Does information reduce interpersonal violence? Evidence from prisons.

The article investigates the role of credible information about inmates' violence potential in reducing interpersonal violence within U.S. state prisons, testing the informational mechanism theory that suggests clearer knowledge of individuals' willingness and ability to use force decreases the need for actual fighting. Using data from the 1997 Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities (N = 10,768 male inmates across 207 facilities), the study employs multiverse and specification curve analyses to examine 262,144 regression models, comparing self-reported fighting with institutionally punished assaults. Results show robust negative associations between fighting and factors such as age, Black and Hispanic ethnicity, lower prison security levels, and the number of cellmates, supporting the informational theory, while variables like prior incarceration and violent offense history unexpectedly correlate positively with fighting. The study also highlights discrepancies between self-reported and officially sanctioned violence, emphasizing the importance of measurement choice and analytic decisions in prison violence research, and suggests that the informational perspective offers a parsimonious explanation for violence patterns alongside established deprivation and importation theories.