The Effect of Management Regime on Disruptive Behaviour: An Analysis within the British Prison System

Discipline reports filed in a local prison over a seven-year period were analysed. During this time four different governors were in office, and the numbers of reports filed during each governors' term were compared. There proved to be a significant difference in numbers of reports filed during each governor's term, suggesting that the management regime instituted by the governor of a local prison may have a strong effect upon either the incidence of disruptive behaviour, its recording, or both. One of the governors in this study, under whom discipline reporting frequency was low, had worked at another prison which had been the subject of the Prescott (1976) report. At that time, this governor had been singled out for mention as the governor who had presided over an apparently peaceful prison as measured by discipline reports, supporting the view that a particular governor's management style may be important in influencing levels of disruptive behaviour in the prison situation.