Running head: internal and external stakeholders: violence in prisons 1 internal and external stakeholders: violence in prisons 6Internal and External Stakeholders: Violence in Prisons Paula King Strayer University CRJ 499 Criminal Justice Capstone Dr. Tamara Mangum July 31, 2017 Internal and External Stakeholders: Violence in Prisons Violence in prisons is a major issue that needs addressing. It dates to ancient prisons where prisoners used to fight to gain recondition and command respect from other inmates. In most circumstances, the violence was instigated by groups of offenders who thought they were superior compared to others. Prisoners could gang up according to the type of chargers that and the duration of their sentences in prison. That was the main criteria for the gang selection. On the other hand, prisoners tended to gang up against the officers who could either result in massive injuries or even worse prisons escape. Several factors instigate prison violence. Some of them are within the bars of the prison, and other have their impacts from the outside of prisons. Internal factors are mainly propelled by stakeholders who by far have the greatest influence in the prisons. That includes the prison wardens, high profile prisoners, prisoners of great importance or who are key witnesses to ascertain cases and finally, the management of the prisons also have a significant role to play. It is important to understand what transpires before and after an act of violence in prison. In most circumstances, it’s hard to ascertain the cause of violence in prison when there is little or no organization at all. That boils down to the fact that some prisons are overcrowded and there is no clear demarcation of petty offenders from those high-profile criminals. That is the role of the prison management, and most at times, it is overlooked. Therefore, they create a negative influence towards reducing crime levels in prisons. Further, it is important to understand the logistics of imprisonment this is affected by the state laws and the prosecution authority. They have the mandate to ensure that prisons are entitled to perform different correctional duties to various types of prisoners. On the other hand, the individuals and organizations that have an indirect impact on prison violence or indirectly affected by the violence are considered as the external stakeholders. For instance, the families and communities that are linked or close to the prisons along with the government are the ones who are externally affected by the violence since any violent act may negatively affect them whether psychologically, socially or financially (National Institute of Corrections, 2017). The other external stakeholders include the courts, prosecutors, police agencies, and inmate advocacy groups (Horgan, 2012). Admittedly, the internal and external stakeholders have influenced the situation in both positive and negative ways (Horgan, 2012). First, the prisoners as internal ...

1. Running head: internal and external stakeholders: violence in
prisons 1
internal and external stakeholders: violence in prisons
6Internal and External Stakeholders: Violence in Prisons
Paula King
Strayer University
CRJ 499 Criminal Justice Capstone
Dr. Tamara Mangum
July 31, 2017
Internal and External Stakeholders: Violence in Prisons
Violence in prisons is a major issue that needs addressing. It
dates to ancient prisons where prisoners used to fight to gain
recondition and command respect from other inmates. In most
circumstances, the violence was instigated by groups of
offenders who thought they were superior compared to others.
Prisoners could gang up according to the type of chargers that
and the duration of their sentences in prison. That was the main
criteria for the gang selection. On the other hand, prisoners
tended to gang up against the officers who could either result in
massive injuries or even worse prisons escape.
Several factors instigate prison violence. Some of them are
within the bars of the prison, and other have their impacts from
the outside of prisons. Internal factors are mainly propelled by
stakeholders who by far have the greatest influence in the
prisons. That includes the prison wardens, high profile
prisoners, prisoners of great importance or who are key
witnesses to ascertain cases and finally, the management of the
prisons also have a significant role to play. It is important to
understand what transpires before and after an act of violence in
prison.
In most circumstances, it’s hard to ascertain the cause of
violence in prison when there is little or no organization at all.
That boils down to the fact that some prisons are overcrowded
and there is no clear demarcation of petty offenders from those

2. high-profile criminals. That is the role of the prison
management, and most at times, it is overlooked. Therefore,
they create a negative influence towards reducing crime levels
in prisons. Further, it is important to understand the logistics of
imprisonment this is affected by the state laws and the
prosecution authority. They have the mandate to ensure that
prisons are entitled to perform different correctional duties to
various types of prisoners.
On the other hand, the individuals and organizations that have
an indirect impact on prison violence or indirectly affected by
the violence are considered as the external stakeholders. For
instance, the families and communities that are linked or close
to the prisons along with the government are the ones who are
externally affected by the violence since any violent act may
negatively affect them whether psychologically, socially or
financially (National Institute of Corrections, 2017). The other
external stakeholders include the courts, prosecutors, police
agencies, and inmate advocacy groups (Horgan, 2012).
Admittedly, the internal and external stakeholders have
influenced the situation in both positive and negative ways
(Horgan, 2012). First, the prisoners as internal stakeholders
have negatively changed the situation because they are usually
the ones to begin violence against each other or the prison
officers. As such, the violent nature of some prisoners has
contributed to high rate of violence in the prisons. However,
some prisoners have exhibited the courage to report the cases to
relevant authorities to help in addressing the problem of
violence in their environment.
In the same line, prison officers who exert violence against the
prisoners are partially responsible for violence in the
institutions. They have therefore impacted the situation
negatively. But, other officers have been working towards
addressing the problem by working closely with the inmates to
understand them and avoid cases of violence. These are the
guards who have influenced the situation positively. When
considering the external factors, the families and communities

