TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2012//
TI  - Self-injurious behaviors in corrections: Informal social control and institutional responses in a state prison system
JO  - Victims and offenders
A1  - Doty, S.
A1  - Smith, H.P.
A1  - Rojek, J.
SP  - 30
EP  - 52
VL  - 7
IS  - 1
N2  - Self-injurious behavior among inmates remains a significant problem facing correctional institutions despite a lack of research on the topic. This study employs a content analysis of 352 incidents of self-injurious behavior documented by the South Carolina Department of Corrections over a 30 month period. The results from our analysis indicate that self-injury disproportionately occurs when social controls are absent. Self-injury was primarily associated with stressors both inside and outside of prison, followed by a subset of inmates who self-injure as a form of rebellion. Comorbidity due to mental illness was also a factor that contributed to self-injury, though we found that severely mentally ill inmates often alerted officials of their imminent need to self-injure. Institutional responses favored punitive strategies over therapeutic responses, with the utilization of suicide protocols (i.e., crisis intervention) being substantial. The use of force during self-injury events typically involved verbal commands and inmate compliance; however, some noncompliant inmates required an escalation of force to control. Policy implications are provided with direction for future research needed for the development of clear institutional responses to inmate self-injury. © 2012 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1556-4886
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15564886.2011.629774
ID  - ref1
ER  -