Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Date of Graduation
5-8-2020
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science (BS)
Department
Department of Justice Studies
Advisor(s)
Benjamin D. Meade
Heather L. Scheuerman
David A. Jones
Abstract
Researchers have not yet dedicated sufficient attention to the effect of prison facility characteristics on the various uses of solitary confinement. This study employs nationally representative correctional facility survey data to assess how certain prison characteristics affect the use of disciplinary segregation, administrative segregation, and protective custody. The prison characteristics include inmate total, female facility, proportion of inmates in maximum custody, proportion of black inmates, overcrowding, staff-to-inmate ratio, proportion of inmates with work assignments, and total assaults. The study also evaluates how the various forms of solitary confinement impact prison violence/misconduct. Poisson regression models suggest that the use of all forms of solitary confinement are positively associated with larger facilities, facilities with a higher staff-to-inmate ratio, and facilities with a greater number of assaults. And the use of administrative segregation and protective custody is positively associated with increased prison violence. Policy implications of the use of solitary confinement are discussed.
Recommended Citation
Berst, Emily, "The impact of prison facility characteristics on the various uses of solitary confinement" (2020). Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current. 55.
https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/honors202029/55
