Administrative Control and Inmate Homicide

Abstract

Although recently found to explain forceful inmate collective action (e.g., riots), it remains unclear whether the administrative control model accounts for other forms of prison violence. Using a sample of 298 American, adult, higher custody state prisons, this study assessed the association between administrative control and inmate-on-inmate homicide. The results show that prisons experiencing conflict between the administration and frontline staff and facilities with higher proportions of the inmate population involved with prohibited groups (e.g., gangs) are significantly more likely to report homicides than facilities where official authority is exercised successfully.