Prison Violence In Prison

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Pages: 7

Prison Violence: Prison violence is an urgent and destructive issue (Byrne & Hummer, 2007). According to Griffiths & Murdoch (2014), male prisoners in federal prisons are more likely to be murdered than males outside the prison environment. From 1995 to 2000, the reported violence rate increased by 32 percent (Bryne & Hummer, 2007). However, unofficial data show that violence is eight times higher than what official data illustrates (Bryne & Hummer, 2007). Thus, official data demonstrate that violence in prisons is decreasing and that serious violence is rare despite the increasing prison population (Bryne & Hummer, 2007). The idea of toughness is a central feature to many inmates' identities in the prison environment (Griffiths & Murdoch, …show more content…
However, due to the deprived nature in prison institutions, it is significantly more problematic for victims in prison, due to retaliation or violating the convict code (Miller, 2010). Even inmates who witness sexual assaults are unlikely to report the assault (O’Donnell & Edgar, 1998). In relation to the victims, by admitting to being sexually assaulted, it further can ruin their solidarity, masculinity and admit to being weak and vulnerable (Miller, 2010). Moreover, this value emphasized on masculinity, making it even more unlikely for inmates reveal their issues to correctional officers (Miller, 2010). According to Beck, Harrison & Adam (2007), on average, 4.5 percent of inmates were sexually assaulted. However, this percentage does not demonstrate the reality of this issue. In fact, over 60,500 inmates indicated being victimized at least once during their incarceration (Beck et al, 2007). Thus, a total estimate of 165,400 sexual incidents (Beck et al, 2007). Therefore, sexual assault in prisons is extremely underreported. Hence, a complex problem within the prison system for the safety of inmates. Prison institutions deprive inmates of freedom and autonomy; however, inmates do have the freedom of