NCJ Number
100533
Journal
Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 12 Issue: 4 Dated: (December 1985) Pages: 395-414
Date Published
1985
Length
20 pages
Annotation
The responses long- and short-term inmates make to incarceration and differences in the responses made by distinct subgroups were examined.
Abstract
Prison inmates in three large maximum security institutions reported their levels of stress (anxiety, depression, psychosomatic illnesses, fear), adjustment (prisonization), criminal history, self-esteem, and demographic characteristics. Inmates new to prison who anticipated serving long terms in prison were found to report higher levels of stress and lower self-esteem than did inmates who had already completed long terms in prisons. Short-term inmates new to prison reported less depression and fewer psychosomatic illnesses in comparison to the new inmates with long sentences. Distinct subgroups of long-term offenders (lifers versus habituals) could be identified on the basis of demographics and past history. However, these groups did not differ in stress, adjustment, or self-esteem. It was concluded that inmates who were new to prison but anticipated serving long sentences in prison experienced the most stress. Inmates who had received long sentences and had already served a lengthy time in prison appeared to have developed a method of coping with the experience. (Publisher abstract)