Exploring the Relationship Between Prison Social Climate and Misconduct and Recidivism - Review of Current Knowledge

Sučić, Ines and Wartag, Anja and Međedović, Janko and Sokić, Katrina and Glavak Tkalić, Renata (2025) Exploring the Relationship Between Prison Social Climate and Misconduct and Recidivism - Review of Current Knowledge. In: Prison Life Organization and Security: Criminological, Penological, Sociological, Psychological, Legal, and Security Aspects. Institute of Criminological and Sociological Research, Belgrade, pp. 3-23. ISBN 978-86-80756-77-6

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Abstract

Prison social climate represents enduring social, emotional, organisational and physical characteristics of a correctional institution as perceived by inmates and correctional staff. Prison social climate may be attributed partly to the shared environment and common characteristics of individual prisoners in the unit/prison. It is assumed that prison social climate also exerts lasting, post-incarceration effects. Thus, this study aims to describe the potential criminogenic impacts of different prison social climate dimensions on prisoners' behaviour within prison and upon release. Among reviewed prison social climate dimensions, observed staff-prisoner relationships, prisoner-to-prisoner relationships, and observed levels of safety are considered the most important determinants of prison social climate. Despite the conceptual and methodological diversity of the reviewed studies, it could be concluded that prisoners who rated their institutional experiences more negatively, especially in terms of in-prison relationships and security, were more likely to misbehave in prison and were more likely to (re)offend.

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