Private Practice, Monterey, CA, USA.
East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA.
J Interpers Violence. 2020 Nov;35(23-24):5676-5690. doi: 10.1177/0886260517721895. Epub 2017 Aug 4.
This study investigated prison homicide perpetrators through the lens of the career criminal perspective. Prison homicide, while a rare event, has critical implications for the prison environment. Despite its importance as a form of institutional violence that must be addressed, only four studies in the past five decades have explored the characteristics of homicide perpetrators/victims, the motives, and circumstances of the crime. The goal of the current study was to develop a better understanding of prison homicide by examining 54 perpetrators who committed 37 inmate homicides over 40 years in a mid-Western state prison system. Results showed that prison homicides typically involved a younger male inmate perpetrator, acting independently, murdering an older inmate, in his cell, by stabbing or beating the victim during an altercation. Perpetrators, in comparison with victims and prisoners in general, had a record indicating more prior community homicides, elevated institutional risk scores, and higher rates of serious and assaultive prison misconduct, all indicative of prior community and prison maladjustment. Consistent with career criminal research, prison homicide perpetrators constitute a small but distinct subset of habitually deviant criminals that perpetrate high rates of criminal and violent behavior regardless of context.
本研究通过职业罪犯的视角来研究监狱杀人案的罪犯。监狱杀人虽然是一种罕见的事件，但对监狱环境却有着重大的影响。尽管它是一种必须解决的机构暴力形式，但在过去五十年中，只有四项研究探讨了杀人案罪犯/受害者的特征、犯罪动机和情况。本研究的目的是通过检查 54 名在中西部州立监狱系统中 40 年间犯下 37 起囚犯杀人案的罪犯，更好地了解监狱杀人案。结果表明，监狱杀人案通常涉及一名年轻的男性罪犯，单独行动，在牢房中用刀或殴打受害者，杀死一名年长的囚犯。与受害者和一般囚犯相比，罪犯的记录显示他们之前有更多的社区杀人案，机构风险评分更高，以及更严重和攻击性的监狱不当行为的发生率更高，所有这些都表明他们之前在社区和监狱中都有适应不良的情况。与职业罪犯的研究一致，监狱杀人案的罪犯构成了一小部分但明显的习惯性越轨罪犯，无论在何种情况下，他们都实施了高频率的犯罪和暴力行为。
