NCJ Number
55857
Journal
AUSTRALIAN & NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF CRIMINOLOGY Volume: 11 Issue: 1 Dated: (MARCH 1978) Pages: 13-18
Date Published
1978
Length
6 pages
Annotation
PERSONALITY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN RECIDIVISTS AND NONRECIDIVISTS AMONG 68 MALE ADOLESCENT PROBATIONERS IN MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, ARE EXPLORED.
Abstract
THE SUBJECTS HAD BEEN PLACED ON PROBATION AT THE AGE OF 14. AFTER 12 MONTHS, 32 HAD COMMITTED NEW OFFENSES AND 36 HAD NOT. SCALES OF COMMUNITY ALIENATION, DELINQUENCY PRONENESS, AND SOCIALIZATION, WHICH HAD DISCRIMINATED BETWEEN DELINQUENTS AND NONDELINQUENTS, SHOWED LITTLE PROMISE IN DIFFERENTIATING RECIDIVISTS FROM NONRECIDIVISTS. RECIDIVISTS DID DIFFER FROM NONRECIDIVISTS ON THE SOCIAL COMPETENCE MEASURE, BUT THE DIFFERENCE WAS MINOR. THE FINDINGS INDICATE THAT THE PERSONALITY STRUCTURE MEDIATING A DELINQUENT ORIENTATION IS OF LITTLE IMPORTANCE IN ACCOUNTING FOR SHORT-TERM RECIDIVISM IN YOUNG MALE PROBATIONERS. THE RECIDIVISTS' RELATIVELY HIGH SOCIAL COMPETENCE SCORES SUGGEST THEY MIGHT RESPOND TO PEER-GROUP THERAPY. SOME OF THE RECIDIVISTS HAD MORE EXPERIENCE WITH SOCIAL SANCTIONS THAN HAD NONRECIDIVISTS, YET THE RECIDIVISTS DIFFERED ONLY SLIGHTLY FROM NONRECIDIVISTS ON MEASURES OF COMMUNITY ALIENATION. THIS FINDING STRENGTHENS THE ARGUMENT THAT THE SUBSTANTIAL DIFFERENCE IN COMMUNITY ALIENATION FOUND BETWEEN DELINQUENTS AND NONDELINQUENTS REFLECTS THE OPERATION OF A PERSONALITY VARIABLE RATHER THAN ATTITUDES ARISING FROM INVOLVEMENT IN THE LEGAL SYSTEM. PLANS TO REASSESS 14-YEAR-OLD DELINQUENTS AND NONDELINQUENTS WHEN THEY ARE 20 ARE NOTED. SUPPORTING DATA AND A LIST OF REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (LKM)