Unobtrusive Research Methods in Criminal Justice: Using Graffiti in the Reconstruction of Institutional Cultures

The analysis of graffiti can provide insight into the structure of inmate societies and the process of socialization in correctional communities. Although institutional cultures have been studied using a variety of methods, researchers have neglected the use of unobtrusive measures that can provide independent sources of data to test theories or challenge existing findings. This study uses content analysis of graffiti collected from the walls of an abandoned juvenile correctional facility. Informant interviews and newspaper accounts provide supplemental data. Drawing on studies of graffiti from other settings, this research attempts to reconstruct, historically, aspects of confinement at the Institute for Juvenile Guidance in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. The research focuses on dimensions that include the formation of informal groups and changes in the experiences of inmates during the course of their commitment.