Ways of Coping and Involvement in Prison Violence

Prison violence generates serious problems in prisons across the United States. This study examined whether prisoners’ ways of coping affected their involvement in violence. The study also examined traditional personal predictors of violence. The research used a mixed methods approach and included self-report surveys administered to a stratified random sample of 312 prisoners in medium and maximum security facilities, data from the prison system’s database, and in-depth interviews conducted with 51 staff members and prisoners. In the full model with the control variables, three of the eight ways of coping studied were directly related to violence. Prisoners who elicited both emotional and instrumental support from loved ones, fellow prisoners, and staff were less likely to be violent. Those who coped through joking and bravado, and who took direct action in response to stressors were more likely to be involved in violence. The qualitative data uncovered evidence of prisoners’ campaign for respect and impression management that could be used by prison administrators to help create initiatives and a prison environment that might result in less violence.