Casting Light On Prison Violence in Scotland

Abstract

Violence among prisoners and that between prisoners and staff is a perennial concern for all prison systems. That violent prisoners are only violent in certain circumstances suggests a need to develop ways to understand not only the origins of violence in prison but also the situational contexts in which violence occurs. The technology of risk assessment has evolved dramatically in the last decade; however, the focus on individual risk factors has been at the expense of a de-emphasizing of the role of situational factors. In this article, evidence for the importance of situational factors in relation to prison violence is considered. The authors describe the development of a new risk assessment procedure—promoting risk intervention by situational management (PRISM). Within the context of the Scottish Prison Service, they conclude that systematic attention to situational risk factors can help reduce prison violence.