NCJ Number
56860
Journal
BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIAL AND CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY Volume: 17 Dated: (1978) Pages: 251-254
Date Published
1978
Length
4 pages
Annotation
A BATTERY OF PERSONALITY TESTS PLUS MEASURES OF APTITUDE AND INTELLIGENCE FOUND THAT BOYS WHO WERE REARRESTED WITHIN 2 YEARS OF THE INITIAL STUDY HAD LOWER READING AND ARITHMETIC SCORES, HIGHER ANTISOCIAL FACTOR SCORES.
Abstract
THE STUDY INVOLVED 315 BOYS SERVING 3-TO 6-MONTH SENTENCES AT THE MEDOMSLEY DETENTION CENTRE, DURHAM, ENGLAND. COURT RECORDS WERE USED TO FOLLOW THEM UNTIL 1975, BY WHICH TIME 191 HAD BEEN REARRESTED. THE RESEARCH USED A VARIETY OF PERSONALITY AND SCHOLASTIC APTITUDE MEASURES WHICH HAD NOT BEEN PREVIOUSLY RELATED TO RECIDIVISM--THE HOSTILITY AND DIRECTION OF HOSTILITY QUESTIONNAIRE, THE PSYCHOLOGICAL SCREENING INVENTORY, THE SIXTEEN PERSONALITY FACTOR QUESTIONNAIRE, RAVEN'S MATRICES READING TEST, THE SCHONELL READING TEST, AND A SPECIAL ARITHMETIC TEST DEVELOPED FOR USE IN PRISONS. TABLES GIVE DETAILED TEST RESULTS FOR THE RECIDIVISTS AND THE 124 NONRECIDIVISTS. IN CONFIRMATION OF PREVIOUS STUDIES, THIS PROFILE FINDS THAT RECIDIVISTS BEGIN THEIR CRIMINAL CAREERS EARLIER THAN NONRECIDIVISTS. ALTHOUGH THEY HAVE THE SAME GENERAL INTELLIGENCE LEVEL, THEY HAVE LOWER READING AND ARITHMETIC SCORES. THE VARIOUS PERSONALITY TESTS ALL SHOW GREATER DEGREES OF EXTRAPUNITIVE HOSTILITY AND SOCIAL NONCONFORMITY. A SPECIAL STUDY OF 60 BOYS WHO HAD EXCEPTIONALLY LOW READING SCORES FOUND A SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ILLITERACY AND RECIDIVISM (P LESS THAN 0.05). REMEDIAL EDUCATION IS RECOMMENDED AS A POSSIBLE DETERRENT TO RECIDIVISM. NUMEROUS REFERENCES ARE APPENDED. (GLR)