NCJ Number
34136
Journal
JOURNAL OF VOLUNTEERS WITH DELINQUENTS Volume: 1 Issue: 2 Dated: (SPRING 1972) Pages: 2-21
Date Published
1972
Length
20 pages
Annotation
THE RESULTS OF THIS EX POST FACTO EVALUATION OF THE WASHINGTON STATE MAN-TO-MAN PROGRAM, IN WHICH VOLUNTEERS PROVIDED SUPPORTIVE SOCIAL CONTACTS TO PRISON INMATES, INDICATE THAT SUCH CONTACT MAY REDUCE PAROLE FAILURES.
Abstract
THE MAN-TO-MAN PROGRAM WAS INITIATED IN THE WASHINGTON STATE REFORMATORY IN 1965. THIS STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO TEST THE EFFECT OF THIS PROGRAM ON THE PAROLE FAILURES OF PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS. IT IS NOTED THAT INMATES RECEIVING MINIMAL OR NO SOCIAL CONTACTS FROM FRIENDS OR RELATIVES WHILE IN PRISON HAVE HIGHER RATES OF PAROLE FAILURE THAN THE AVERAGE PAROLE POPULATION. PARTICIPANTS IN THE MANTO-MAN PROGRAM WERE DRAWN FROM JUST SUCH A GROUP. THESE INMATES, THEN, COULD NORMALLY BE EXPECTED TO EXHIBIT HIGH PAROLE FAILURE RATES UPON RELEASE. TO ASSESS THE IMPACT OF THE PROGRAM, TWO COMPARISONS WERE MADE: PAROLE FAILURE RATES OF THE PARTICIPANTS WERE COMPARED TO PAROLE FAILURE RATES OF THE GENERAL PAROLE POPULATION, AND FAILURE RATES OF PARTICIPANTS WERE ALSO COMPARED TO A GROUP OF NON-PARTICIPATING INMATES MATCHED TO THE PARTICIPANT GROUP BY DATE OF RELEASE AND LOW NUMBER OF SOCIAL CONTACTS WHILE IN PRISON. THE RESULTS SHOWED THAT THE PARTICIPANT GROUP HAD ROUGHLY THE SAME FAILURE RATE AS THE GENERAL PAROLE POPULATION - A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT OVER THE EXPECTED FAILURE RATE FOR THIS GROUP. THE FAILURE RATE OF THE PARTICIPANTS WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN THE RATES FROM THE COMPARISON GROUP. LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY DUE TO THE EX POST FACTO NATURE OF THE EVALUATION ARE DISCUSSED.