Types of Violence in Prisons
There are five main types of violence which arise in the penal setting.
The first is the use of force in initially detaining and then retaining someone in custody. Within limits, this is generally lawful.
The second, third and fourth are generally unlawful: prisoner / staff; staff / prisoner; and prisoner / prisoner violence.
The fifth is self-inflicted violence, still an offence in some countries, but seen as a medical/social problem in others.
In each of these areas, the medical professional has both a treatment and a preventative role. As a non-medical author, I shall concentrate on the latter.