A New Instrument to Measure Prison Climate: The Psychometric Quality of the Prison Climate Questionnaire

Abstract

Various survey measures have been developed to assess prison climate. Because these instruments have shortcomings, the Prison Climate Questionnaire (PCQ) was developed to measure prison climate and its related domains across a broad prison population. In this article, the instrument and its psychometric qualities are presented. Results show that the PCQ’s factor structure, reliability, and validity were in all aspects satisfactory. It was concluded that the PCQ is a promising instrument that can be used to measure and monitor individuals’ perceptions on the quality of prison life.