Exposure to violent crime during incarceration: Effects on psychological adjustment following release

Abstract

In this study, formerly incarcerated violent (n = 38) and nonviolent (n = 86) offenders were assessed for their experiences as witnesses to or victims of violent crime during incarceration as well as outside of the prison or jail setting. Participants also provided information on several indicators of their current psychological adjustment. Analyses showed that, after controlling the effects of exposure to violence outside of the prison setting as well as a number of demographic factors, encounters with violence during incarceration were significantly related to aggressive and antisocial behavioral tendencies as well as emotional distress. In general, individuals who were witnesses, as well as victims, of violent crime showed the poorest adjustment post-release. These effects were not modified by violent offender status or by time since release from incarceration. The findings presented here underscore important new directions for research on the effects of exposure to violence. © 2009 International Association for Correctional and Forensic Psychology.