Friend or foe? Race, age, and inmate perceptions of inmate-staff relations

The correctional research literature is rife with studies of inmate adjustm ent patterns. Early studies assumed inmates were part of a monolithic whole , though later research suggested factors such as race, age, and socioecono mic status affect inmate adjustment to prison life. This research focused o n the relationship between age and race/ethnicity and perceptions of one as pect of the institutional experience, inmate-staff relations. A survey of r ecently released Texas inmates revealed that race and age have a major impa ct on inmate perceptions of staff. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All right s reserved.