NCJ Number
15864
Journal
British Journal of Criminology Volume: 14 Issue: 4 Dated: (OCTOBER 1974) Pages: 359-368
Date Published
1974
Length
10 pages
Annotation
EXAMINES SCORES ON DIFFERENT PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS AND DISCUSSES VARIABLES ASSOCIATED WITH PRISONER SELECTION OR DENIAL OF PAROLE.
Abstract
IN THE COURSE OF AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE EFFECTS OF LONG-TERM IMPRISONMENT, 200 PRISONERS WERE TESTED ON A WIDE VARIETY OF PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS, AND INFORMATION FROM FILES ON THEIR SOCIAL AND CRIMINOLOGICAL BACKGROUND WAS NOTED. THE SAME PRISONERS WERE RETESTED AFTER A MEAN INTERVAL OF 19.08 MONTHS, AND IT WAS FOUND THAT 36 HAD BEEN RELEASED ON PAROLE. THIS PAPER COMPARES THE RESULTS OF THESE 36 WITH THOSE OF 84 PRISONERS MATCHED FOR AGE AND TYPE OF SENTENCE, WHO HAD BEEN CONSIDERED FOR PAROLE BUT HAD NOT BEEN RELEASED, IN AN ATTEMPT TO SEE WHICH CRITERIA GUIDE THE PAROLE BOARD IN THEIR SELECTION OF MEN FOR PAROLE. IT WAS FOUND THAT THE PAROLED PRISONERS HAD SIGNIFICANTLY MORE STABLE MARITIAL RELATIONSHIPS, WERE OLDER AT THEIR FIRST CONVICTION, HAD FEWER PREVIOUS CONVICTIONS, LESS SERIOUS PREVIOUS CONVICTIONS, FEWER OFFENCES IN PRISON DURING THE TWELVE MONTHS PRIOR TO TESTING, MORE INTERESTING JOBS IN PRISON, AND TENDED TO BE IN A PREFERABLE PRISON. ON THE PSYCHOLOGICAL TEST, THEY SCORED HIGHER THAT THE DETAINED PRISONERS ON WAIS SIMILARITIES SUBTEST, EMOTIONAL MATURITY SPONTANEITY, AND LOWER ON WORRY-PRONENESS. THESE RESULTS WERE INTERPRETED AS DEMONSTRATING THAT THE PAROLED PRISONERS TENDED TO BE MORE MATURE AND BETTER ADJUSTED THAN THE DETAINED PRISONERS. THE RESULTS WERE DISCUSSED IN RELATION TO AMERICAN PAROLE FINDINGS, AND IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT THE PAROLE BOARD IN THIS COUNTRY SEEMS, WITH LONG-TERM PRISONERS, TO BE USING THOSE VARIABLES AS CRITERIA FOR RELEASE WHICH AMERICAN STUDIES HAVE SHOWN TO BE MOST INDICATIVE OF NON-RECIDIVISM.