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Architecturally Mediated Effects of Social Density in Prison

Andrew Baum

Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.

Paul B. Paulus

Department of Psychology of the University of Texas at Arlington.

Gerald G. Gaes

Federal Bureau of Prisons.

A prison setting was used to examine self-report and biochemical evidence of architecturally mediated crowding stress. Further, the relationship among illness complaints, perceived crowding, and urinary catecholamines was explored. Inmates of a federal corrections institution provided urine samples assayed for epinephrine and norepinephrine, and they supplied self-report data on their perceptions of crowding. Infirmary records were reviewed for each inmate's health history. Inmates resided in one of three housing types that varied in degree to which privacy and crowding were afforded. Housing type with the lowest social density was a private cell, while open dormitories had the highest. An intermediate level of social density was represented by inmates in partitioned dormitories or cubicles. Lower levels of social density were expected to be associated with lower perceived crowding, lower levels of urinary catecholamines, and fewer health complaints. Across all inmates, perceived crowding was positively correlated with levels of urinary catecholamines. Single cell inmates reported less crowding and exhibited lower levels of urinary catecholamines than

Environment and Behavior, Vol. 20, No. 1, 3-20 (1988)
DOI: 10.1177/0013916588201001


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