STUDY OF SELECTED FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH FORMAL NORMATIVE INMATE BEHAVIOR AT THE MARYLAND STATE CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION

• NCJ Number: 53886
• Author(s): V J BROWN
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 186 pages
• Sale Source: UMI Dissertation Services
• Publication Type: Thesis/Dissertation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: SOUTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY - DOCTORAL DISSERTATION

Annotation

IN A STUDY OF FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH INMATE DEVIATION FROM FORMAL RULES AND REGULATIONS, 110 INMATES AT THE MARYLAND CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION AT HAGERSTOWN WERE INTERVIEWED AND THEIR RECORDS EXAMINED.

Abstract

THE STUDY HAD THE FOLLOWING OBJECTIVES: (1) THE DEVELOPMENT OF A THEORETICAL MODEL CAPABLE OF ANALYZING FORMAL NORMATIVE BEHAVIORAL PATTERNS OF INCARCERATED INDIVIDUALS, (2) THE DEVELOPMENT OF INSTRUMENTS FOR MEASURING FORMAL NORMATIVE BEHAVIOR AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SET OF RELATED VARIABLES, (3) THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE DEGREE OF ASSOCIATION BETWEEN SELECTED VARIABLES AND FORMAL NORMATIVE BEHAVIOR OF INMATES, AND (4) THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN INDEX FOR PREDICTION OF INMATES' PROPENSITY TO CONFORM TO OR DEVIATE FROM INSTITUTIONAL NORMS. USING A STRUCTURAL DETERMINISTIC MODEL, FOUR CLASSIFICATIONS OF INDEPENDENT VARIABLES WERE DEVELOPED: (1) PAST PERSONAL VARIABLES (FAMILY COHESION, AREA OF SOCIALIZATION, DIFFERENTIAL ASSOCIATION, SOCIAL CLASS, AND RESIDENTIAL MOBILITY), (2) PRESENT PERSONALITY VARIABLES (AGE, MARITAL STATUS, RACE, EDUCATION, AND RELIGIOSITY), (3) CRIME AND SENTENCE VARIABLES (TYPE OF CRIME, LENGTH OF SENTENCE, PROPORTION OF SENTENCE COMPLETED, AGE AT FIRST ARREST, AND RECIDIVISM), AND (4) PRESENT SOCIAL VARIABLES (VISITATIONS, JOB SATISFACTION, ATTITUDES TOWARDS PRISON OFFICIALS, AND VOLUNTARY FORMAL ORGANIZATIONAL PARTICIPATION). FOR THE STUDY, 110 INMATES WERE RANDOMLY SELECTED FROM THE POPULATION OF APPROXIMATELY 1000 INMATES. A STRUCTURAL THEORETICAL ORIENTATION WAS USED IN THE STUDY, THE BASIC ASSUMPTION BEING THAT EXTERNAL SOCIAL FACTORS ARE THE PRIMARY EFFECTS ON THE BEHAVIOR OF INDIVIDUALS. THE STUDY'S FIRST TWO OBJECTIVES WERE MET PRIOR TO DATA ANALYSIS. SIX VARIABLES WERE FOUND TO SIGNIFICANTLY ASSOCIATE WITH FORMAL NORMATIVE INMATE BEHAVIOR. THESE VARIABLES WERE DIFFERENTIAL ASSOCIATION, EDUCATION, MARITAL STATUS, TYPE OF CRIME, LENGTH OF SENTENCE, AND VOLUNTARY FORMAL ORGANIZATIONAL PARTICIPATION. IN ADDITION, AN EQUATION WAS DEVELOPED FOR PREDICTING FORMAL NORMATIVE INMATE BEHAVIOR. BIBLIOGRAPHY, TABLES, AND DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENTS ARE APPENDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--MLC)