Samantha S. Taaka, Armon Tamatea, Devon L. L. Polaschek
{"title":"Predicting Physical Violence Against Corrections Officers Across Three Levels of Severity Using Individual and Environmental Characteristics","authors":"Samantha S. Taaka, Armon Tamatea, Devon L. L. Polaschek","doi":"10.1177/08862605241287802","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Working in prisons can be a challenging job, managing a population of incarcerated people while keeping oneself, one’s colleagues, and the people themselves safe. Some corrections officers may expect violence in the workplace, yet being a victim of violence is no trivial experience. In prison, violent incidents are categorized according to the severity of the violence perpetrated. However, we do not know how characteristics of a violent incident may contribute to the severity of violence perpetrated toward corrections staff. To begin to address this gap, we examined characteristics of physical assault incidents in New Zealand prisons between 2016 and 2020, in which the perpetrator of the incident was a male prisoner and the victim was a corrections officer. We examined the prediction of incidents across three levels of severity using individual and environmental characteristics. Perpetrators of serious violence tended to be already segregated from the general population at the time of the assault. We also found that perpetrators of assault against staff were different from the general prison population: prisoners who assaulted staff were more likely to be younger, gang affiliated, and had higher security classifications compared to prisoners who did not assault staff. Research suggests that characteristics of perpetrators can contribute to their risk of perpetrating violence; we found that characteristics of perpetrators (i.e., being segregated) can also contribute to the severity of violence perpetrated. Furthermore, we offer a direct comparison between prisoners who assaulted staff and prisoners who did not, therefore cementing research that prisoners who assaulted staff are different from the rest of the prison population.","PeriodicalId":16289,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Interpersonal Violence","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Interpersonal Violence","FirstCategoryId":"102","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605241287802","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"CRIMINOLOGY & PENOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Working in prisons can be a challenging job, managing a population of incarcerated people while keeping oneself, one’s colleagues, and the people themselves safe. Some corrections officers may expect violence in the workplace, yet being a victim of violence is no trivial experience. In prison, violent incidents are categorized according to the severity of the violence perpetrated. However, we do not know how characteristics of a violent incident may contribute to the severity of violence perpetrated toward corrections staff. To begin to address this gap, we examined characteristics of physical assault incidents in New Zealand prisons between 2016 and 2020, in which the perpetrator of the incident was a male prisoner and the victim was a corrections officer. We examined the prediction of incidents across three levels of severity using individual and environmental characteristics. Perpetrators of serious violence tended to be already segregated from the general population at the time of the assault. We also found that perpetrators of assault against staff were different from the general prison population: prisoners who assaulted staff were more likely to be younger, gang affiliated, and had higher security classifications compared to prisoners who did not assault staff. Research suggests that characteristics of perpetrators can contribute to their risk of perpetrating violence; we found that characteristics of perpetrators (i.e., being segregated) can also contribute to the severity of violence perpetrated. Furthermore, we offer a direct comparison between prisoners who assaulted staff and prisoners who did not, therefore cementing research that prisoners who assaulted staff are different from the rest of the prison population.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Interpersonal Violence is devoted to the study and treatment of victims and perpetrators of interpersonal violence. It provides a forum of discussion of the concerns and activities of professionals and researchers working in domestic violence, child sexual abuse, rape and sexual assault, physical child abuse, and violent crime. With its dual focus on victims and victimizers, the journal will publish material that addresses the causes, effects, treatment, and prevention of all types of violence. JIV only publishes reports on individual studies in which the scientific method is applied to the study of some aspect of interpersonal violence. Research may use qualitative or quantitative methods. JIV does not publish reviews of research, individual case studies, or the conceptual analysis of some aspect of interpersonal violence. Outcome data for program or intervention evaluations must include a comparison or control group.