Solitary Confinement Exposure and Capital Inmate Misconduct

Abstract

This study assesses whether capital inmates exposed to short-term solitary confinement (SC) continue to engage in physical violence and misconduct while incarcerated post-exposure. Using archival longitudinal data collected by a large prison system in Texas, the current study intends to reveal patterns behind prisoner misconduct examining complete disciplinary records for all capital inmates (N = 1236). According to the results, age, gender, race, gang affiliations and priors are associated with prisoner misconduct. On average, capital inmates exposed to solitary confinement are more likely to manifest continuity in misconduct during their stay in prison.