This study compares prison adjustment, expectations, and attitudes of offenders participating in a shock incarceration program in Louisiana to a comparable group of offenders serving their sentences in a regular prison.
Shock incarceration offenders differed from those in the regular prison in their adjustment to prison, in their attitudes, and in the changes in these areas over time. In comparison to regular prison inmates, they were more upbeat about their prison experience, about their ability to make positive changes in their lives, and about their prosocial attitudes in general. The study concludes that those who continued voluntarily in the program showed evidence of positive change during shock incarceration. 5 tables, 25 references, and appendix. (Author abstract modified)