Application off Sociometric Measures to Evaluation of Resocialization Progress (From Loisirs - une des mesures de prevention de la delinquance juvenile P 177-192 1976, Alice Parizeau, ed. - See NCJ-70512)

• NCJ Number: 70523
• Author(s): k Posp szyl
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 15 pages
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: Canada

Annotation

This study is based on the assumption that changes in attitudes towards other people can serve as an indicator of the effectiveness of resocialization processes among juvenile delinquants.

Abstract

Sociometric methods were used to measure four primary types of defective social attitudes, treated as poles of two continua: (1) excessive social activity, (2) excessive passivity, (3) over-propulsivenss in attitudes toward other persons, and (4) overrepulsion (hostility) in relation to social surroundings. Groups investigated before and after a 6-month interval were pupils in remedial classes, boys in a correctional institution, girls in a correctional institution, and boys in a parole group. Results after the second testing showed that pupils of the remedial classes and the boys from the correctional home showed improvement, respect in both to decreased numbers of individuals who were overly active and socially passive and to those who were overly propulsive and repulsive toward peers. The girl's group from the correctional home improved in respect to decreased overactiveness and social passivity, but worsened with regard to overly repulsive social attitudes. As all of the girls were sexually promiscuous, a studies have shown that females generally need more affection and warm feeling, and as this study showed continued agressiveness, closed institions may offer serious difficulties for the resocialization of juvenile females. Meanwhile, the parole group boys showed insignificantly worse results both in respect to higher numbers off overly active and socially passive individuals and to propulsive and repulsive attitudes towards other persons. These boys may have felt this way because off the poor housing and sanitary conditions of their dwellings. Improving such conditions and expanding the girls' social contacts would contribute to more successful resocialization efforts among the juveniles studied. Several tables and seven references are provided. (Author abstract modified)