Prison Behavior and Parole Outcome

• NCJ Number: 113044
• Author(s): R Barberet; E J Dolan; R Lunden
• Date Published: 1988
• Length: 33 pages
• Corporate Author: Massachusetts Parole Board
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Presented at the Annual Meetings of the American Society of Criminology, November 11-14, 1987 at Montreal, Canada.

Annotation

This study explores the relationship between prison behavior and parole outcome for a sample of 705 Massachusetts State parolees released in 1985.

Abstract

By controlling for a priori risk via scores from the Massachusetts Parole Board's risk assessment form, the study concentrates on prison misconduct factors related to recidivism and not to a predetermined risk factor. Variables used to measure prison behavior included type, severity, quantity and frequency of disciplinary reports, periods spent in isolation, escape history, furloughs, returns to higher security, security from which paroled and overall movement through security levels from commitment to release. Greater statistical significance is shown for the relationship between negative prison behavior and recidivism for the 'high' risk group than is shown for the 'low/moderate' risk groups.