NCJ Number
61847
Journal
OFFENDER REHABILITATION Volume: 3 Issue: 4 Dated: (SUMMER 1979) Pages: 289-297
Date Published
1979
Length
9 pages
Annotation
THE CASE STUDY METHOD IS USED TO EXAMINE THE ADJUSTMENT OF PRISONERS' WIVES TO SEPARATION AND CONCLUSIONS ARE THAT MARITAL ATTITUDES PRIOR TO JAIL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS STRONGLY INFLUENCE ADJUSTMENT.
Abstract
A SUMMARY OF PREVIOUS STUDIES CONDUCTED ON FAMILY SEPARATION CAUSED BY WAR, ECONOMIC DEPRESSION, AND PRISON REVEALS THESE CONCLUSIONS: ADJUSTMENT BEFORE SEPARATION IS POSITIVELY RELATED TO ADJUSTMENT TO SEPARATION, STRESS DURING SEPARATION IS INVERSELY RELATED TO ADJUSTMENT TO SEPARATION, STRESS BEFORE SEPARATION IS INVERSELY RELATED TO STRESS DURING SEPARATION, INCOME IS INVERSELY RELATED TO ADJUSTMENT, STIGMA DURING SEPARATION IS INVERSELY RELATED TO ADJUSTMENT TO SEPARATION, AND STIGMA BEFORE SEPARATION IS POSITIVELY RELATED TO STIGMA DURING SEPARATION. THE SAMPLE USED FOR THE PRESENT STUDY CONSISTED OF 59 PRISONERS' WIVES INTERVIEWED IN ILLINOIS DURING 1971-72. THE FINDINGS DIFFER FROM PREVIOUS STUDIES IN THAT THEY SHOW THAT MARITAL ADJUSTMENT, STRESS, AND STIGMA BEFORE SEPARATION ARE THE MAIN FACTORS AFFECTING ADJUSTMENT, RATHER THAN THE SEPARATION ITSELF. INCOME APPEARS TO BE A MAJOR DETERMINANT IN THE AMOUNT OF STRESS AND STIGMA EXPERIENCED BY WIVES DURING SEPARATION, AND WIVES WHO WERE BETTER ABLE TO SUPPORT THEMSELVES EXPERIENCED MORE STRESS THAN THOSE WHO HAD TO FOCUS ALL THEIR EFFORTS ON BASIC SURVIVAL. THUS PROGRAMS TO DEAL WITH PRISONERS' PROBLEMS COULD INCREASE THEIR EFFECTIVENESS BY STUDYING PRISONERS' PROBLEMS FROM A HISTORICAL, RATHER THAN A CRISIS VIEWPOINT AND CONSIDERING ECONOMIC FACTORS IN COUNSELING. REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (MJM)