Measuring group climate in a German youth prison: a German validation of the Prison Group Climate Instrument

The Prison Group Climate Instrument (PGCI) was developed to investigate group climate quality in forensic psychiatric institutions and secure residential treatment facilities for delinquent juveniles. The present study examined construct validity, convergent validity, and reliability of the German version of the PGCI. A confirmatory factor analysis with four first-order factors—"support," "growth," "group atmosphere," and "repression"—and "overall group climate" as a second-order factor showed a good fit to the data and indicated construct validity of the German version of the PGCI. Preliminary support was found for convergent validity. Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficients were sufficient for all scales. The instrument can be used to improve service quality and gives inmates a voice.