NCJ Number
77079
Journal
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology Volume: 24 Issue: 3 Dated: (1980) Pages: 260-269
Date Published
1980
Length
10 pages
Annotation
The characteristics of violent female inmates were examined to aid in the construction of an aggression prediction model.
Abstract
The records of 216 inmates in the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women at St. Gabriel were analyzed. Of the group, 72 percent were black, 65.2 percent were aged 18 to 20, and 43 percent were single. About 42 percent of the women were in prison for either manslaughter or a narcotics-related crime. Their mean intelligence quotient was 90. The analysis showed that 69 percent of the women had committed aggressive crimes and that 36 percent of the total had shown aggressive behavior in prison. Those who demonstrated both aggressive crimes and aggressive behavior in prison amounted to 27.4 percent of the group, while 42.1 percent were without aggressive prison behavior, but had committed aggressive crimes. Of those with aggressive crimes, 39.4 percent manifested aggressive prison behavior; but of those demonstrating aggressive prison behavior, 75.4 percent had aggressive crimes. This indicates that aggressive crimes alone cannot determine a higher than average tendency towards aggression in prison. Several variables seemed to be significantly related to the aggressing inmate population: race (blacks), race and age (blacks, 18-29 age range), number of siblings (10 and above), length of sentence (10 years and above), intelligence quotient (56 to 75 range), juvenile arrest record, and total number of arrests (10 and above). Further data on those most likely to violate rules are also presented. The study concludes that trends in a group of women can be predicted, but it does not seem possible to predict about a particular individual, given the present state of the art. Data tables and a 16-item reference list are included.