NCJ Number
17137
Date Published
1974
Length
179 pages
Annotation
THIS REPORT OUTLINES PLANS FOR RESEARCH INTO INMATES' VIEWS OF PAROLE AND DESCRIBES THE RESULTS OF A PILOT STUDY OF INMATES AND PAROLE IN ONTARIO REFORM INSITUTIONS.
Abstract
BOTH NATIONAL AND ONTARIO (PROVINCIAL PAROLE WERE SURVEYED FROM THE VIEWPOINT OF 188 INMATES IN SIX ONTARIO REFORM INSTITUTIONS. COOPERATION WAS RECEIVED FROM OVER 95 PERCENT OF THE SUBJECTS. IN EACH CHAPTER, FINDINGS FROM THE INMATES' VIEWPOINT ARE CONTRASTED WITH OTHER AVAILABLE DATA ON PAROLE. DISCREPANCIES ARE POINTED OUT AND, WHERE POSSIBLE, CONJECTURES ARE MADE AS TO THE ORIGINS OF THE DIFFERENCES. THE EXISTANCE OF TWO PAROLE SYSTEMS APPEARED TO BE A SOURCE OF CONFUSION AMONG ONTARIO REFORM INSTITUTION INMATES. THE MAJORITY OF INMATES INTERVIEWED WERE UNABLE TO ESTIMATE PAROLE RATES ACCURATELY, OVERESTIMATING NATIONAL PAROLE APPLICATION RATES AND PAROLE FAILURE RATES. PAROLE HEARINGS FOR ANY PAROLE DECISIONS WERE CONSIDERED TO BE VERY IMPORTANT. INMATE POST-RELEASE EXPECTATIONS WERE JUDGED TO BE FAIRLY REALISTIC. THE QUESTIONNAIRE USED IN THE INTERVIEW PROCESS IS INCLUDED IN THE APPENDIX ALONG WITH TABLES OF DATA FROM THE STUDY AND PRISONER STATISTICS. A BIBLIOGRAPHY IS ALSO PROVIDED.