3. have affected the situation negatively by bringing up violent
people who end up in prisons and continue with their violent
behaviors in the institutions.
On the other hand, they play a vital role in helping the situation
by providing the support needed by the affected prisoners
including legal and financial assistance. Furthermore, the
government has not addressed the prison situation well. Many
people have gone to the prisons because of offenses that would
be avoided through proper government policies leading to
crowding in the prisons. For instance, some poor and the
homeless people have engaged in criminal activities as a way of
survival. Also, some of them are taken to prison while the best
place for them would be other rehabilitation centers.
Government policies can help in addressing such challenges.
However, the government has also tried to increase resources
for the prisons and work with private prisons to ensure that all
persons in the prison system are safe. More officers are being
employed in the institutions ensure that there is adequate
supervision. Also, training programs supported by the
government may help in reducing cases of violence in the
prisons.
It is important to give a solution to the problem of violence in
the prisons to ensure the safety and security of the inmates and
the prison officers. By acknowledging the fact that a prison is a
correction facility, the occurrence of violence within the prisons
impedes this objective because it escalates the negative
behaviors of some inmates while at the same time instilling fear
in others. Prisoners should improve their behavior while on
prison and not increase their bad behaviors, and everyone could
feel safe and secure within the confines of the cells to facilitate
the correction of their practices (Wright, 2003). To realize the
change, all the key stakeholders should be part of the solution
(National Institute of Corrections, 2017). For example, inmates
must be helped to understand the need to end violence by
engaging them in training activities. The prison officers can
attend workshops where they increase their skills and

4. knowledge on how to handle violent prisoners and how they can
go about their business without using violence. The community
members and the families can be part of the solution by being
helped to understand issues such as welcoming the returning
prisoners to reduce cases of recidivism that contribute to prison
overcrowding. Also, the government will come in by policies
that help in reducing criminal cases and support training
activities that focus on reducing prison violence.
While it is important to involve various people in addressing
the problem of prison violence, it may be difficult to get the
support from all the required characters. That makes it
necessary to motivate the individuals to accept the proposal to
solve the problem. The motivation would include ensuring that
every concerned person understands the need to address the
problem. Also, they need to know that the proposed solution is
easy to implement, cost effective, and would contribute
significantly to changing the situation in the prisons.
References
Bottoms, A. E. (1999). Interpersonal Violence and Social Order
in Prisons.
Crime and Justice, 26, 205-281.

5. Cooke, D. J. (1991). Violence in Prisons: The Influence of
Regime Factors. The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, 30(2),
95-109.
Cummings, L. E. (1977). Book Review: Peacekeeping: Police,
Prisons, and
Violence. Criminal Justice Review, 2(2), 135-137.
Horgan, G. J. (2012). How External Factors and Stakeholders
Impact Corrections. Retrieved from
http://www.corrections.com/news/article/30917-how-external-
factors-and-stakeholders-impact-corrections
National Institute of Corrections (2017). Engage Stakeholders.
Corrections Industries. Retrieved from
https://info.nicic.gov/cirs/node/34
Wright, K. N. (2003). Prison Environment and Behavioral
Outcomes. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 20(1-2), 93-113.
Running head: violence in prisons 1
violence in prisons 4Violence in Prisons
Paula King
Strayer University
Criminal Justice Capstone (CJR 499)
Dr. Tamara Mangum
August 12, 2017
Violence in Prisons
Poor jail administration can be a contributing component to the
violence in prisons. In penitentiaries that are ineffectively
overseen, medications might be acquired. Detainees who access
illicit substances may mishandle them, causing cases of
brutality because of drug bargains turned out badly or a terrible
response to the substances. In rarer cases, booty PDAs can take
into consideration correspondence amongst detainees and people

6. outside of the jail, some of which may wish to make hurt other
prisoners. If an inmate supply projects with data about another
inmate, he or she is known as a nark. Sometimes, narks can be
attacked or cut by different inmates for their conduct, as it
conflicts with 'jail code.'
Many prisoners in the United States are killed at a rate double
the international average mostly the sex offenders and the high-
profile criminal (Berman & Dar, 2013). Sex male offenders
make up fifteen percent of their population in prison but
makeup to forty percent of the killings in jail. The government
is on the other hand concerned with the number of murders of
these inmates, the vulnerable inmates, and the sex offenders
thus introducing exclusive houses to protect these individuals.
The government is yet to set laws that will reduce the prison
population percentage established by the courts from 137.5% to
100%. Almost 200 inmates are killed in every four years in each
state of America.
Overcrowding has been the root of violence and threat to both
the offenders and the staff. The more the prison is overcrowded,
the level of misconduct rises causing tension to the guards and
the prisoners. Overcrowding had increased by two percent since
2004 when it was 41% and set to reach 45% by the year 2018
(Light & Ulmer, 2016)
The table above highlights physical victimization on both
female and male including sexual harassment. Statistics are
accurate and easy to comprehend thus essential in raising
concern for the future of inmates and guards in prisons and what
step the government will take to reduce the violence (Loyd et
al., 2013)

