| This studey employs routine activities theory as an explanation of inmate-on-prison-officer-assaults. The data include statewide information collected from reports filed by TDCJ-ID personnel subsequent to assault incidents. The data set is from 1998, and is comprised of 2515 inmate-on-officer-assault-cases. Each individual case is evaluated according to 82 separate variables. The data is assessed to determine the nature of the incidents in realtion to the routine activities perspective. Routine activities theory asserts that criminal victimization increases when a convergence of three minimal elements in space, and time occurs. The elements required are the existence of: a motivated offender, a suitable target for crimninal victimization, and an absence of capable guardians of persons or property. Our major premise is that lack of staffing in correctional environments limits the number of capable guardians for correctional officers. Thus, a staff shortage at correctional iunstitutions creates an environment in which correctional officers are more apt to be attacked by motivated offenders. |
Updated 05/20/2006