- 03 Apr, 2021
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Advanced Data Analysis assignment (Poisson Regression)
Using criminal justice processing data, I assess the effect of burglary inmates’ age on the number of prison infractions in the United States. Controls are included for relevant variables correlated with severity of sanctions. Negative binomial regression results show that controlling for a variety of factors commonly reported to be predictive of severity of sanctions, the number of prison infractions a burglary inmate has risen by approximately 13% for a year increase in age. Such a finding suggests that burglary inmate’s age does play a key role in the frequency of prison infractions.
Background
The relationship between offenders’ age and prison infraction remains a topic of much interest and controversy. While some studies have found positive association between age and prison infractions, others found negative or no relationship. For example, A pilot study of Johnson (1966) found that age, race and recidivism are all significantly associated with prison infractions. Another study reveals that younger inmates are more likely to engage in prison misconduct (Valentine, Mears, & Bales, 2015).