MASSACHUSETTS - DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTION - INMATES RELEASED DIRECTLY FROM A MAXIMUM SECURITY INSTITUTION DURING 1977 AND 1978

• NCJ Number: 63859
• Author(s): L T WILLIAMS
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 42 pages
• Corporate Author: Massachusetts Dept of Correction
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THIS PAPER EXAMINES INMATES RELEASED FROM A MAXIMUM SECURITY INSTITUTION IN MASSACHUSETTS (MCI-WALPOLE) DURING 1977 AND 1978, AND STUDIES RECIDIVISM DATA COLLECTED FOR THE 1977 SAMPLE.

Abstract

FOR THE STUDY, INMATES WERE DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS--THOSE WHO HAD SPEND ALL OF THEIR INSTITUTIONAL LIFE IN WALPOLE AND THOSE WHO HAD BEEN PLACED IN MEDIUM SECURITY OR HAD HAD SOME EXPOSURE TO A FORESTRY CAMP OR PRERELEASE CENTER. INDIVIDUALS IN EACH GROUP WHO PARTICIPATED IN A FURLOUGH PROGRAM WERE IDENTIFIED. FINDINGS SHOWED THAT 56 PERCENT OF THE POPULATION IN 1977 AND 49 PERCENT OF THE POPULATION IN 1978 HAD SPENT ALL THEIR INSTITUTIONAL LIFE AT WALPOLE. OF THE 1977 GROUP, 15 PERCENT HAD BEEN PLACED IN A MEDIUM SECURITY INSTITUTION DURING THEIR INCARCERATION ALONG WITH 24 PERCENT OF THE 1978 GROUPS. A TOTAL OF 29 PERCENT OF THE 1977 GROUP AND 27 PERCENT OF THE 1978 GROUP HAS SOME EXPOSURE TO A FORESTRY CAMP OR PRERELEASE CENTER DURING THEIR INCARCERATION. THE RECIDIVISM RATE IN 1977 FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO HAD EXPOSURE TO A CAMP OR PRERELEASE CENTER WAS 19 PERCENT, WHICH IS LOWER THAN THE RATES FOR OTHER SUBGROUPS OF THE SAMPLE. THE RECIDIVISM RATE FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS IN THE 1977 SAMPLES WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE FURLOUGH PROGRAM WAS 9 PERCENT COMPARED TO 31 PERCENT FOR THOSE WHO DID NOT PARTICPATE (HOWEVER, THE NUMBER OF THOSE WHO PARTICPATED IN THE FURLOUGH PROGRAM DECREASED FROM 1977 TO 1978. INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE RETURNED TO WALPOLE FROM A MEDIUM SECURITY INSTITUTION, FORESTRY CAMP, OR PRERELEASE CENTER WERE FOUND TO HAVE HIGHER RECIDIVISM RATES THE LONGER THEY SPENT IN WALPOLE BEFORE THEIR RELEASE. OF INDIVIDUALS WHO SPENT THEIR WHOLE INSTITUTIONAL LIFE AT WALPOLE, 61 PERCENT IN 1977 AND 77 PERCENT IN 1978 WERE PAROLE VIOLATORS. NONPAROLE VIOLATORS ACCOUNTED FOR 81 PERCENT IN 1977 AND 87 PERCENT PERCENT IN 1978 OF THE INDIVIDUALS WHO HAD SOME EXPOSURE TO A CAMP OR PRERELEASE CENTER BEFORE THEIR RELEASE FROM PRISON. EXTENSIVE TABULAR DATA ACCOMPANY THE REPORT. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--MJW)