Award Date

1-1-2003

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Criminal Justice

First Committee Member

Richard McCorkle

Number of Pages

57

Abstract

Prisons in the United States are overcrowded. The problem of overcrowding has worsened as the years have gone on, especially since the war on drugs and determinate sentencing, have become a part of the American Justice System. This overcrowding has led to concerns about what effects it might have on those that are incarcerated. This study looks at the effects this overcrowding has on inmate violent behavior. Prison administrators are charged with providing a safe and secure atmosphere for inmates to serve the time that they are sentenced to by the states and federal governments. If this overcrowding is creating violence within the walls of the prisons, then the states and the federal government are not fulfilling their obligation and are subjecting inmates to cruel and unusual punishment, a violation of the 8th Amendment; To examine the relationship between crowding and prison disorder, this study used data from the US Department of Justice's 1995 Census of Adult Correctional Facilities. Information on the numbers of inmates in custody compared with their design and rated capacities, and the number of violent occurrences within the facilities were used.

Keywords

Behavior; Effects; Inmate; Overcrowding; Prison; Violent

Controlled Subject

Criminology

File Format

pdf

File Size

2088.96 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

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