Inmate Violence In Prisons

Inmate-on-Inmate Violence About half of all male inmates incarcerated in state correctional facilities have been convicted of violent offenses, and a large percentage of them have long criminal histories (Seiter, 2008). This sets the stage for a hostile environment. Because of boredom, sexual tensions, and feelings of powerlessness, many inmates engage in violence as a way to mentally escape the reality of prison. Thus, by engaging in proactive aggression, they can focus their attention on fighting other inmates. Consequently, the more they fight, and the more hostile the environment, they more they see themselves as victims and less as offenders. Hence, they look for reasons to fights. On the other hand, the inmates who are challenged

For those convicted of homicide, it is unclear as to whether the severity of the homicide impacts prison violence. However, the evidence does indicate that inmates who serve life sentences without parole are not more likely to engage in prison violence than those who are eligible for parole.

Those who are likely to engage in prison violence are the criminal predators who are psychopaths. Criminal predators lack remorse, they have a sense of entitlement, their desire for objects justifies the means to obtain them, and they rarely accept blame for their actions (Timmins, 2008). Indeed, “psychopaths constitute the most violent population of human aggressors known” (DeLisi & Vaughn, 2008, p. 159). Furthermore, about 25% of the prison population has a psychiatric disorder similar to psychopathy. Thus, this confines a violent group of individuals who are likely to commit violence in a single place.

Techniques to Limit Inmate

The $75 billion that is used to fight the war on drugs annually could be funneled into the prison system (Buckley, Nadelmann, Schmoke, McNamara, Sweet, Szasz, T., et al., 1996). With this extra money, specific failures in the prison system can be addressed. Because placing prisoners together in confined areas may lead to violence, and because isolating them may lead to frustration and aggression, this money could be used to hire more officers, to purchase more recreational equipment, to provide more complete medical treatment, and to provide more counseling sessions (Seiter, 2008). Thus, by more providing more resources, health will be promoted, security will be improved, and anxieties will be