BEHAVIORAL DEMOGRAPHY OF THE YOUNG ADULT MALE OFFENDER

• NCJ Number: 29094
• Author(s): W O JENKINS; M D DEVINE; E K DEVALERA; J B MULLER; W L NICHOLS; S O RAY
• Date Published: 1975
• Length: 248 pages
• Corporate Author: Rehabilitation Research Foundation
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

RESULTS OF A PROJECT UNDERTAKEN TO IDENTIFY THE PRIMARY ENVIRONMENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL EVENTS ANTECEDENT TO AND PREDICTIVE OF LAW ENCOUNTERS, LAW VIOLATIONS, CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR, AND RECIDIVISM IN YOUNG ADULT MALE OFFENDERS.

Abstract

FIVE MAJOR GROUPS WERE STUDIED: A PAROLE GROUP, A MISDEMEANANT GROUP, A PROBATIONER GROUP, A PAROLEE GROUP, AND A RELEASEE GROUP. A TOTAL OF 126 SUBJECTS WERE INCLUDED. EXCEPT FOR CONTROLS, EACH GROUP WAS SELECTED TO BE COMPOSED OF APPROXIMATELY ONE-HALF 'SUCCESSES' AND ONE-HALF 'FAILURES.' EACH OF THE 126 CASES WAS INTENSIVELY INTERVIEWED, AND DATA CONCERNING OBJECTIVE DESCRIPTIONS OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL CIRCUMSTANCES WERE SYSTEMATICALLY COLLECTED, FOR FAILURES, THIS INTERVIEW FOCUSED ON EVENTS PRIOR TO COMMISSION OF THE ACT THAT DEFINED FAILURE. SUCCESSES AND CONTROLS WERE INTERVIEWED AT EQUIVALENT POINTS IN TIME. ENVIRONMENTAL INPUT AND SUPPORT WAS ASSESSED BY THE ENVIRONMENTAL DEPRIVATION SCALE (EDS), AND BEHAVIORAL MALADJUSTMENT WAS ASSESSED BY THE MALADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR RECORD (MBR) AND WEEKLY ACTIVITY RECORD (WAR). THESE MEASURES HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY VALIDATED IN THE PREDICTION OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR AND RECIDIVISM. DATA ARE REPORTED HEREIN ON 400 CASES FOR THE EDS, 380 FOR THE MBR, AND 280 FOR THE WAR. IN ADDITION TO THE THREE ASSESSMENT MEASURES, DETAILED INFORMATION WAS COLLECTED CONCERNING THE FOLLOWING AREAS IN RELATION TO THE CRITERION OF SUCCESS AND FAILURE: EMPLOYMENT, FINANCES, DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS, FAMILY ACTIVITIES, INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS, PERSONAL ADJUSTMENT, LEISURE-TIME UTILIZATION, CRIMINAL RECORD, AND DEVELOPMENTAL HISTORY. BASED ON ALL AVAILABLE DATA, ESTIMATES OF PREDICTIVE ACCURACY FOR THE SUCCESS-FAILURE CRITERION WERE DERIVED FOR EACH MEASURE AND CATEGORY OF VARIABLES. THE RESULTS SHOWED THAT THE ENVIRONMENTAL DEPRIVATION SCALE, THE MALADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR RECORD, AND THE WEEKLY ACTIVITY RECORD WERE MOST PREDICTIVE. IT WAS ALSO NOTED THAT DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS, CRIMINAL HISTORY, AND FAMILY ACTIVITIES WERE THE LEAST PREDICTIVE OF ALL THE VARIABLES STUDIED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)