Long-term Incarceration of Female Offenders: Prison Adjustment and Coping

• NCJ Number: 117588
• Journal: Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 16 Issue: 2 Dated: (June 1989) Pages: 223-238
• Author(s): D L MacKenzie; J W Robinson; C S Campbell
• Date Published: 1989
• Length: 16 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: NIJ Reprint An earlier version of this article was presented at the American Society of Criminology Annual Meeting in Montreal, Canada, November 1987.

Annotation

Data from a survey of 141 female offenders, serving short and long-term prison sentences in Louisiana, formed the basis for an analysis of jail time served, sentence length, and adjustment to prison life.

Abstract

Three groups of female offenders were examined. The first group had been in prison for less than two years and had sentences of less than four years; the second group had also served less than two years in prison, but had sentences of eight years or more; and, the final group with sentences of eight years or more had already been in prison for at least four years. Questionnaires administered to all three groups covered demographics, criminal background, and measures of stress and prison adjustment. Analysis of the results confirmed that the time factor was important in the adjustment of women to prison. The results also revealed that female offenders new to prison suffered less from situational problems, used play families for support, and were more concerned about safety issues. However, the study found few differences among the groups in demographic characteristics and prior experience with the criminal justice system. Tables and 13 references. (Publisher abstract modified)