NCJ Number
55784
Journal
British Journal of Criminology Volume: 17 Issue: 4 Dated: (OCTOBER 1977) Pages: 370-377
Date Published
1977
Length
8 pages
Annotation
THIS INVESTIGATION SHOWS THAT BLACK CRIMINALS WHO HAVE COMMITTED VIOLENT CRIMES ARE CHARACTERIZED BY POORER IMPULSE CONTROL THAN WHITE CRIMINALS WHO HAVE COMMITTED VIOLENT CRIMES.
Abstract
SUBJECTS INCLUDED 72 WHITE AND 54 BLACK MALE FELONS EVALUATED FOR PAROLE AT THE GEORGIA DIAGNOSTIC AND CLASSIFICATION CENTER AT JACKSON. MEAN AGE FOR WHITE PRISONERS AT THE TIME OF COMMITTING THE CRIME WAS 25.7 YEARS AND FOR BLACK PRISONERS WAS 23.5 YEARS. MEAN EDUCATIONAL LEVEL FOR WHITE PRISONERS WAS 8.2 YEARS AND FOR BLACK PRISONERS WAS 7.2 YEARS. IN ADDITION, DATA FROM A 1976 INVESTIGATION INVOLVING 100 WHITE PRISONERS AND 100 BLACK PRISONERS WERE REANALYZED. THREE MEASUREMENT APPROACHES INVOLVING WIDELY VARYING CHARACTERISTICS WERE EMPLOYED TO ASSESS THAT ASPECT OF SELF-CONTROL THAT INVOLVES THE ABILITY TO DELAY A MOTIVATED OR HABITUAL INCLINATION TO ACT GIVEN THE PRESENCE OF A DETERRENT TO SUCH ACTION (IMPULSE CONTROL). THE APPROACHES INVOLVED RATING SCALES FOR THE IMPULSIVITY OF THE CRIME, THE PSYCHOMETRIC INDEX OF IMPULSIVITY, AND BEHAVIOR MEASURES OF IMPULSE CONTROL. THE SPECIFIC HYPOTHESIS TESTED STATED THAT POORER SELF-CONTROL IS CHARACTERISTIC OF BLACK VIOLENT OFFENDERS RELATIVE TO WHITE VIOLENT OFFENDERS BUT THAT BLACK NONVIOLENT CRIMINALS DO NOT DIFFER IN SELF-CONTROL FROM WHITE NONVIOLENT CRIMINALS. BOTH ASPECTS OF THIS HYPOTHESIS WERE SUPPORTED, AND THE FINDINGS COULD PROVE USEFUL IN PREDICTING PAROLE OUTCOME SINCE STUDIES SHOW THAT VIOLENT CRIMES INVOLVE POORER SELF-CONTROL THAN NONVIOLENT CRIMES AND VIOLENT CRIMINALS REPRESENT BETTER PAROLE RISKS THAN NONVIOLENT CRIMINALS. REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (KJM)