NCJ Number
116140
Date Published
1988
Length
24 pages
Annotation
Deviant inmate behavior in juvenile correctional facilities in the State of Baden-Wurttemberg, West Germany, was investigated.
Abstract
Biographic and official correction data were obtained for 227 inmates. Respondents transferred to an adult prison or to juvenile correctional facilities in another Federal State were not included, such that the total sample included 196 respondents. Study findings revealed that rule-breaking behavior in prison was common; only about 15 percent of respondents had not been reported for rule infractions. Variables used to analyze deviant behavior were age, time served, acceptance of correctional measures, and prior periods of confinement. Younger respondents were involved in more rule infractions than older respondents, long-term inmates less than those serving shorter sentences, and returnees more than inmates without prior prison experiences. Inmates with a positive attitude toward their respective occupations behaved in a more comfortable manner than inmates with a negative attitude. Sociobiographic criteria such as educational achievement, number of institutionalizations, and number of prior convictions were not linked with rule infraction report rates. With respect to recidivism, inmates with more deviant conduct relapsed sooner, more frequently, and more seriously. Inmate behavior appeared to play an important role in correctional decisionmaking. The threat of institutional sanctioning did not seem to have a deterrent effect, and it was therefore determined that the focus should be on reducing the possibility of behaving in a deviant manner, that is, by structuring daily prison life more generously. 30 references, 4 tables, 4 figures.