The Influence of Professionals on Prison Populations

Abstract: Countries differ in the volumes of their prison population. This does not seem to simply be a result of differences in levels of crime, as prison populations does not appear to correspond with available indicators of crime, neither within nor between countries. Thus, other explanatory models should be available. Previously, the importance of economic, political, and cultural aspects has been studied. In this study, institutional structures mediated by the influence of professionals on the policy process may influence the volume of prison populations. The results show that the hypothesis finds support even after controlling for variables that in the literature are assumed to be of theoretical relevance for the outcome of prison populations.