DISCIPLINARY OFFENSES AND DISCIPLINARY OFFENDERS UNDER TWO CORRECTIONAL CLIMATES

• NCJ Number: 11050
• Author(s): B S BROWN; J D SPEVACEK
• Date Published: 1969
• Length: 24 pages
• Corporate Author: District of Columbia Dept of Corrections
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

PERSPECTIVES ON INSTITUTIONAL INFRACTIONS, AS JUDGED BY DISCIPLINARY REPORTS FROM REHABILITATION-ORIENTED AND CUSTODY-ORIENTED INSTITUTIONS.

Abstract

THE RESULTS INDICATED THAT THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN INSTITUTIONS IN TERMS OF THE KINDS OF INFRACTIONS REPORTED AT EACH. ALTHOUGH INFRACTIONS AGAINST INSTITUTIONAL RULES WERE THE MOST FREQUENTLY REPORTED AT BOTH INSTITUTIONS, THEY WERE LESS COMMON IN THE LESS CUSTODIAL YOUTH INSTITUTION WITH A CONCOMITANT INCREASE IN THE REPORTING OF INFRACTIONS AGAINST INSTITUTIONAL PERSONNEL IN TERMS OF INSUBORDINATION OR PERSONAL ABUSE. OFFICERS AT BOTH INSTITUTIONS WERE EQUALLY LIKELY TO WRITE DISCIPLINARY REPORTS, BUT PUNISHMENT WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LESS SEVERE AT THE LESS CUSTODIAL-YOUTH INSTITUTION THAN AT THE MORE CUSTODIAL-HETEROGENEOUS INSTITUTION. RESULTS ARE DISCUSSED IN TERMS OF INSTITUTIONAL GOALS AND FUNCTIONING. FURTHER STUDY WAS CONDUCTED WITH A SAMPLE OF TWENTY-FIVE INMATES AT EACH INSTITUTION WITH THE LARGEST NUMBER OF INFRACTIONS AND TWENTY-FIVE AT EACH INSTITUTION WITH THE LEAST INFRACTIONS. HIGH OFFENDERS DIFFERED SIGNIFICANTLY FROM LOW OFFENDERS IN BEING YOUNGER AND HAVING LESS RECORDED JUVENILE OFFENSES. HISTORIES OF PRIOR ARRESTS OR PRIOR INCARCERATIONS WERE SIMILAR. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)