@article{ref1,
title="How reliable are official data for decision-making in prison?: Results from a comparison of official misconduct data with self-reported violence byinmates inside young offender institutions",
journal="Monatssc. Kriminol. Strafrechtsreform",
year="2014",
author="Wolter, D. and Häuße, J.",
volume="97",
number="4",
pages="280-293",
abstract="The significance of inmate personal records exceeds a mere registration function. Inmate personal records influence decision-making processes in daily prison work and are often the only data source for criminological (prison) research. It is indisputable that the data of official records are selective reconstructions of a complex reality. However, the extent of the discrepancy between official records and the reality is unknown. In the course of the research project &quot;Violence and Suicide in Youth Correctional Facilities&quot; for the first time it was possible to compare recorded acts of violence in the inmates' personal records and their self-reported offences concerning violence against other inmates. This article discusses aspects of decision-making based on official records and takes on methodological issues concerning the reliability of coding official records. The comparison between official records and self-reported data reveals a discrepancy of 1:5.3 for violence among inmates on the offender level (16 inmates with entries in their personal records vs. 84 inmates who reported violence in the survey), and 1:6.5 for violent acts between inmates on the case level (23 registered violent acts vs. 149 self-reported acts).<p /><p>Language: de</p>",
language="de",
issn="0026-9301",
doi="10.1515/mks-2014-970404",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/mks-2014-970404"
}