NCJ Number
58821
Journal
Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 6 Issue: 2 Dated: (JUNE 1979) Pages: 159-173
Date Published
1979
Length
15 pages
Annotation
INCORPORATING A LONGITUTIDNAL RESEARCH DESIGN, THIS INVESTIGATION ANALYZES THE PATTERNS OF CHANGE IN PRISONIZATION OVER A 6-MONTH PERIOD FOR 198 MALE PRISONERS IN WASHINGTON STATE FACILITIES.
Abstract
RESEARCH ON PRISONIZATION TRADITIONALLY HAS ANALYZED CROSS-SECTIONAL DATA TESTING EITHER THE IMPORTATION OR DEPRIVATION MODEL. THIS STUDY, INSTEAD, USES VARIABLES RELATING TO INDIVIDUAL STATUS FACTORS, PRISONERS STATUS FACTORS, FACTORS SPECIFIC TO PRESENT INCARCERATION, AND FEATURES OF CURRENT INCARCERATION. THESE VARIABLES INCLUDE THE PRISONER'S AGE, RACE, AND EDUCATION; HIS SOCIOLEGAL CHARACTERISTICS AND TYPE OF LEGAL PROCESS BY WHICH HE WAS CONVICTED; THE NUMBER OF TIMES HE HAS BEEN IN PRISON AND THE NUMBER OF YEARS SPENT IN PRISON; TYPE OF ATTORNEY; AND PERCEPTIONS OF THE TIME LEFT TO SERVE AND THE EXISTENCE OF A LEGAL PROBLEM AS WELL AS THE TYPE OF INSTITUTION. AFTER THE SUBJECTS WERE INTERVIEWED TO GATHER BACKGROUND DATA AND ATTITUDES, THEY WERE PRESENTED WITH SIX HYPOTHETICAL SITUATIONS AND THEIR REACTION WAS MEASURED ON A SCALE OF PRISONIZATION SIMILAR TO THOSE USED BY WHEELER (1961) AND GARABEDIAN (1963). STAFF ACTED AS A CONTROL GROUP. RESULTS SHOW THAT RACE WAS THE ONLY INDIVIDUAL STATUS FACTOR STATISTICALLY RELATED TO PRISONIZATION. WHILE THE NONWHITE GROUP'S DEGREE OF PRISONIZATION DID NOT CHANGE, THE WHITE GROUP'S DEGREE OF PRISONIZATION SHIFTED SIGNIFICANTLY IN A NEGATIVE DIRECTION. ANALYSIS REVEALS THAT BOTH PRIOR CONVICTIONS AND TOTAL NUMBER OF YEARS SPENT IN PRISON ARE SIGNIFICANT; OFFENDERS WITH MULTIPLE FELONY CONVICTIONS ENTER PRISON SLIGHTLY MORE PRISONIZED THAN THOSE SERVING A FIRST SENTENCE. THIS RELATIONSHIP STRENGTHENS OVER TIME AND, AFTER 6 MONTHS, THE 2 GROUPS ARE SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT. NO FACTORS SPECIFIC TO INCARCERATION WERE SIGNIFICANT. REFERENCES AND TABULAR DATA ARE PROVIDED. (DAG)