In several countries, including Chile, performance in the investigation and prosecution of crimes committed in prison show poor results. This situation impacts several aspects of prison life, making prisons less safe and breeding a climate where impunity and defencelessness of victims become compelling issues which requires action. This presentation covers the findings of a research project undertaken in several Chilean prisons where, using a mixed methods approach, we studied the main characteristics of prisoners’ victimisation to understand the reasons behind the great difference in the results of crime investigations when compared with offences committed outside prisons walls. This problem is related to a number of factors such as roles and responsibilities of different actors of the criminal justice system when criminal offences are committed in prison are not clearly defined and in practice there are several problems for reporting, investigating and prosecuting these offences. Our findings confirmed several practices well documented by the literature on carceral culture that make the successful investigations and prosecution of these offences especially difficult. This includes the silence driven by fear to the need to keep an image of being tough sustained by prisoners to the disbelief and normalisation of violence shown by prison officers. In this presentation I will explain at the role of prison officers and prison staff in the success of crime investigations and their attitudes and practices related to prisoners who commit offences against prison officers and other prisoners.

This study addresses the gap in the literature on undergraduate students' attitudes towards individuals with experience of the criminal justice system and their opportunities in higher education. Employing Q-methodology, 20 undergraduate students (mean age 29.95, SD=9.63) sorted 25 statements representing five sub-themes: societal viewpoint, opportunities, university experience, personal significance, and attitudes towards individuals with criminal justice experience. Factor analysis identified four distinct perspectives: 'inclusivity,' 'stigma,' 'equality,' and 'barriers.'

The 'inclusivity' factor revealed that while participants expressed an outwardly inclusive stance, they harboured implicit discriminatory attitudes towards individuals with criminal justice experience. The 'stigma' factor demonstrated an understanding of the societal and educational barriers these individuals face; participants exhibited a more inclusive perspective based on their experience with individuals with criminal justice experience. The 'equality' factor exposed a contradictory viewpoint, with participants initially expressing equality though later revealing discriminatory attitudes. The 'barriers' factor demonstrated an accepting attitude towards individuals with criminal justice experience and acknowledged the lack of university support.

The study highlights the presence of implicit biases, discrimination, and stigma within university environments. It emphasises the importance of fostering an inclusive and supportive atmosphere for individuals with experience of the criminal justice system, as it plays a critical role in their transformative process and desistance from reoffending. The study suggests that universities should address implicit bias, promote inclusivity, and implement contact-based interventions to encourage the development of a growth mindset among students and staff.

This research underscores the need for continued investigation and action to support individuals with experience of the criminal justice system in their transformative journey within higher education. By cultivating an inclusive environment and providing opportunities for personal growth, universities can contribute to the successful reintegration of these individuals into society.

Hate crimes stand markedly among the most conspicuous criminal offenses within the United States. However, an evident discrepancy persists between the occurrence of such crimes and their official recording. This disparity obstructs a fundamental understanding of hate crime victimization patterns, as well as the degree to which these patterns fluctuate in accordance with contextual characteristics. In the present study, our aim is to bridge this gap in the scholarship by analyzing a restricted version of the 2005-2015 National Crime Victimization Survey, which we link with external data sources. Particularly, we investigate the relationship between contextual characteristics and hate crime victimization motivated by race, as well as hate crimes based on ethnic background or national origin. In doing so, we build upon group threat theories, which suggest that hate crimes emanate from actual or perceived threats, typically gauged by the size of the minority population, economic conditions, and the distribution of political power. The results from a set of survey regression models provide support for the theoretical frameworks regarding intergroup conflict and hate-motivated violence. Specifically, we find a nonlinear, bell-shaped effect of the percentage of Black individuals on the likelihood of hate crime victimization based on race. Additionally, we find a nonlinear, bell-shaped effect of the percentage of Hispanics on the likelihood of hate crime victimization based on ethnicity or nationality. We also detect notable differences across U.S. Census regions, with the percentage of Black individuals exhibiting a curvilinear effect in the South and the percentage of Hispanics exhibiting a curvilinear effect mainly in the West — regions with considerable proportions of Blacks and Hispanics. Overall, these findings affirm the applicability of minority threat theories in explaining crime motivated by bias. They also furnish invaluable insights that can inform future research, policy development, and interventions aimed at reducing hate crime victimization.