Prison Homicide: An Extension of Violent Criminal Careers?

This study investigated prison homicide perpetrators through the lens of the career criminal perspective. Prison homicide, while a rare event, has critical implications for the prison environment. Despite its importance as a form of institutional violence that must be addressed, only four studies in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of interpersonal violence 2020-11, Vol.35 (23-24), p.5676-5690
Main Authors: Reidy, Thomas J., Sorensen, Jon R., Bonner, Heidi Stone
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Careers
Correctional Institutions
Correctional system
Criminal statistics
Criminals
Criminology
Habitual offenders
Homicide
Institutionalized Persons
Murders & murder attempts
Prisoners
Prisons
Victims
Victims of Crime
Violent crime
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Summary:This study investigated prison homicide perpetrators through the lens of the career criminal perspective. Prison homicide, while a rare event, has critical implications for the prison environment. Despite its importance as a form of institutional violence that must be addressed, only four studies in the past five decades have explored the characteristics of homicide perpetrators/victims, the motives, and circumstances of the crime. The goal of the current study was to develop a better understanding of prison homicide by examining 54 perpetrators who committed 37 inmate homicides over 40 years in a mid-Western state prison system. Results showed that prison homicides typically involved a younger male inmate perpetrator, acting independently, murdering an older inmate, in his cell, by stabbing or beating the victim during an altercation. Perpetrators, in comparison with victims and prisoners in general, had a record indicating more prior community homicides, elevated institutional risk scores, and higher rates of serious and assaultive prison misconduct, all indicative of prior community and prison maladjustment. Consistent with career criminal research, prison homicide perpetrators constitute a small but distinct subset of habitually deviant criminals that perpetrate high rates of criminal and violent behavior regardless of context.
ISSN:0886-2605
1552-6518
DOI:10.1177/0886260517721895