Degree Name
MA (Master of Arts)
Program
Criminal Justice and Criminology
Date of Award
8-2006
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Wayne Gillespie
Committee Members
Steven J. Ellwanger, Michael C. Braswell
Abstract
This study was undertaken to better understand inmate concerns of the prison environment across 8 dimensions. The 8 dimensions examined in this study were activity, emotional feedback, freedom, privacy, safety, social, structure, and support. To determine the importance of these dimensions among inmates, secondary data were used in an attempt to replicate and validate the findings from Wright's (1985) study which used a prison environment inventory instrument to assess inmate concerns. The secondary data consisted of an inmate sample of 1,054 taken from 30 prisons of minimum, medium, maximum and close security across the states of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Ohio. Principal component analysis did not support Wright's findings of 8 dimensions but indicated that safety was the primary dimension of concern. Confirmatory factor analysis using structural equation modeling did find support for Wright's thesis.
Document Type
Thesis - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Bradford, Andrew Ryan, "An Examination of the Prison Environment: An Analysis of Inmate Concerns across Eight Environmental Dimensions." (2006). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 2216. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/2216
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.