An empirical test of the social support paradigm on male inmate society. Issue 2 (2nd April 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Woo, Youngki; Stohr, Mary K.; Hemmens, Craig; Lutze, Faith; Hamilton, Zachary; Yoon, Ok-Kyung
• Is Part Of: International journal of comparative and applied criminal justice. Volume 40:Issue 2(2016)
• Page Start: 145
• Page End: 169
• Publication Date: 2016-04-02
• Subjects: Social support theory -- inmate misconduct -- victimization; Crime -- Periodicals; Criminal justice, Administration of -- Periodicals; 364
• DOI: 10.1080/01924036.2015.1089518
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0192-4036

Abstract

ABSTRACT: While social support theory has been applied to a variety of criminal justice settings, there has been little empirical research on the effect of social support on inmate behavior. In this article, we test Cullen's proposition that social support, in whatever form it manifests itself, has an effect on Korean inmates' experiences. Specifically, we examine whether social support in an all-male prison environment explains inmate misconduct, victimization, fear of victimization, and the intent to commit crime in the future. We build upon previous research by using unique measures of the instrumental and the expressive dimensions of social support to determine their effect on reducing criminogenic engagement in a prison setting. The results indicate that social support is an important factor in reducing prison violence, enhancing pro-social behavior, and potentially reducing recidivism.