Disciplinary Offences in the Penal System: Causes and Methods of Punishment

Introduction: Normative regulation of prison life, maintaining order and security and creating the conditions for the implementation of treatments have a high priority in penal practice. However, in spite of that, a number of convicts do not follow the rules and commit disciplinary offences. Some of the reasons why convicts commit disciplinary offences are prison life conditions, disorganisation of the prison administration, and the characteristics of prisons and convicts. Objective: The objective of the research is to show the frequency of disciplinary offences and disciplinary sanctioning of convicts, as well as to determine the differences in individual characteristics between convicts who have and have not committed disciplinary offences. Methods: The sample included 96 convicted individuals from the Sremska Mitrovica Penitentiary who started their prison sentences in 2013 and were released in the period between 2016 and 2018. The length of the imposed sentence was from three years and one month to five years (M = 47.76; SD = 7.99). The age of the convicts at the start of their prison sentences ranged from 23 to 75 (M = 36.73; SD = 10.90). The sample included 41.7% of respondents who had not been convicted previously and 64.6% who had been in prison for the first time. The data was collected by analysing official documents. Results: In the observed period, 52.1% of respondents committed 99 disciplinary offences, with minor disciplinary offences being more frequent (52.5%). Four disciplinary offences were committed in 62.7% of cases, and 23 disciplinary offences were never committed. Convicts were most often sanctioned by solitary confinement. According to most of the examined variables, significant differences were found between the convicts who committed and those who did not commit disciplinary offences. Conclusion: Even though the obtained results indicate that the discipline of convicted individuals is not at an enviable level, we should pay attention to the imposed disciplinary measures and strive to reduce frequency of solitary confinement. The fact that convicts who commit and do not commit disciplinary offences differ in certain individual characteristics can indicate which convicts should be given special attention in the penal treatment process. The recommendation for future research is to examine the connection between committing disciplinary offences and dynamic factors that can be influenced by treatment.