Dual harm: an exploration of the presence and characteristics for dual violence and self-harm behaviour in prison
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JCP-03-2017-0017 |
| Published date | 09 May 2018 |
| Date | 09 May 2018 |
| Pages | 97-111 |
| Author | Karen Slade |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Criminology & forensic psychology,Criminal psychology,Sociology,Sociology of crime & law,Deviant behaviour,Public policy & environmental management,Policing,Criminal justice |
Dual harm: an exploration of the presence
and characteristics for dual violence and
self-harm behaviour in prison
Karen Slade
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to quantify the characteristics of dual-harm behaviour in prison in
comparison with sole self-harm or assault behaviour in prison, with an analysis of the distinguishing features.
Design/methodology/approach –Official data on in-prison incidents, demographic and offending
information were analysed for 326 prisoners in two prisons in England.
Findings –Proportions of up to 42 per cent of offenders who assault others in prison will also engage in
self-harm and vice versa. Dual-harm prisoners will engage in a broader and greater frequency of prison
incidents than either sole group; with dual-harm prisoners reflecting greater proportions of damage to
property and fire-setting. There were no differences in their time in prison or presence of serious violent
current conviction, however, an index offence of drug supply was less likely in the dual-harm group, with
minor violence slightly more likely in longer sentence prisoners. There was no difference for the dual-harm
prisoners whether the first incident was self-harm or violence, with mean duration from sole to dual harm of
less than three months.
Practical implications –In-prison behaviour can assist in the identification of prisoners at dual risk of harm.
Greater inclusion of in-prison behaviour and awareness of dual harm in research methodologiesmay assist in
improving risk management. A wider use of joint risk assessment and single case management approach is
suggested for prisoners with dual-harm profile.
Originality/value –This is the first study on dual-harm behaviour in UK prisons and to evaluate their wider
prison behaviour and offending characteristics.
Keywords Self-harm, Prison, Violence, Assault, Dual harm, Single case management
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Interpersonal violence and self-harm in prisons are not new phenomena, but remain two of the
most frequently reported adverse events. Rates of physical violence and self-harm in prisons are
considerablyhigher than those reported in the generalpopulation: National Statisticsfrom England
and Wales provide evidence of rising rates of assault amongst male prisoners of up to 307 per
1,000 prisoners(Ministry of Justice, 2017) with risingrates reported in other jurisdictions –in some
cases up to 18 times the rate for the general population (e.g. Wolff et al., 2007; NY Board of
Correction,2015a). Similarly, self-harmrates are high in male prisons, with currentrates in England
and Wales reportedat 399 per 1,000 prisoners (Ministryof Justice, 2017) with similarlyrising rates
in Canada overrecent years (The Correctional Investigator Canada,2015). A related concern is the
risk of fatal violence and suicide, with evidence that homicide in prison is a significant problem in
some countries in the Americas, and suicide, the leading non-natural cause of prison deaths
in Europe (Prison Reform International, 2014).
There is, however, growing evidence that self-destructive behaviour may contribute to general
violence risk and indeed, it is already considered within some risk assessment frameworks
(e.g. HCR20 version 3; Douglas et al., 2013). Furthermore, previous community violent offending
Received 23 March 2017
Revised 1 August 2017
Accepted 15 August 2017
Karen Slade is an Associate
Professor of Applied
Forensic Psychology at the
Department of Psychology,
Nottingham Trent University,
Nottingham, UK.
DOI 10.1108/JCP-03-2017-0017 VOL. 8 NO. 2 2018, pp. 97-111, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 2009-3829
j
JOURNAL OF CRIMINAL PSYCHOLOGY
j
PAG E 97
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