IMPACT OF INSTITUTIONALIZATION ON RECIDIVISTS AND FIRST OFFENDERS

• NCJ Number: 11047
• Author(s): B S BROWN
• Date Published: 1969
• Length: 21 pages
• Grant Number(s): OLEA-089
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice
• Corporate Author: District of Columbia Dept of Corrections
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

A STUDY OF THE ATTITUDES AND FUNCTIONING OF 170 INMATES IN A MIDWESTERN MEDIUM SECURITY PRISON.

Abstract

THE SUBJECTS WERE DIVIDED INTO FOUR GROUPS CONSISTING OF BEGINNING FIRST-TERMERS, FIRST-TERMERS ABOUT ONE YEAR AFTER SENTENCE, RECIDIVISTS BEGINNING A NEW TERM, AND RECIDIVISTS ABOUT ONE YEAR INTO THE CURRENT TERM. ATTENTION WAS FOCUSED ON ATTITUDES TOWARD LAW AND LAW ENFORCEMENT, AGGRESSION, MASCULINE SELF-CONCEPT, GUILT, ANXIETY, CONCERN ABOUT INDEPENDENCE OF FUNCTIONING, AND FLEXIBILITY OF THINKING. THE SUBJECTS WERE ADMINISTERED SEVERAL TESTS, INCLUDING THE CONSISTENCY SCALE FROM THE EDWARDS PERSONAL PREFERENCE SCHEDULE WHICH MEASURES A PERSON'S ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND AND TAKE TESTS WITHOUT ERROR. INMATES INSTITUTIONALIZED FOR ONE YEAR HAD LOWER GUILT SCORES THAN THOSE INSTITUTIONALIZED FOR ONE WEEK. RECIDIVISTS SHOWED LESS FAVORABLE ATTITUDES TOWARD LAW AND LAW ENFORCEMENT AND LESS INCLINATION TO COOPERATE WITH PERSONS IN AUTHORITY. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)