NCJ Number
102712
Journal
Indian Journal of Social Work Volume: 46 Issue: 4 Dated: (January 1986) Pages: 523-528
Date Published
1986
Length
6 pages
Annotation
Data from 70 adult male prisoners from a prison in India formed the basis of an analysis of the relationships between the subjects' school experiences and their patterns of spending and generating income.
Abstract
The subjects were all habitual property offenders with an average age of 27.5 years. The subjects answered questions from a semistructured interview instrument. They gave information on the age at which they first needed money, the legitimacy of the need, the use of legal and illegal means to obtain money, and the timing of expenses and spending. They also gave responses regarding their literacy, their interest in attending school, barriers to school attendance, attendance patterns, and attitudes toward the school experience. The majority of the subjects committed their first crime outside the home with friends during adolescence. Ninety percent had achieved primary education, and 20 percent had studied up to high school. The majority of those who had gone to school were truants who spent their time roaming, gambling, and going to movies during school hours. When legitimate income proved insufficient, they indulged in pilfering and petty stealing. Their unreasonable expenditures required continuing criminal activity. Only 58 of the subjects continuing criminal activity. Only 58 of the subjects had ever had a job, and 46 abandoned their occupations after release from custody. They were not satisfied with their small incomes from legitimate employment. Data confirmed the study hypothesis of a positive relationship between school life and the recidivists' income and expenditures. 19 references.