NCJ Number
47474
Date Published
1972
Length
198 pages
Annotation
TRADITIONAL CONCEPTS OF PUNISHMENT AND TREATMENT ARE DISCUSSED, AND A NEW PERCEPTION OF THE CONCEPTS AS SEPARATE, AND NOT NECESSARILY RELATED, ENTITIES ON A CONTINUUM IS PROPOSED AND TESTED.
Abstract
PUNISHMENT AND TREATMENT HAVE TRADITIONALLY BEEN CONCEPTUALIZED AS OPPOSITE POLARITIES ON A SINGLE, UNIDIMENSIONAL CONTINUUM. CONSEQUENTLY, ATTITUDES OF CORRECTIONAL WORKERS TOWARDS TREATMENT AND PUNISHMENT OF OFFENDERS HAVE VARIED. IN THIS STUDY, PUNISHMENT AND TREATMENT WERE VISUALIZED AS SEPARATE PHENOMENA WHICH ARE NOT NECESSARILY RELATED. TWO THURSTONE-TYPE ATTITUDE SCALES, ADMINISTERED BY MAILED QUESTIONNAIRES, WERE USED TO MEASURE ATTITUDES OF 107 LOUISIANA ADULT PROBATION AND PAROLE OFFICERS TOWARDS PUNISHMENT AND TREATMENT OF OFFENDERS. CORRELATION OF THE TWO SETS OF SCORES REVEALED A VERY LOW NEGATIVE SCORE, SUGGESTING THAT THERE IS NOT A HIGH DEGREE OF INVERSE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE ATTITUDES TOWARD PUNISHMENT AND TREATMENT. FOUR CLASSIFICATION GROUPS OF OFFICERS BASED ON ATTITUDE COMBINATIONS WERE NOTICEABLE: HIGH PUNISHMENT-LOW TREATMENT, LOW PUNISHMENT-HIGH TREATMENT, HIGH PUNISHMENT-HIGH TREATMENT, AND LOW PUNISHMENT-LOW TREATMENT. SYSTEMATIC VARIANCE WAS FOUND AMONG THESE GROUPS AS TO EXPERIENCE IN CORRECTIONS, EMPLOYMENT LEVEL, PRIOR EMPLOYMENT, AND MAJOR SOURCE OF INTELLECTUAL STIMULATION. THE FINDINGS SUBSTANTIATED THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE CONCEPTS OF PUNISHMENT AND TREATMENT, AND SUGGESTED A TYPOLOGY FOR GROUPING PROBATION OFFICERS. THE APPENDIXES INCLUDE A SAMPLE OF THE SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE AND VARIOUS DATA ON THE LOUISIANA PAROLE AND PROBATION SYSTEM. A BIBLIOGRAPHY IS PROVIDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--DAG)