NCJ Number
38644
Date Published
1974
Length
28 pages
Annotation
DESCRIPTION OF THE DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF AN 18 ITEM INSTRUMENT WHICH RECORDS THE HOURS PER WEEK DEVOTED TO VARIOUS USUAL ACTIVITIES: VOCATIONAL, AVOCATIONAL PHYSCAL, SOCIAL, ANTISOCIAL, PERSONAL, INTERPERSONAL.
Abstract
THE WAR WAS DEVELOPED FOR USE IN A LONGITUDINAL FOLLOW-UP STUDY OF THE RELEASED OFFENDER THAT DEALT WITH THE PREDICTIVE ANALYSIS OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR AS IT RELATES TO MORE EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION AND TREATMENT. IT WAS ADMINISTERED IN BEHAVIORAL INTERVIEWS WITH 117 SUBJECTS RELEASED OR PAROLED FROM DRAPER CORRECTIONAL CENTER, ELMORE, ALABAMA, BETWEEN OCTOBER 1970 AND JANUARY 1973. SUBJECTS WERE BEHAVIORALLY INTERVIEWED PRIOR TO RELEASE FROM PRISON AND AT POSTRELEASE INTERVALS OF 3-6 AND 12-15 MONTHS. THE DATA WERE VALIDATED AGAINST THE LAW ENCOUNTER SEVERITY SCALE (LESS), A FIVE-PART CRITERION OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR THAT RANGES FROM NO LAW ENCOUNTERS TO RETURN TO PRISON FOR A LIFE SENTENCE. RELEASEES WITH MINIMAL LAW ENCOUNTERS WERE FOUND TO DEVOTE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE TIME TO WORK, EATING AND DRINKING, CLEANLINESS, RELIGION, SHOPPING, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, HOBBIES, INTELLECTUAL ACTIVITIES, AND FAMILY ACTIVITIES. THOSE WITH MORE SEVERE LAW ENCOUNTERS ALLOCATED SIGNIFICANTLY MORE TIME TO SOCIAL BEHAVIOR, ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR, MALADAPTIVE ASSOCIATES, AND WAITING. THESE TRENDS WERE QUITE CONSISTENT: THE LESS SEVERE THE LAW ENCOUNTER THE GREATER THE AMOUNT OF TIME DEVOTED TO POSITIVE ACTIVITIES (THOSE THAT CONTRIBUTE TO SUCCESSFUL POSTRELEASE ADJUSTMENT) AND THE MORE SEVERE, THE GREATER THE AMOUNT OF TIME SPENT AT NEGATIVE ACTIVITIES. COMPARISONS OF THE RELEASEES WITH NONCRIMINAL POPULATIONS SHOWED GREATER AMOUNTS OF TIME SPENT BY THE LATTER IN POSITIVE ACTIVITIES AND LESSER AMOUNTS IN NEGATIVE ACTIVITIES. THE PREDICTIVE ACCURACY OF THE WAR WAS 80 PERCENT. REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)