Article Figures & Data
Figures
- Figure 1.
Disciplinary rules violations by age at commitment.
Tables
Characteristic State(n = 30) Federal(n = 43) Total(N = 73) Testimony Sentencing phase testimony 70.0% (21) 72.1% (31) 71.2% (52) Written report only 30.0% (9) 27.9% (12) 28.8% (21) Type of findings Risk assessment 93.3% (28) 69.8% (30) 79.5% (58) Risk-related 6.7% (2) 30.2% (13) 20.5% (15) Risk rating (when present) Below base rate 55.0% (11) 62.1% (18) 59.2% (29) At base rate 25.0% (5) 27.6% (8) 26.5% (13) Above base rate 20.0% (4) 10.3% (3) 14.3% (7) Sentence Life 66.7% (20) 53.5% (23) 58.9% (43) Death 33.3% (10) 46.5% (20) 41.1% (30) Education level (when available) Less than high school 33.3% (3) 85.7% (36) 76.5% (39) GED/diploma 66.7% (6) 14.3% (6) 23.5% (12) Age at commitment, y (range) 34.5 (21.5–59.1) 32.2 (20.2–56.8) 33.1 (20.2–59.1) Time at risk, y (range) 4.6 (0.9–9.9) 4.2 (0.3–10.7) 4.4 (0.3–10.7) Unless otherwise noted, data are expressed as the percentage of the subgroup or total group (number of inmates).
- Table 2
Overview of Potentially Violent Disciplinary Rules Violations Committed by Incarcerated Capital Murderers
Disciplinary Violation Acts, n Inmates Involved, % Annual Rate per 1,000 Capital Murderers(n = 73) Federal USP 2001–2005(n = 18,561) Serious assaults/attempts 1 (0) 1.4 3.1 (0.0) 10.1 Escape-related/attempts 3 1.4 9.4 0.4 Fighting 12 (11) 13.7 37.7 (35.5) 37.8 Possession of a weapon 6 (3) 5.4 18.8 (9.7) 32.8 Riot-inciting 1 1.4 3.1 1.2 Threatening bodily harm 7 8.2 22.0 20.7 Lesser/minor assaults 13 (8) 12.3 40.8 (25.8) 41.8 Data in parentheses reflect findings when an outlying observation is removed.
- Table 3
Disciplinary Rules Violations Committed by Incarcerated Capital Murderers, Aggregated by Level of Seriousness
Level of DisciplinaryViolation Acts, n Inmates Involved, % Annual Rate per 1,000 Capital Murderers(n = 73) Federal USP 2001–2005(n = 18,561) Total violations 202 (184) 54.8% 634.2 (594.3) 620.8 Potentially violent infractions* 43 (33) 27.4% 135.0 (106.6) 146.9 Assaultive violations† 14 (8) 12.3% 44.0 (25.8) 53.4 Serious assaults/attempts 1 (0) 1.4% 3.1 (0.0) 10.1 Assaults resulting in moderate‡ or major injuries§ 0 0.0% 0.0 4.7 Data in parentheses reflect findings when an outlying observation is removed.
* Potentially violent violations include: threatening bodily harm, possession of a weapon, inciting to riot, escape-related misconduct or escape attempt, mutual fighting, minor assaults (including either creating apprehension of harm or resulting in actual physical contact), and serious assaults or attempted serious assaults.
† Assaultive violations include: minor assaults, attempted serious assaults, and serious assaults.
‡ Moderate injury results in admission to a hospital with a non-life threatening injury.
§ Major injury results in admission to a hospital with life-threatening injury.
- Table 4
Logistic Regression Model Used to Predict Serious or Potentially Violent Disciplinary Violations
PredictorVariables β SE Wald df p Exp(β) 95.0% CI for Exp(β) Lower Upper Level, state 0.410 0.610 0.452 1 .502 1.507 0.456 4.982 Sentence, life 0.221 0.647 0.116 1 .733 1.247 0.351 4.428 Age at commitment −0.094 0.044 4.457 1 .035 0.910 0.834 0.993 Time at risk 0.238 0.116 4.206 1 .034 1.268 1.011 1.592 Constant 0.420 1.766 0.057 1 .812 1.522 - Table 5
Combined Observed Serious Prison Assaults Following Predictions of Future Violence by State (Violence Predicted as Probable) and Defense (Violence Predicted as Improbable) Mental Health Experts
Predicted Outcome Observed Prison Experience Serious Assaults (n = 9) No Serious Assault (n = 219) Predicted probable* (n = 155) True positive 8 (5.2%)† False positive 147 (94.8%) Predicted improbable (n = 73) False negative 1 (1.4%)‡ True negative 72 (98.6%) * Adapted from Edens JF, Buffington-Vollum JK, Keilen A, et al. Predictions of future dangerousness in capital murder trials: is it time to “disinvent the wheel.” Law Hum Behav 29:55–86, 2005.
† Data in parentheses reflect prevalence.
‡ This solitary infraction involved an attempted serious assault rather than an accomplished serious assault.
