons, little attention has been given to how this violence shapes inmate behaviors and life-styles. This article presents results from a survey of 300 adult males incarcerated in a maximum-security facility, providing data on the types, prevalence, and social correlates of personal precautions to violence. A factor analysis of responses revealed two distinct dimensions of precautionary behavior. The more fearful, older, and socially isolated inmates primarily used avoidance behaviors to reduce the threat of victimization. On the other hand, younger inmates who use the inmate culture as a source of status and privilege tended to employ more aggressive or proactive techniques to deter attacks.

Gender, psychopathology, and institutional behavior: A comparison of male and female mentally ill prison inmates

Abstract A limited number of studies have examined the relationship between mental disorder and disruptiveness in correctional institutions. The focus of such studies, however, has generally been male populations. This study compares patterns of institutional misconduct across categories of mental health status in both male and female inmate populations. While the results did not find a “disturbed-disruptive” pattern in male populations, a strong and independent relationship between mental illness and behavior was observed in female inmate populations. Data also suggest that race further interacts with both gender and pathology to increase the likelihood of maladaptive behavior in prison.

Correctional boot camps and change in attitude: Is all this shouting necessary? A research note

The number of correctional boot camp programs in the United States has increased steadily since the early 1980s. To determine the effect of military training on offenders, this study compared the attitudinal changes of 48 offenders participating in a 150-day boot camp program with those of 34 offenders in a 120-day treatment-oriented, presentencing evaluation program held in a regular prison. Findings show that attitudes in both groups of inmates became more prosocial. Results were interpreted as suggesting that rather than military training per se, the key elements in promoting individual change may be the commitment of the staff, the integrity of the programs, and the timing of the interventions.

Gang membership and criminal processing: A test of the “master status” concept

Using data on 370 criminal defendants processed in an urban court, we examine whether gang membership constitutes a master status that influences both charging and sentencing decisions. We first review various formal efforts to confront the “gang problem” in this jurisdiction, and provide a theoretical foundation for treating gang membership as a master status. After deriving hypotheses from this master status characterization of gang membership, we estimate statistical models for gang and nongang members to determine whether different factors are used in processing and adjudicating each. The results provide some support for the characterization of gang membership as a master status. We discuss alternative explanations for the findings and their implications for public policy on gang prosecution and criminal processing.

Privatization of prisons: Impact on prison conditions

The number of state and federal prisoners has increased dramatically over the past 30 years, but public willingness to finance prisons has not kept pace. One response has been a renewed interest in privately managed prisons. Proponents of privatization contend that private contractors, unencumbered by government procurement and personnel procedures, can provide better quality prison services at lower costs. This article uses the 1995 Census of State and Federal Adult Correctional Facilities to examine claims of improved quality. The authors find that privately managed prisons perform better on some, but not all, measures of quality of confinement. Specifically, bivariate comparisons suggest that private facilities outperform both state and federal facilities in terms of the proportion of institutions that are able to avoid inmate assaults on staff members or other inmates. Even when the authors controlled for other causal variables, private prisons remained significantly less likely than federal prisons to experience violence.

Meet the new boss: Institutional change and loose coupling in parole and probation

The authors use the institutional theory of organizations to argue that historical changes in parole and probation are ceremonial in the sense that they are aimed at an institutional audience and have had little effect on the day-to-day work of line-level officers. A review of the history of community corrections in the US suggests that parole and probation can be described in four eras, each era marked by a particular pattern of institutional authority and by corresponding changes in the structure, goals, and policies of parole and probation. By loosely coupling the work of street-level parole and probation agents to organizational goals and policies and minimizing caseload problems via surveillance and information-gathering techniques, the day-to-day activity of parole and probation officers has been largely unaffected.