An Investigation into Violence within Prison

• Main Author: Gregory, Gabrielle
• Published: University of Birmingham 2008
• Subjects: 364
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.521950

The aim of the thesis is to predict and reduce violence in prisons. Chapter 1 reviews the literature currently available, identifying risk factors associated with the prediction of prison violence. Chapter 2 is a case study of a prisoner, Mr. M., who has been violent both in the community and in prison. Chapter 3 critically evaluates a risk assessment for violence which is frequently used within the prison service: the HCR- 20 (Historical Clinical Risk - 20, Webster, Douglas, Eaves & Hart, 1997). Considerations are given to its effectiveness as a predictive tool for violent recidivism. Chapter 4 is an empirical research paper examining violence within a maximum security prison in the U.K. Initially the paper examines whether scores on the HCR-20 and Violence Risk Scale (VRS; Wong & Gordon, 1999) assessment tools can distinguish between those who have and have not been violent. The research explores individual factors associated with prison violence in this setting. The study proposes a model which can predict whether a prisoner is likely to be a perpetrator of prison violence. The thesis concludes by discussing impl ications of the findings and possible directions for future research.