CLASS AND CASTE IDENTIFICATION AMONG NEGRO AND WHITE CORRECTIONAL PERSONNEL AND PAROLEES AS MEASURED BY THE SEMANTIC DIFFERENTIAL

• NCJ Number: 3277
• Author(s): M N FAGERSTROM
• Date Published: 1968
• Length: 28 pages
• Corporate Author: California State Dept of Corrections
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THE MAJOR QUESTION INVESTIGATED IS WHETHER THE PATTERNS OF IDENTIFICATION ARE PRIMARILY ALONG SOCIAL STATUS OR CLASS LINES.

Abstract

RESULTS INDICATE THAT IDENTIFICATION ALONG STATUS LINES IS STRONG, JUDGING FROM THE RATINGS OF CORRECTIONAL PERSONNAL, I.E., NEGRO AND WHITE CORRECTIONAL PERSONNEL SEE THEMSELVES AS MORE SIMILAR TO ONE ANOTHER THAN TO NEGRO AND WHITE PAROLEES AND HALFWAY HOUSE RESIDENTS. NEGRO AGENTS OBSCURE THE CLARITY OF THIS PATTERN TO SOME EXTENT IN THAT THEY RATE WHITE AGENTS BETWEEN THEMSELVES AND BOTH GROUPS OF PAROLEES. THESE RATINGS OF WHITE AGENTS FOLLOW THE OVERALL PATTERNS OF THE RATINGS OF NEGRO AGENTS, WHOSE RATINGS TEND TO VERGE ON NEUTRALITY. ALL OF THE RATINGS MADE BY NEGRO AGENTS EXHIBIT LESS DISPERSION AND MORE OF A TREND TOWARD THE NEUTRALNEGATIVE END OF THE SCALE THAN THE RATINGS MADE BY ANY OTHER GROUP. THIS MAY REFLECT A MORE CAUTIOUS ATTITUDE TOWARD THEIR SITUATION IN THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS. APPENDICES INDICATES CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SAMPLE POPULATION AND SAMPLE FORMS OF THE STUDY. AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED.