NCJ Number
12434
Date Published
1972
Length
157 pages
Annotation
STUDY OF ANTECEDENTS OF INMATE BELIEFS ABOUT THE PAROLE PROCESS AND PROPERTIES OF PRISON BELIEFS WHICH RELATE TO THOSE INMATE IDEAS ABOUT PAROLE.
Abstract
A SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED AT A FEDERAL MEDIUM-SECURITY PENITENTIARY TO TEST THE APPLICATION OF ALIENATION THEORY (INDIVIDUAL'S EXPECTANCY THAT HIS OWN BEHAVIOR CANNOT DETERMINE THE OUTCOMES HE SEEKS) AND INMATE ROLE THEORY (SET OF PRISONER ROLES DIFFERENTIATED IN TERMS OF LOYALTY ATTACHMENTS, ADHERENCE TO THE INMATE CODE, RELATIONS WITH OTHER INMATES, AND CONTACTS WITH STAFF) TO INMATE CONCEPTIONS OF THE RELEASE PROCESS. FOUR TYPES OF INMATE ROLES WERE IDENTIFIED - SQUARE JOHN, CON POLITICIAN, OUTLAW, AND RIGHT GUY. THE SURVEY ALSO EXAMINED SEVERAL PATTERNS OF BELIEFS HELD BY PRISONERS REGARDING THE LEARNING OF FACTS OBJECTIVELY RELEVANT TO PAROLE, THE IMPORTANCE OF CRITERIA ALLEGEDLY IMPORTANT IN GETTING PAROLE, AND JUDGMENTS ABOUT THE 'THE CHANCES FOR PAROLE' OF FOUR HYPOTHETICAL CANDIDATES. THE RESULTS SHOW THAT HIGH- AND LOW-ALIENATION INMATES PERFORMED AT ABOUT THE SAME LEVEL ON A TEST OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT PAROLE MATTERS, BUT THEIR ESTIMATES OF PAROLES GIVEN IN A RECENT YEAR WERE MORE SUPPORTIVE OF ALIENATION THEORY. IN CONTRASTING INMATE ROLE TYPES WITH CONCEPTIONS OF RELEASE BY PAROLE, THE RESULTS SHOW THAT SQUARE JOHNS SCORED ONLY SLIGHTLY HIGHER ON A TEST OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT PAROLE-RELEVANT FACTS, THAT THEY MOST POSITIVELY ENDORSED CONTROLLABLE PROPERTIES OF EARLY RELEASE, AND THAT ONLY SLIGHT DIFFERENCES WERE FOUND BETWEEN THE ROLE TYPES REGARDING THEIR OPTIMISM ABOUT PAROLE CHANCES OF THE FOUR HYPOTHETICAL CANDIDATES. A BIBLIOGRAPHY IS INCLUDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)