7. References
Berman, G., & Dar, A. (2013). Prison population statistics.
London: House of Commons Library.
Loyd, J. M., Mitchelson, M., & Burridge, A. (Eds.). (2013).
Beyond walls and cages: Prisons, borders, and global crisis
(Vol. 14). University of Georgia Press.
Light, M. T., & Ulmer, J. T. (2016). Explaining the gaps in
White, Black, and Hispanic violence since 1990: Accounting for
immigration, incarceration, and inequality. American
Sociological Review, 81(2), 290-315.
Percentage of Physical Victimization Over Three Years in
Prison
2004-2008 Staff on inmate, inmate on inmate, inmate on
staff Inmate on inmate Inmate on Staff Staff on inmate27
15 28 25 2008-2012 Staff on inmate, inmate on
inmate, inmate on staff Inmate on inmate Inmate on Staff
Staff on inmate27 16 29 26 2012-2016 Staff
on inmate, inmate on inmate, inmate on staff Inmate on inmate
Inmate on Staff Staff on inmate28 17 30 27
Running head: violence in prisons 1
violence in prisons 4Violence in Prisons
Paula King
Strayer University
Criminal Justice Capstone
Dr. Tamara Mangum

8. July 23, 2017
Violence in Prisons
The correctional system house troubled individuals,
who may have a record of committing violent crimes against
others or been a victim of a violent crime into confined spaces
against their wills. These people are housed in close contact
with staff whom they outnumber but who must maintain a
peaceful and orderly routine daily. One would be amazed why
there is no more violence in prisons.
Statistics on the real state of violence in prison has often been
difficult to access. Nonetheless, there is some research that
points to the state of violence in prisons. Kupers (2006)
indicated that close to 20% of all the inmates in prisons in the
United States have at one time or the other been assaulted
physically by the other inmates. There is another more than 20%
that have been attacked by staffs outside of the prison. There
are also reports according to (Lee, 2004) that there have been
close to 9000 rape incidents since 2011 in American prisons.
Also between 3 percent and 9 percent of male inmates have also
been assaulted sexually in prisons and this is a significant
number considering that it is close to 200000 prisoners (Wright,
2003). Private state prisons have a higher prevalence rate of
sexual violence by other inmates compared to the public state
prisons, but the general state prisons were twice as likely to be
assaulted by the staffs compared to the private state prisons.
Violence in private prisons is, however, higher compared to
public prisons.
One of the largest causes of violence in prisons includes
crowding and the size of prison. Overcrowding and prison size
alone, however, are not a causal factor of violence but this does
not negate the fact that they contribute to violence when
combined with other variables such as some of the methods or
policies that have been implemented to limit and control the
violence. The size of the prison coupled with the experience of
the staffs also determines the occurrence of violence within a

9. prison.
It is imperative to provide a solution to the problem to
safeguard the security and safety of the inmates. Besides,
cognizant of the fact that a prison is a correction facility, the
occurrence of violence within the prisons impedes this objective
by virtual of the fact that it escalates the negative behaviors of
some inmates while at the same time instilling fear in others
(Wright, 2003). Prisoners should improve their behaviors while
at the prison and not escalate their actions and everyone wants
to feel safe and secure within the confines of the cells to
facilitate the correction of their behaviors.
The prisoners are impacted internally since they are the ones
who are directly involved and affected by the violence. The
staffs within the prisons may also be affected directly by the
violence as they may be ones instigating the violence or the
violence may also be directed at them. The families,
communities that are linked or close to the prisons together with
the government are the ones who are externally affected by the
violence since any violent act may negatively affect them wither
psychologically, socially or financially.
The problem still exists since there are regular occurrences
of violence in the prisons and this, therefore, points to the fact
that the authorities have not adequately addressed the matter.
Also, the fact that the perpetrators of some violent acts have not
yet been brought to book implies that the situation is yet to be
fully resolved (Kupers, 2006). That is because the matter will
only be brought to a complete halt when the perpetrators of
violence are brought to book to discourage acts of violence.
References
Kupers, T. A. (2006). Trauma and its Sequelae in Male
Prisoners: Effects of Confinement, Overcrowding, and
Diminished Services. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry
66.2: 189-196.

10. Lee, A. S. (2004). Monitoring Hostility: Avoiding Prison
Disturbances through Environmental Scanning. Corrections
Today 56.5: 104-109.
Wright, K. N. (2003). Prison Environment and Behavioral
Outcomes. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation 20.1-2: 93-113.