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                            Library & Multimedia
 Sociopolitical Context of Prison Violence and Its Control: A Case Study of Supermax and Its Effect in Illinois
NCJ Number
              221853
Journal

*The Prison Journal* Volume: 88 Issue: 1 Dated: March 2008 Pages: 94-122
Author(s)
          Jody L. Sundt;
                        Thomas C. Castellano;
                        Chad S. Briggs
Date Published

March 2008
Length
              29 pages
Annotation
              This study explored the sociopolitical context of prison violence and its control in Illinois and discusses the events that led to the opening of Tamms Correctional Center, a supermax prison located in southern Illinois.
Abstract
              The decision to establish a supermax prison in Illinois was politically based and part of a governmental response to the perception that action was required to address prison violence and disorder in Illinois. Apparently, there was little effort to assess various alternatives for countering prison violence and disorder. The opening of Tamms did not have a significant impact on inmate-on-inmate assaults; however, it was associated with reductions in staff assaults. This finding provides partial support for the hypothesis that supermax facilitates increased systemwide levels of prison safety. The results are not wholly consistent, however, with deterrence or incapacitation, which predict similar impacts for inmate and staff assaults. The analysis found that the use of a supermax facility was associated with an abrupt, permanent reduction in the systemwide use of lockdown, which supports the hypothesis that supermax has a normalizing effect on prisons with less severe security conditions. A quasi-experimental interrupted time series design was used to test whether the crackdown and the opening of Tamms resulted in greater systemwide levels of prison safety and order. This involved making consecutive observations of one or more dependent measures over a relatively long time period. Two aggregate measures of prison safety--inmate-on-inmate and inmate-on-staff assaults--were obtained from the Illinois Department of Corrections for 2001 and 2002. Prison order was measured as the total number of days per month that prison facilities were placed on lockdown. 3 tables, 3 figures, 6 notes, and 48 references
      
  
          Additional Details
Grant Number(s)
        98-CE-VX-0021


  
  
        
  Agencies
        NIJ-Sponsored


  
  
        
  Publication Type
        Report (Study/Research)
    
  
  
Date Published: March 1, 2008
    
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