NCJ Number
87475
Journal
Journal of Offender Counseling Services and Rehabilitation Volume: 6 Issue: 3 Dated: (Spring 1982) Pages: 73-85
Date Published
1983
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This study tested the speculation the juvenile awareness programs run by prison inmates cause psychological harm to the delinquents they serve.
Abstract
It examined the effects of a two-session juvenile awareness program on a sample of 28 boys in a residential treatment program for delinquents. Subscales of the Tennessee Self Concept Scale, Taylor-Johnson Temperament Analysis, and Levenson's locus of control scale were used in a pretest/posttest design to measure 13 traits thought to contribute to delinquent personalities. Most of the 13 hypotheses were confirmed. An analysis of covariance showed that internal locus of control had increased significantly. Chance expectation and social self-concept decreased significantly. The findings indicate that male delinquents do not evince substantive or immediate insult to their personality structure as a direct result of participation in a juvenile awareness program, although the long-term effects of such programs on clients' personality should be studied. Tabular data and 27 references are given. (Author abstract modified)