NCJ Number
19080
Date Published
1975
Length
80 pages
Annotation
THIS REPORT DESCRIBES NINE SUBSTUDIES THAT EMERGED FROM A LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF PRISON RELEASEES CONDUCTED TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF INSTITUTIONAL TREATMENT ON POSTRELEASE ADJUSTMENT.
Abstract
MEASURES USED TO ASSESS POSTRELEASE ADJUSTMENT INCLUDED THE ENVIRONMENTAL DEPRIVATION SCALE (EDS), THE MALADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR RECORD (MBR), AND THE WEEKLY ACTIVITY RECORD (WAR). THE LAW ENCOUNTER SEVERITY SCALE (LESS) WAS USED AS THE CRITERION FOR CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR AND RECIDIVISM. SEVERAL OF THE SUBSTUDIES EXAMINED THE EFFECT OF VARIOUS FACTORS ON POSTRELEASE ADJUSTMENT, INCLUDING SUCH VARIABLES AS RESIDENTIAL MOBILITY, THE AMOUNT OF MONEY CARRIED, THE SIZE OF THE COMMUNITY TO WHICH THE EX-OFFENDER IS RELEASED, AND ACHIEVEMENT IN ADULT BASIC EDUCATION IN THE INSTITUION. OTHER SUBSTUDIES DEALT WITH PARTICULAR ASPECTS OF THE BEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENTS: RATER-RATER AGREEMENT IN SCORING THE EDS, PREDICTION OF POSTRELEASE SUCCESS FROM EDS SCORES, AND COMPARISON OF THE WAR SCORES OF NONCRIMINALS AND PRISONS RELEASEES. ANOTHER SUBSTUDY DESCRIBES THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE RECORD OF INSTITUTIONAL BEHAVIOR (RIB), AN INSTRUMENT DESIGNED TO DETERMINE INMATE ADHERENCE TO THE CONVICT CULTURE. DATA INDICATE THAT A NUMBER OF FACTORS ARE RELATED TO POSTRELEASE ADJUSTMENT, AS MEASURED BY THE BEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENTS AND THE LESS.