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Violent criminals locked up: Examining the effect of incarceration on behavioral continuity

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  • Sorensen, Jon
  • Davis, Jaya

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of the current study was to determine whether, and the degree to which, inmates committing specific types of violent crimes in the community were prone to commit acts of violence while incarcerated.Materials and methods Data were collected from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice on the prison stock population and a restricted admissions cohort serving time during FY 2008.Results After controlling for pre-prison and post-conviction characteristics, crime of conviction retained a modest degree of influence on inmates' propensity to commit dangerous rule violations in prison. Inmates convicted of assault, robbery and other miscellaneous violent crimes were more likely to commit dangerous rule infractions than inmates convicted of property crimes, supporting the behavioral continuity thesis. Inmates convicted of homicide were no more likely, and those convicted of sexual assault less likely, to commit dangerous rule violations in comparison to those convicted of property crimes.Conclusions The findings suggest that researchers and prison officials should not view all inmates convicted of one of a broad category of "violent crimes" in the community as being equivalent in their propensity for violence while incarcerated.

Suggested Citation

  • Sorensen, Jon & Davis, Jaya, 2011. "Violent criminals locked up: Examining the effect of incarceration on behavioral continuity," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 39(2), pages 151-158, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jcjust:v:39:y::i:2:p:151-158
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    Cited by:

    1. DeLisi, Matt & Neppl, Tricia K. & Lohman, Brenda J. & Vaughn, Michael G. & Shook, Jeffrey J., 2013. "Early starters: Which type of criminal onset matters most for delinquent careers?," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 41(1), pages 12-17.
    2. Caudill, Jonathan W. & Trulson, Chad R. & Marquart, James W. & Patten, Ryan & Thomas, Matthew O. & Anderson, Sally, 2014. "Correctional destabilization and jail violence: The consequences of prison depopulation legislation," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 42(6), pages 500-506.
    3. Walters, Glenn D. & Crawford, Gregory, 2013. "In and out of prison: Do importation factors predict all forms of misconduct or just the more serious ones?," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 41(6), pages 407-413.
    4. Butler, H. Daniel, 2019. "An examination of inmate adjustment stratified by time served in prison," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 1-1.
    5. Cihan, Abdullah & Sorensen, Jonathan & Chism, Kimberly A., 2017. "Analyzing the offending activity of inmates: Trajectories of offense seriousness, escalation, and de-escalation," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 12-18.
    6. Reidy, Thomas J. & Cihan, Abdullah & Sorensen, Jon R., 2017. "Women in prison: Investigating trajectories of institutional female misconduct," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 49-56.

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