The Impact of Environmental Design on Crime Commitment by Inmates in Shahr-e-Kord Public Prison

Abstract

Background and Objective: Environmental design plays a significant role in human behavior and can influence crime rates in various environments, including prisons. This study aimed to investigate the impact of environmental design on crime commitment by inmates in Shahr-e-Kord Public Prison.

Method: This research is applied in terms of purpose and employs a mixed-method exploratory sequential design, beginning with qualitative and followed by quantitative analysis. To ensure the reliability of interviews, member checking and peer review methods were utilized. The quantitative population included male prisoners aged 20 to 60 and prison staff in Shahr-e-Kord. The sample size comprised 260 respondents (200 prisoners and 60 staff), selected through proportional sampling. The data collection tool for this phase was a researcher-made questionnaire. The validity of the questionnaire was assessed through face and content validity, and its reliability was confirmed using Cronbach’s alpha method. Data were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis with the maximum likelihood method.

Findings and Conclusion: The results revealed five underlying factors influencing crime commitment: lack of cultural and employment spaces, insufficient classification spaces for inmates, mismatch between existing spaces and prisoners’ needs, frequent interaction among inmates with different criminal backgrounds, and the presence of hidden or poorly monitored spaces in the prison's design. Additionally, a key superficial factor identified was reducing interactions between inmates involved in different types of crimes, which could effectively decrease crime commitment in Shahr-e-Kord Public Prison.