Date of Award

12-18-2013

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Criminal Justice

First Advisor

Dr. Leah E. Daigle

Second Advisor

Dr. Brent Teasdale

Third Advisor

Dr. Mark Reed

Abstract

Witnessing victimization in prison is a relatively new area of research. Prison victimization research focuses on direct experiences of victimization and its attending consequences; however, studies have not focused on the vicarious victimization experiences of prisoners. Drawing from the prison victimization, witnessing/exposure to violence, and offender reentry literature, this study will investigate the link between witnessing victimization in prison and individual post-release outcomes. Using multivariate analyses, I examined the extent to which individuals witness victimization in prison and the effects of witnessing victimization on individual post-release outcomes using The Prison Experience and Reentry study, a longitudinal study of 1613 males residing in Ohio halfway houses. The findings suggest that a significant proportion of offenders witness victimization while incarcerated. Furthermore, witnessing victimization, particularly witnessing sexual victimization and stealing, was significantly related to post-release outcomes. Policy implications and directions for future research are discussed.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.57709/4856404

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