Pagina dettaglio corso numero uno

In Volume 26, Issue 4 of the journal Criminology & Criminal Justice, the article “The Situational Character of Prison Violence: An Exploratory Qualitative Study”, written by Dante B.C. Hoek, Ard J. Barends, Esther F.J.C. van Ginneken, and Maarten J.J. Kunst, was published. The study examines the situational character of violence within prisons, focusing on the circumstances in which potentially violent situations may arise among incarcerated individuals. 

The qualitative and exploratory research is based on in-depth interviews conducted with 22 incarcerated men in three Dutch prisons, supplemented by the testimonies of two formerly incarcerated individuals. The findings identify three main categories of situations in which violence may develop: those in which individuals perceive a threat to their status, safety, or shared interests or goals. Threats to status primarily concern reputation and social recognition; threats to safety involve the perceived risk of physical or psychological harm; finally, threats to shared interests concern resources, privileges, and values considered collectively important. 

The authors therefore emphasise the importance of considering not only the individual characteristics of those involved, but also the situational circumstances and the way in which these circumstances are interpreted by incarcerated individuals themselves. This perspective makes it possible to better understand how and why certain contexts within prisons may escalate into violent situations. 

To download the article, click here.