CRIMINAL MATURITY, PRISON ROLES, AND NORMATIVE ALIENATION (FROM OFFENDERS AND CORRECTIONS, 1978, BY DENIS SZABO AND SUSAN KATZENELSON - SEE NCJ-51581)

• NCJ Number: 51584
• Author(s): W GRUNINGER; N S HAYNER; R L AKERS
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 18 pages
• Corporate Author: Praeger Publishers; American Soc of Criminology
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THE RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF THE SOCIAL AND CRIMINAL BACKGROUND OF A PRISONER IN CONTRAST TO THE EFFECT OF THE PRISON EXPERIENCE, AS A DETERMINANT OF INMATE ATTITUDES IS HIGHLIGHTED WITH DATA FROM 1,310 INMATES.

Abstract

THE SURVEY, PART OF A LARGER STUDY, WAS CONDUCTED AMONG PRISONS IN THE UNITED STATES, MEXICO, SPAIN, GERMANY, AND GREAT BRITAIN. THE INSTITUTIONS REPRESENTED A VARIETY OF TREATMENT AND INCARCERATION APPROACHES AND HOUSED A TOTAL OF 17,114 INMATES. THE MEN SELECTED RANDOMLY FOR THIS STUDY COMPLETED A LENGTHY QUESTIONNAIRE BASED ON PREVIOUSLY DEVELOPED MEASURES OF INMATE ATTITUDE AND ROLE DEFINITION. THE SURVEY INSTRUMENT, THE HYPOTHETICAL MODEL USED IN THE STUDY, AND THE FUNCTIONS OF CRIMINAL MATURITY (AGE AT FIRST ARREST, PRISON HISTORY, AND OFFENSE HISTORY) AND ROLE DEFINITION AS DETERMINANTS OF INMATE ATTITUDE ARE ALL DISCUSSED. IT WAS FOUND THAT CRIMINAL MATURITY HAD LITTLE RELATIONSHIP TO A PROSOCIAL OR ANTISOCIAL ROLE WHEN THE MULTIROLE CLASSIFICATION ORIGINALLY POSTULATED WAS USED. HOWEVER, RECIDIVISTS DID BECOME MORE ANTISOCIAL WITH EACH IMPRISONMENT. IT WAS ALSO FOUND THAT CUSTODY AND TREATMENT PRISONS DID NOT DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY IN THEIR DISTRIBUTION OF SOCIAL ROLE TYPES, NOR DID THEY DIFFER IN THE CRIMINAL MATURITY LEVELS OF THEIR CLIENTELE. THE ANALYSIS SHOWED THAT NUMBER OF INCARCERATIONS IS THE MOST SIGNIFICANT PREDICTOR OF ANTISTAFF ATTITUDES, RANGING FROM 29 PERCENT AMONG FIRST OFFENDERS TO 63 PERCENT FOR THOSE WITH FIVE OR MORE PRISON TERMS. FIRST OFFENDERS SHOWED THE GREATEST ADJUSTMENT PROBLEMS, BUT CONTRARY TO EXPECTATIONS, THESE PROBLEMS WERE GREATER IN MINIMUM SECURITY THAN IN MAXIMUM SECURITY FACILITIES. FOR MATURE CRIMINALS THE MAXIMUM SECURITY SITUATION WAS MORE STRESSFUL. THE INTERPLAY OF LIVE SITUATIONS AND PRISON FACTORS WHICH FORM ATTITUDES IS DISCUSSED. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT LIFE SITUATIONS ARE THE MORE IMPORTANT INFLUENCE. (THE STUDY ALSO FOUND IMPORTANT NATIONAL DIFFERENCES, WHICH ARE DISCUSSED IN NCJ 41014.) TABLES PRESENT STUDY DATA, REFERENCES ARE APPENDED. (GLR)