Does time work its magic? The relationship between time in detention and risk of violence and aggression

ABSTRACT

The present study intends to analyze if there are differences in scores of aggressiveness and violence between three groups of pre-trial detainees with different times of detention. Our analysis regarding the levels of aggressiveness and risk of violence showed a tendency for both measures to be higher in groups detained for less time, even when criminal variables are controlled. Our findings highlight the higher propensity for remanded prisoners to be violent and display aggressive behavior during the first period of confinement, which emphasizes the need to improve the mechanisms of adaptation to that environment.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Authors’ contribution

All authors contributed for the paper preparation.

Ethics approval and consent to participate

This study was conducted at Psychology Research Centre (UID/PSI/01662/2013), University of Minho, and it was approved by the University of Minho Ethics Commission (CEICSH 051/2021). All procedures performed were in accordance with the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki.

Additional information

Funding

FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia.

Notes on contributors

Joana Andrade

Joana Andrade is a researcher at the Psychology Research Centre at the University of Minho. She has been collaborating in several research projects in the field of criminal psychology, which has been resulting in international publications. Moreover, she had been participating in international conferences as a speaker. Her research interests are related to offending behavior, and offenders’ treatment and rehabilitation.

Rui Abrunhosa Gonçalves

Rui Abrunhosa Gonçalves is Associate Professor at the School of Psychology in the University of Minho where in 1997 he took his Ph.D. in Forensic and Legal Psychology. He had consistently researched and published on the topics of violent and dangerous offenders namely psychopaths, sexual abusers and spouse abusers and the correctional system. He also works as a forensic psychologist expert at the Counselling Unit of Forensic Psychology of the University of Minho.

Andreia de Castro Rodrigues

Andreia de Castro Rodrigues is an Assistant Professor and Diretor of the Master in Forensic Psychology at Ispa – Instituto Universitário and a Researcher at William James Center for Research (Lisbon, Portugal). She developed her post-doc research and her PhD in Psychology of Justice, respectively in the area of users’ perceptions and effectiveness of penal sanctions and sentencing. Her research interests are gender and crime, the criminal justice system, sentencing, penalties effectiveness and prison sentences in particular. She has also participated in several funded scientific research projects, being the PI of the project ‘Women Behind Bars’ (SR23-00172), funded by La Caixa Foundation. She has more than 40 publications at national and international level. She is a member of the European Criminology Society, in four working groups: ‘ESC Working Group on Sentencing & Penal Decision-Making’, ‘Working Group on Qualitative Research Methodologies and Epistemologies, ‘ESC Working Group on Prison Life and the Effects of Imprisonment’, and ‘ESC Gender, Crime and Justice Working Group’.