On the Development, Origins and Manifestations of Prison Violence – Evidence from a Longitudinal Study on Young Males and Females in Germany

Abstract

In prison, individuals who are familiar with violence meet in a setting that is charged with conflict and shaped by subcultural norms. Violent behaviour among prisoners can range from insults, intimidation and oppression to manifest forms of serious violence. This paper is the first to present the full results of a research project on prison violence conducted between 2010 and 2017 by the Institute for Criminology at the University of Cologne. The project began with 882 male juvenile offenders and was later expanded to also include 269 detained young females, all of them aged 14 to 24. The results show that prisoners must constantly expect attacks from other inmates. Most prisoners become both a victim and a perpetrator of violence. with a previous experience of victimisation significantly increasing the risk of committing an act of violence themselves. They are particularly involved in violent events at the beginning of their sentence; later, most of them are able to ensure that they are left alone by other inmates. Those who feel they are treated fairly and respectfully by prison staff commit considerably fewer acts of violence. Instead of relying on disciplinary measures which remain largely ineffective, given the substantial number of acts that go  unnoticed (for every act of violence recorded by prison officials there are at least six acts that are not recorded), prisons should do more to encourage pro-social behaviour and to prevent violence. A gender comparison indicated almost no difference regarding verbal violence. Assault, however, occurs considerably less often among young women.