How dark are dark figures? Official and self-report rates of inmate-on-inmate victimization

• Main Author: Braga, Teresa
• Publication Date: 2019
• Other Authors: Castro-Rodrigues, Andreia, Di Folca, Silvana, Gonçalves, Rui Abrunhosa
• Format: Article
• Language: eng
• Source: Repositórios Científicos de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (RCAAP)
• Download full: http://hdl.handle.net/1822/69872
• topic: Inmates; prisons; victimization; Ciências Sociais::Psicologia; Social Sciences

Inmate-on-inmate victimization rates were examined through official and self-report data. We checked prison records of 219 male inmates from a prison in Portugal, and estimated rates of official inmate-on- inmate victimization during a 12-month period. Of these 219 inmates, 108 agreed to participate in a self-report survey on their inmate-on- inmate victimization experiences in the last 12 months. According to official records 3.2% of the inmates were victimized, contrasting with the 78.5% prevalence rate revealed in self-report data. This high dark- figure highlights the need to implement specific strategies to prevent inmate-on-inmate victimization hence assuring the prison conditions necessary to corrections efficacy.