NCJ Number
51132
Date Published
1975
Length
153 pages
Annotation
AN ESCAPE PREDICTION SCALE WAS CREATED FOR THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS BY ANALYZING 164 VARIABLES FOR 226 INMATES (110 ESCAPEES AND 116 NONESCAPEES). NINE OF THE VARIABLES WERE FOUND TO BE SIGNIFICANT.
Abstract
THIS STUDY HAD THREE PURPOSES: TO SURVEY ESCAPE PREDICTION STUDIES AND DEVICES; TO DEVELOP A PROFILE OF THE ESCAPE OFFENDER IN THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS; AND TO CREATE AN EFFECTIVE ESCAPE PREDICTION SCALE. THE SURVEY OF THE LITERATURE FINDS A GOOD DEAL OF DISAGREEMENT, BUT AGE OF OFFENDER, ETHNIC GROUP, INCARCERATION FOR AN AUTO THEFT OR ROBBERY OFFENSE, AND PAST ESCAPE HISTORY REAPPEAR AS FACTORS MANY TIMES. THE PROFILE WAS DEVELOPED BY EXAMINING CORRECTIONS DEPARTMENT RECORDS FOR THE MOST RECENT 110 ESCAPEES FROM TEXAS INSTITUTIONS. THE 164 VARIABLES DRAWN FROM THIS PROFILE WERE THEN TESTED THROUGH MULTIPLE LINEAR REGRESSION ANALYSIS AND FACTOR ANALYSIS. TABLES GIVE THE RESULTS OF THESE CALCULATIONS AND THE RESULTS OF TWO VALIDATION TESTS USING TWO DIFFERENT TEXAS INMATE POPULATION GROUPS. NINE VARIABLES WERE FOUND SIGNIFICANT; (1) AGE AT TIME OF COMMITMENT WITH ESCAPEES BEING YOUNGER; HISTORY OF ESCAPING OR ATTEMPTING TO ESCAPE FROM OTHER INSTITUTIONS; (3) ESCAPE HISTORY FROM TEXAS INSTITUTIONS; (4) AN INVERSE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ESCAPING AND OPIATE ADDICTION; (5) NUMBER OF MILITARY AWOL'S (ABSENT WITHOUT LEAVE); (6) LENGTH OF SENTENCE, WITH A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF ESCAPEES SERVING LIFE TERMS; (7) NUMBER OF TIMES IN SOLITARY; (8) ETHNIC BACKGROUND, WITH ANGLO GROUPS MORE ESCAPE PRONE; AND (9) INCARCERATED FOR ROBBERY (40.91 PERCENT OF ESCAPEES, 10.44 PERCENT OF THE PRISON POPULATION GENERALLY). THE USE OF THE RESULTING WEIGHTED SCALE IS EXPLAINED. APPENDIXES CONTAIN LETTERS, FORMS, AND FURTHER STATISTICS. AN EXTENSIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY IS INCLUDED. (GLR)