Crowding in a Woman's Prison: Attitudinal and Behavioral Effects¹

Abstract

Two studies were conducted to assess the impact of crowding on female inmates. The first study, an archival analysis of the records of 561 women prisoners, showed that the average population in the institution was significantly related to the transformed rate of disciplinary infractions, even when other variables had been controlled for. The second study, which used a questionnaire, found that inmates' perceived control was positively related to liking for their room and negatively related to their reported stress and physical symptoms. In addition, the stress inmates experienced was negatively related to liking for their room and positively related to physical symptoms.