RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN DESIRED FREEDOM AND ACTUAL THREAT TO FREEDOM IN A CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION

• NCJ Number: 67298
• Author(s): S HORMUTH; R A WICKLUND; M DALLAS; J MABLI
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 6 pages
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN INMATES' DESIRED FREEDOM AND ACTUAL THREAT TO FREEDOM WERE EXAMINED FOR A SAMPLE OF FEDERAL INMATES. RESULTS ARE INTERPRETED WITHIN THE CONCEPTS OF REACTANCE THEORY AND LEARNED HELPLESSNESS.

Abstract

SUBJECTS WERE 59 FEMALE AND 75 MALE INMATES OF A FEDERAL CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION. EXPECTATIONS ABOUT LIFE AND FREEDOMS IN THE INSTITUTION WERE ASSESSED THROUGH A 12-ITEM QUESTIONNAIRE. EACH ITEM WAS WORDED 'SHOULD YOU HAVE A CHOICE ABOUT...' AND COULD BE ANSWERED ON A 5-POINT SCALE RANGING FROM 'I SHOULD HAVE COMPLETE CHOICE' TO 'I SHOULD HAVE NO CHOICE.' THE ITEMS WERE ADDED TO OBTAIN ONE SCORE, INDICATING THE DESIRE FOR FREEDOM IN INSTITUTIONAL LIFE. AN ADDITIONAL VARIABLE CONSISTED OF RELEASE DATE CHANGES, WHICH WERE USUALLY THE RESULT OF A PAROLE BOARD ACTION TAKEN AFTER A PUNISHABLE INCIDENT INVOLVING THE INMATE. THIS VARIABLE WAS VIEWED AS AN ACTUAL THREAT TO FREEDOM. DEPENDENT VARIABLES WERE THE TRIPS TAKEN OUTSIDE THE INSTITUTION. THESE TRIPS WERE THE TRIPS TAKEN OUTSIDE THE INSTITUTION. THESE TRIPS WERE INITIATED BY A REQUEST FROM THE INMATE AND CAN THUS BE VIEWED AS ATTEMPTS TO INCREASE THE RANGE OF INMATE FREEDOMS. ANALYSES OF VARIANCE WITH RELEASE DATE CHANGE (NO/YES) AND FREEDOM (HIGH/LOW) AS INDEPENDENT VARIABLES AND THE RESPECTIVE NUMBER OF TRIPS AS DEPENDENT VARIABLES WERE PERFORMED ON THE DATA. THE INTERACTION BETWEEN RELEASE DATA CHANGE AND DESIRED FREEDOM PROVED SIGNIFICANT FOR THE NUMBER OF TRIPS WITH A STAFF MEMBER AND OVERNIGHT TRIPS. A SIGNIFICANT MAIN EFFECT WAS FOUND FOR CHANGES IN RELEASE DATE ON THE VARIABLE DAY TRIPS; NO OTHER MAIN EFFECTS WERE SIGNIFICANT. FINDINGS SUPPORT THE THEORY THAT FOR THE SUBJECTS INITIALLY MORE CONCERNED ABOUT THEIR FREEDOMS, AN ACTION OF THE PAROLE BOARD CONSTITUTES SIGNIFICANT LOSS OF CONTROL. NO FURTHER ATTEMPTS TO REGAIN CONTROL ARE THEN MADE. SUBJECTS INITIALLY LOW IN THEIR ATTEMPTS TO CONTROL, HOWEVER, WOULD TRY HARDER TO ESTABLISH A BROADER RANGE OF ACTIVITIES BY APPLYING FOR MORE TRIPS OF ALL KINDS. TABULAR DATA AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (RCB)