NCJ Number
16254
Date Published
1961
Length
110 pages
Annotation
A STUDY OF THE DIRECTION OF SOCIALIZATION, AMOUNT OF ALIENATION, AND PERCEPTIONS OF SELF, USING A SAMPLE OF 324 FEMALE OFFENDERS IN A STATE REFORMATORY, WITH RESULTS COMPARED TO A SIMILAR MALE GROUP.
Abstract
DATA WERE COLLECTED FROM A STANDARD SCHEDULE USED TO MEASURE SUCH FACTORS AS SOCIALIZATION, ALIENATION, AND INSTITUTIONAL IMPACT, AND FROM INDIVIDUAL CASE RECORDS. DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS AND CRIMINAL HISTORY OF THE SUBJECTS WERE DETERMINED. THESE CHARACTERISTICS WERE THEN CORRELATED WITH THE MEASURED SOCIALIZATION, ALIENATION, AND INSTITUTIONAL IMPACT. A COMPARISON WAS ALSO MADE BETWEEN THE 324 FEMALE INMATES AND 336 MALE INMATES OF THE OHIO PENITENTIARY STUDIED. RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN POOR SOCIALIZATION, AND BOTH YOUNGER AGE OF FEMALE INMATES AND EARLY ONSET OF ILLEGAL BEHAVIOR WERE FOUND. INSTITUTIONAL IMPACT WAS UNFAVORABLE ON YOUNGER INMATES AND THOSE WITH LONGER INCARCERATION PERIODS. ON A LIMITED SCALE, IT WAS FOUND THAT SELF CONCEPTS ARE RELATED TO AGE, TOTAL ARRESTS, LENGTH OF INCARCERATION, AND AGE OF ONSET OF ILLEGAL BEHAVIOR. RESULTS OF THE COMPARISON WITH MALE OFFENDERS INDICATED THAT FEMALE OFFENDERS WERE LESS NEGATIVE IN SOCIALIZATION AND MORE ALIENATED THAN MALE OFFENDERS. THE MALES' MEAN INTELLIGENCE SCORE WAS HIGHER THAN THAT FOR FEMALES, AND MALES WERE FOUND TO HAVE A GREATER NUMBER OF ARRESTS UNDER 18 YEARS OF AGE.