Idleness and Inmate Misconduct: A New Perspective on Time Use and Behavior in Local Jails

ABSTRACT

A growing body of literature explores how participation in programming in correctional institutions predicts inmate misconduct. Theory and extant research suggest that engagement in structured and prosocial activities promotes positive behavioral and emotional outcomes, while idleness has a negative impact on inmate behavior and well-being. However, the literature that examines these relationships is largely based on qualitative methodology, small samples, and prison population. Using data from the 2002 Survey of Inmates in Local Jails, this study fills the gap in the literature by examining the associations between engagement in various activities in jail and inmate misconduct. This study also explores individual and jail-level factors that predict inmate engagement in different activities in jails. The results show that watching TV and working in jail are associated with lower misconduct, whereas recreation and reading are associated with higher levels of several types of misconduct. The data also reveal that certain personal and institution-level factors predict the extent of engagement in formal and leisure activities.

Notes

¹ Prior to imputation, time utilization variables were rounded up to the nearest integer, so they can be imputed on using a count model.

² The number of imputed datasets was determined based on the recommendation by White, Royston, and Wood (2011).

³ The final weights consisted of a base weight for each inmate and four adjustment factors: The Jail Non-interview Adjustment, the Inmate Non-interview Adjustment, the 1999 National Jail Census (NJC) Ratio Adjustment, and the 2001 Sample Survey of Jails (SSJ) Ratio Adjustment (Bureau of Justice Statistics 2006).

⁴ Descriptive statistics are weighted and estimated on imputed samples..

⁵ Reference category: white.

⁶ Reference category: fraud.

⁷ Reference category: Northeast.

⁸ Spearman’s correlation coefficient between work hours and serving sentence in jail = .32 (p< .001).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mateja Vuk

Mateja Vuk, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminology at University of West Georgia. Her research interests include corrections, mental health, reentry, and public opinion. Her current research focuses on rehabilitation and treatment of offenders within institutional corrections as well as public opinion towards immigrants and immigrant offenders.

Dalibor Doležal

Dalibor Doležal, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminology at the Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Zagreb. His research interests include criminological theory, criminal career, criminal lifestyle, and drug abuse. His current research focuses on illegal drug markets.