MALADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR RECORD (MBR) - THE ROLE OF MALADAPTIVE REACTION PATTERNS IN THE ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR AND RECIDIVISM

• NCJ Number: 38645
• Author(s): W O JENKINS; M C BARTON; M D DEVINE; E K DEVALERA; J B MULLER; A D WITHERSOON; J M MCKEE
• Date Published: 1974
• Length: 26 pages
• Grant Number(s): 21-01-73-38
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Labor
• Corporate Author: Rehabilitation Research Foundation
• Sale Source: Rehabilitation Research Foundation; National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THIS PAPER FOCUSES ON THE VALIDATION OF THE MALADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR RECORD (MBR), A BEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENT THAT ANALYZES AND PREDICTS CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR.

Abstract

ITS 16 ITEMS YIELD A NUMERDICAL SCORE INDICATING THE DEGREE OF MALADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR IN THE AREAS OF OCCUPATION, INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS, ADDICTION, PSYCHOLOGICAL ADJUSTMENT, AND LEGAL AND OTHER BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS. THE INFORMATION FOR SCORING THE MBR IS COLLECTED IN A BEHAVIORAL INTERVIEW. THE MBR WAS DEVELOPED BY THE EXPERIMENTAL MANPOWER LABORATORY FOR CORRECTIONS (EMLC) AND USED IN TWO LONGITUDINAL FOLLOW-UP STUDIES TO ANALYZE CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR AND ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF INSTITUTIONAL TREATMENT ON THE POSTRELEASE ADJUSTMENT OF RELEASED OFFENDERS, PARTICULARLY IN TERMS OF LAW ENCOUNTERS AND RECIDIVISM. THE DATA IN THIS REPORT WERE OBTAINED IN THE SECOND STUDY, THE 1971 FOLLOW-UP STUDY. MBR SCORES WERE AVAILABLE FOR 119 RELEASEES FROM DRAPER CORRECTIONAL CENTER IN ELMORE, ALABAMA. THESE DATA WERE USED TO VALIDATE THE MBR AGAINST THE LAW ENCOUNTER SEVERITY SCALE (LESS), A FIVE-PART CRITERION FOR CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR THAT RANGES FROM NO LAW ENCOUNTERS TO RETURN TO PRISON FOR A LIFE SENTENCE. THE PREDICTIVE ACCURACY OF THE TOTAL SCORE IS 70% FOR ALL CASES AND ABOUT 85% FOR OUTLYING GROUPS AND SCORES. MBR ITEMS AND ITEM CLUSTERS ALSO YIELD HIGH VALIDITY. IN ADDITION TO VALIDITY, THE CONSISTENCY AND RELIABILITY OF THE MBR ARE HIGH. THE MBR STANDS AS A HIGHLY EFFECTIVE DIAGNOSTIC AND EVALUATIVE TOOL. ONE OF ITS MAIN CONTRIBUTIONS IS ITS CAPACITY FOR PINPOINTING SPECIFIC BEHAVIORAL PROBLEM AREAS FOR TREATMENT, INTERVENTION, OR RETRAINING. REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)