PRISON PROGRAMMING AND MISCONDUCT: EXAMINING VARIATIONS ACROSS PROGRAMS AND RACE/ETHNICITY

Abstract

Prior literature has suggested that prison programs can influence the prevalence of disciplinary infractions in correctional facilities. However, there is less understanding of how the race and ethnicity of program participants may impact this relationship. The current study tests the relationship between prison program participation and misconduct, including how participation in different program categories and participant race and ethnicity are differentially associated with misconduct, using data from the Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities (2004). Findings suggest that overall, participation in most forms of programming is associated with a higher likelihood of prison misconduct, with the exception of religious program participation. Tests comparing coefficients for black, Latino, and white participants across logistic regression models revealed no significant differences in how educational, vocational, and religious program participation relates to prison misconduct. Future research should evaluate time-series data to better account for temporal ordering and also examine how race and ethnicity might impact the relationship between other forms of prison programming and disciplinary infractions.