In the United States, inmates maintain high rates of recidivism when released from correctional institutions. Although a large body of research addresses indicators of risk for recidivism after release, less is known about the stability of institutional misconduct across periods of incarceration. A limited amount of research has explored the relationship between inmate disciplinary reports incurred during prior terms of incarceration and subsequent institutional misconduct. Based on official infraction data from 1,005 inmates selected from the Arizona Department of Corrections, the current study found that both male and female inmates who have incurred disciplinary reports during prior terms of incarceration participated in violent and nonviolent institutional misconduct during subsequent terms of incarceration. Implications for theory and research are explored.
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