NCJ Number
52616
Journal
OFFENDER REHABILITATION Volume: 2 Issue: 4 Dated: (SUMMER 1978) Pages: 303-325
Date Published
1978
Length
23 pages
Annotation
PRELIMINARY DATA AND TENTATIVE CONCLUSIONS ARE PRESENTED FOR A STUDY COMPARING THE IMPACT ON INMATES OF PRISON ENVIRONMENTS IN COCORRECTIONAL AND SEXUALLY SEGREGATED INSTITUTIONS.
Abstract
CERTAIN ELEMENTS OF THE PRISON ENVIRONMENT AND INMATE BEHAVIOR ARE COMPARED FOR THE FOLLOWING FEDERAL CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS: ALDERSON (W. VA.), A FEMALE PRISON; SEAGOVILLE (TEX.), A MALE PRISON; AND FORT WORTH (IND.) AND LEXINGTON (KY.), CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS HOUSING BOTH MALE AND FEMALE INMATES (COCORRECTIONAL). DATA COLLECTED OVER A 4-MONTH PERIOD IN 1977 WERE TAKEN FROM PRISON INCIDENT REPORTS, THE CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS ENVIRONMENTAL SCALE (MEASURING SOCIAL CLIMATE), 'PRISONIZATION' INFLUENCES (MEASURES OF REINFORCING INFLUENCES FOR CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR), MEASURES OF INMATE AND STAFF ATTITUDES, AND BACKGROUND VARIABLES CONSIDERED IMPORTANT IN COMPARING THE INMATE POPULATIONS. THE NATURE OF EACH OF THE MEASURES AND THE RESULTS OBTAINED FROM EACH ARE DISCUSSED. PRELIMINARY ANALYSES SHOW THAT ALTHOUGH THERE IS AN APPARENT DECREMENT WITH INCREASING SIZE, THE COCORRECTIONAL ENVIRONMENT SEEMS TO FACILITATE POSITIVE GROWTH MORE THAN THE SINGLE-SEX INSTITUTIONS. IN COCORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS THE RATE OF ASSAULTS IS MUCH LOWER, PRIZONIZATION INFLUENCES LESS, MOTIVATION AMONG INMATES FOR PROGRAM PARTICIPATION HIGHER, AND THE ENVIRONMENT MORE HUMANE AND SAFER FOR BOTH INMATES AND STAFF. IT IS ACKNOWLEDGED THAT MORE EXTENSIVE STUDY WITH BETTER CONTROLS IS NEEDED. ESPECIALLY NEEDED FOR COMPARISON PURPOSES AND GENERALIZABILITY ARE STUDIES OF MINIMUM-SECURITY SINGLE-SEX FEMALE INSTITUTIONS. SUPPORTING DATA AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. A TABLE DESCRIBING THE RECIDIVISM RATE OF FORT WORTH INMATES IS APPENDED. (RCB)