By examining patterns of misconduct as a career path that lasts throughout one's imprisonment, this article provides information on whether the career develops and, if so, on the timing of stages in the career. The research finds that patterns and types of misconduct were similar for men and women, although levels were lower for women. Results of event history analyses indicated that younger prisoners tended to begin their misconduct careers sooner, regardless of other factors, and that as time passes after the commission of the first infraction, the risk of having a second infraction increases faster than the risk of having only the first.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Allison, P. D. (1984). Event history analysis: Regression for longitudinal event data. Sage University Paper series on Quantitative Applications in the Social Sciences, 7-46. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
2.
Allison, P. D. (1995). SAS system for survival analysis (Version 3.0). Unpublished manuscript, University of Pennsylvania.
3.
Baunach, P. J. (1985). Mothers in prison. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction.
4.
Blossfeld, H.-P., Hamerle, A., and Mayer, K. (1989). Event history analysis. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
5.
Blumstein, A., Cohen, J., Roth, J., and Visher, C. (1986). Criminal careers and “career criminals.”Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
6.
Clemmer, D. (1958). The prison community. New York: Holt, Rinehart, & Winston (Originally published in 1940 by Christopher Publishing, Boston).
7.
Cox, D. R., and Snell, E. J. (1989). The analysis of binary data (2nd ed.). London: Chapman & Hall.
8.
DiIulio, J. J. (1987). Governing prisons. New York: Free Press.
9.
Faily, A., & Roundtree, G. A. (1979). A study of aggression and rule violations in a female prison population. Journal of Offender Counseling, Services and Rehabilitation, 4(1), 81-87.
10.
Fox, J. G. (1984). Women's prison policy, prisoner activism, and the impact of the contemporary feminist movement: A case study. The Prison Journal, 64, 15-36.
11.
Giallombardo, R. (1966). Society of women: A study of a women's prison. New York: John Wiley.
12.
Goetting, A., & Howsen, R. M. (1986). Correlates of prisoner misconduct. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 2(1), 49-67.
13.
Goodstein, L., & Wright, K. N. (1989). Inmate adjustment to prison. In L. Goodstein & D. L. MacKenzie (Eds.), The American prison: Issues in research and policy (pp. 229-251). New York: Plenum.
14.
Heffernan, E. (1972). Making it in prison: The square, the cool, and the life. New York: Wiley-Interscience.
15.
Jacobs, J. B. (1977). Stateville: The penitentiary in mass society. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
16.
Light, S. C. (1990). Measurement error in official statistics: Prison rule infraction data. Federal Probation, 54, 63-68.
17.
McCain, J. A., & McNally, R. B. (1981). Social programs and correctional control in a maximum security environment: The case of Attica. Journal of Offender Counseling, Services and Rehabilitation, 6(1-2), 103-110.
18.
Moyer, I. L. (1984). Deceptions and realities of life in women's prisons. The Prison Journal, 64, 45-56.
19.
North Carolina Department of Correction (NCDOC). (1980-1984). Unpublished figures on prison capacity and census. (Available from North Carolina Department of Correction, 214 Jones St., P.O. Box 29540, Raleigh, NC 27626-0540)
20.
Poole, E. D., & Regoli, R. M. (1980). Race, institutional rule breaking, and disciplinary response: A study of discretionary decision making in prison. Law and Society Review, 14, 931-946.
21.
Sargent, J. P. (1984). The evolution of a stereotype: Paternalism and the female inmate. The Prison Journal, 64, 37-44.
22.
Sykes, G. M. (1958). The society of captives. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
23.
Toch, H., Adams, K., & Grant, J. D. (1989). Coping: Maladaptation in prisons. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction.
24.
Ward, D. A., & Kassebaum, G. G. (1965). Women's prison: Sex and social structure. Chicago: Aldine.
25.
Wheeler, S. (1961). Socialization in correctional communities. American Sociological Review, 26, 697-712.
26.
Wright, K. N. (1991). A study of individual, environmental, and interactive effects in explaining adjustment to prison. Justice Quarterly, 8, 217-242.
27.
Zamble, E., & Porporino, F. J. (1988). Coping, behavior, and adaptation in prison inmates. New York: Springer-Verlag.
