Perceptions of Correctional Officer Procedural Justice, Low Self-Control, and Institutional Misconduct Among People in Prison

Using data from the Prison Project, a nationwide study of individuals entering pre-trial detention (N = 1,609) in the Netherlands, the study examines the associations among self-control (e.g., acting on impulse, lack of forethought, inability to concentrate), perceptions of procedural justice (i.e., people in prison’s perceptions of their treatment by prison staff), and prison misconduct (e.g., being aggressive toward prison staff and/or other people incarcerated in prison). Results show that low self-control is positively associated with prison misconduct while perceptions of procedural justice are negatively associated with misconduct. The effect of procedural justice on prison misconduct does not significantly differ across levels of self-control. The study contributes to the limited literature on self-control theory and procedural justice within corrections.