Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Impact Of Prison Facility Characteristics On The Various Uses Of Solitary Confinement, Emily Berst

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Researchers have not yet dedicated sufficient attention to the effect of prison facility characteristics on the various uses of solitary confinement. This study employs nationally representative correctional facility survey data to assess how certain prison characteristics affect the use of disciplinary segregation, administrative segregation, and protective custody. The prison characteristics include inmate total, female facility, proportion of inmates in maximum custody, proportion of black inmates, overcrowding, staff-to-inmate ratio, proportion of inmates with work assignments, and total assaults. The study also evaluates how the various forms of solitary confinement impact prison violence/misconduct. Poisson regression models suggest that the use of all …