Is there a deterrent effect of pains of imprisonment?

Abstract

Juvenile offenders who have been sent to prison for the first time must arrange their everyday social interactions with inmates and prison staff. Under the assumption that social integration is a basic need, negative subjective experience with interactions inside of prison is an important aspect of pains of imprisonment. Hence, this experience could have a deterrent effect on committing crime after release from first imprisonment. In addition, a deterrent effect could occur if inmates suffered from deprivation of contact with persons outside of prison. Moreover, prisoners who keep their distance from other inmates might suffer, because the basic social need of interaction is not satisfied. It will be shown that indeed, there seems to be a deterrent effect of suffering from deprivation of contacts with persons outside. In addition, the more prisoners isolate themselves from other inmates, the lower the rate of recidivism is. But with respect to fear of other inmates, no deterrent effect can be found. Rather the opposite is the case: the higher the fear of other inmates, the higher the rate of recidivism.