ATTITUDES OF CORRECTIONAL PERSONNEL AND PRISONERS TOWARD THE PUNISHMENT OF CRIMINALS

• NCJ Number: 37405
• Author(s): J D MCMILLIN; A L PADDOCK
• Date Published: 1972
• Length: 24 pages
• Corporate Author: Southern Illinois University Ctr for the Study of Crime, Delinquency, and Corrections
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: PAPER PRESENTED TO THE MIDWEST SOCIOLOGICAL SOCIETY, KANSAS CITY (MO), APRIL 21, 1972

Annotation

THIS PAPER FOCUSES ON ONE OF THE PUBLIC CONCERNS ABOUT CRIME AND THE ADMINISTRATION OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE WHICH CAME TO LIGHT AS A RESULT OF A RASH OF PRISON RIOTS IN THE FALL OF 1971.

Abstract

RESEARCH WAS CONDUCTED AT A MINIMUM SECURITY PENITENTIARY IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS. A TWO-PART QUESTIONNAIRE CONSISTING OF INDIVIDUAL BACKGROUND QUESTIONS AND THE ATTITUDE TOWARD PUNISHMENT OF CRIMINALS SCALE (ATPC) WAS ADMINISTERED TO CORRECTIONAL STAFF, TREATMENT PERSONNEL, MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL, AND INMATES. AN ATCP SCORE WAS COMPUTED FOR EACH RESPONDENT AND CALCULATED FOR EACH BACKGROUND CHARACTERISTIC STUDIED. THE MEASURES OF CENTRAL TENDENCY USED IN THE ANALYSIS WERE THE MEAN AND THE STANDARD DEVIATION AND ETA SQUARED. ON THE BASIS OF MEAN DIFFERENCES AND DIRECTION, THE DATA SHOW THAT INMATES HOLD A LESS PUNITIVE ATTITUDE TOWARD CRIMINALS THAN DO PRISON PERSONNEL AND THAT PERSONNEL WHO DO NOT HAVE EXTENSIVE INTERACTION WITH PRISONERS EXHIBIT A MORE PUNITIVE ATTITUDE THAN THOSE WHO DO. DATA ARE PRESENTED IN TABULAR FORM.