The Caged Melting Pot: Toward an Understanding of the Consequences ofDesegregation in Prisons

This article tests the equal status contact hypothesis in the aftermath of desegregation in the TX prison system. This study uses 10 years of inmate-on-inmate assault data and compares the rates of violence among inmates racially integrated in a double cell vs inmates racially segregated in a double...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Law & society review 2002-12, Vol.36 (4), p.743-781
Main Authors: Marquart, James W, Trulson, Chad
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Desegregation
Prisons
Race relations
Texas
USA
Violence
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Summary:This article tests the equal status contact hypothesis in the aftermath of desegregation in the TX prison system. This study uses 10 years of inmate-on-inmate assault data and compares the rates of violence among inmates racially integrated in a double cell vs inmates racially segregated in a double cell. The analysis revealed that violence between integrated inmates was not disproportionate to the level of violencebetween segregated inmates - in fact, it was lower. This article addresses the conditions under which positive racial group contact will likely be found in a prison setting and concludes with a discussion of implications. 4 Tables, 2 Figures, 1 Appendix, 52 References. (Originalabstract - amended)
ISSN:0023-9216