NCJ Number
63841
Journal
Journal of Offender Counseling, Services and Rehabilitation Volume: 4 Issue: 1 Dated: (FALL 1979) Pages: 81-87
Date Published
1979
Length
7 pages
Annotation
VARIABLES OF BEHAVIOR, CHARACTERISTICS, AND EXPERIENCES OF FEMALES PRIOR TO INCARCERATION ARE EXAMINED TO DETERMINE IF THEY CORRELATE WITH PRISON BEHAVIOR.
Abstract
A 2-YEAR STUDY WAS CONDUCTED, USING A SAMPLE OF 216 INMATE RECORDS AT THE LOUISIANA CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTE FOR WOMEN. THE DISCIPLINARY REPORTS FOR THE FIRST YEAR OF EACH INMATE'S INCARCERATION WERE DIVIDED INTO QUARTERLY PERIODS AND EXAMINED, AND SECOND-YEAR BEHAVIOR WAS EXAMINED AS A WHOLE. FACTOR ANALYSIS WAS PERFORMED ON INDEPENDENT VARIABLES TO DISCERN ANY GROUP OR FACTORAL RELATIONSHIPS. MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS WAS USED TO TEST THE MAJOR HYPOTHESIS AND IDENTIFY INTERACTION EFFECTS AMONG THE INDEPENDENT VARIABLES. MULTIPLE REGRESSION ANALYSIS WAS USED TO FIND A LINEAR PREDICTION EQUATION AND CONTROL FOR INTERVENING VARIABLES. MULTIPLE REGRESSION ANALYSIS WAS USED TO FIND A LINEAR PREDICTION EQUATION AND CONTROL FOR INTERVENING VARIABLES. THE PROCEDURE PROVIDED STATISTICS SHOWING HOW MUCH OF THE VARIATION IN THE DEPENDENT VARIABLES WAS EXPLAINED BY THE JOINT LINEAR EFFECTS OF THE INDEPENDENT VARIABLES. TWENTY-TWO VARIABLES CHARACTERIZING INMATES PRIOR TO INCARCERATION WERE FOUND TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY RELATED TO THE NUMBER OF AGGRESSIONS AND RULE VIOLATIONS IN PRISON. THE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT IT IS POSSIBLE TO DETERMINE HIGH-RISK INMATES FROM THEIR BACKGROUND CHARACTERISTICS AND DEVELOP APPROPRIATE PROGRAMS FOR THEM. THE FINDING THAT WOMEN IN ACADEMIC AND VOCATIONAL CLASSES COMMITTED THE LEAST NUMBER OF PRISON VIOLATIONS SUGGESTS THE NEED FOR HIGH-RISK INMATES TO PARTICIPATE IN THESE PROGRAMS. (RCB)