NCJ Number
82293
Journal
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology Volume: 14 Issue: 4 Dated: (December 1981) Pages: 253-257
Date Published
1981
Length
5 pages
Annotation
Findings are presented from an Australian study that examined differences in the characteristics of offenders who did and did not breach their sentences of weekly attendance at the Western Suburbs Attendance Centre (WSAC), a community-based alternative to institutionalization.
Abstract
Those sentenced to WSAC are allowed to remain free in the community while attending the center 15 hours a week for rehabilitation programs and supervised work. Information on offenders was obtained from WSAC files for 24 who breached their attendance requirements and 36 nonbreachers. Findings showed that the greater the length of sentence, the less likely a person is to complete his/her sentence. Further, only 8 of the 24 in the breached group were employed, compared to 16 out of 36 in the nonbreached group. In the breached group, 5 admitted to the regular use of heroin, while there were no admitted heroin users in the nonbreached group. Seventy-five percent of the nonbreached group were judged by the staff to have an alcohol problem, compared to only 25 percent of the breached group. The nonbreached group had a mean age of 27, while the breached group had a mean age of 21. Overall, the nonbreached group appeared to have more stability and responsibility in the community than the breached group. Tabular data and three references are provided.