An Examination of Prison-Based Programming and Prison Misconduct

Prison misconduct can produce a range of detrimental consequences across prison systems. Research indicates that both individual- and prison-level characteristics predict misconduct; however, there is increasing evidence that this relationship can be mediated by program participation. Accordingly, this study seeks to expand knowledge on the relationship between prison misconduct and prison programming by examining two types of prison programs (a) Thinking for a Change and (b) Functional Literacy. Specifically, we examine the impact of these programs across different forms of misconduct (i.e., drug, violence between incarcerated people, assault on staff, and other non-violence) using propensity score matching on sample of 3,795 incarcerated individuals. Findings showed participation in the Functional Literacy program was associated with reductions in drug misconduct and participation in the Thinking for a Change Program was associated with reductions in staff assault and drug misconduct. Implications for correctional practice and policy are discussed.