Reporting a crime in prison: between duty and arbitrarinessa study from the perspective of prison staff in Chile

Abstract

Research on the dark figure of crime has focused primarily on victims’ reasons for not reporting, paying less attention to institutional actors who become aware of potentially criminal acts and are legally required to report them. This study examines how prison staff perceive the factors that may influence the reporting of crimes within prisons, both regarding their own conduct and incarcerated people’s willingness to report. The working hypothesis is that reporting is perceived as a process shaped by factors that extend beyond the legal duty itself. Using a quantitative, exploratory, and descriptive approach, 163 staff members from nine Chilean correctional facilities were surveyed. The results show that the sufficiency of available information, assessments of the incident, the perceived costs of reporting, and organizational dynamics are regarded as relevant factors, together with a perceived low willingness among incarcerated people to report certain crimes. The study does not allow for estimating the magnitude of underreporting or establishing causal relationships, but it identifies factors that, from the perspective of prison staff, influence the reporting processes.