Aggressive behavior towards staff in the prison environment. Descriptive study on the first semester of 2015

Aggression on the penitentiary staff represent a situation for which authorities must identify adequate management methods, given than its escalation leads to serious issues both for the other inmates, and for the entire system. The hereby study intends to analyze the distribution of the aggression acts on the staff within the units subordinated to the National Prison Administration in Romania. During the first semester of 2015, 49 such events were recorded, almost two thirds of them (63.8%) having occurred inside the maximum security prisons and closed-regime prisons. The most vulnerable locations for engagement in aggression acts on the staff were the detention room and the walk yard. The social profile of the aggressors is defined by poor relations with the family and low education level. Verbal aggressions are the most frequent types of behavior manifested towards the staff. Identification of these elements represents an important part in identifying the best prevention and direct intervention methods.