CO-CORRECTIONS OPINION SURVEY

• NCJ Number: 67186
• Author(s): H E CAVIOR; S H COHEN
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 15 pages
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

A SCALE IS DEVELOPED TO ASSESS THE ATTITUDE OF INMATES AND STAFF TOWARD COCORRECTIONS BY MEANS OF OPINION SURVEYS TAKEN OF ONE INSTITUTION (TWICE IN 13 MONTHS) AND OF THREE OTHER INSTITUTIONS FOR COMPARISON.

Abstract

A SAMPLE OF 334 STAFF AND 530 INMATES AT THE FEDERAL CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION (FCI) IN LEXINGTON, KY., WAS TESTED. FROM A POOL OF 38 ITEMS, 13 WERE SELECTED FOR THE SCALE. A CLUSTER ANALYSIS TECHNIQUE WAS USED TO INSURE THAT THE ITEMS ALL RELATED TO A SINGLE FACTOR OR SCALE. THE REALATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE SCORE ON THE 18-ITEM SCALE AND AN INDEPENDENT MEASURE OF ATTITUDE TOWARD COCORRECTIONS WAS EXAMINED. IT WAS FOUND THAT INDIVIDUALS WHO ASSIGNED COCORRECTIONS A HIGH RANK IN TERMS OF IMPORTANCE ALSO OBTAINED HIGH SCORES (A FAVORABLE RESPONSE) ON THE NEWLY DEVELOPED ATTITUDE SCALE. THE SCALE WAS FOUND TO BE RELIABLE FOR MALES AND FEMALES, AS WELL AS FOR STAFF AND INMATES. INMATES HAD A MORE POSITIVE AVERAGE ATTITUDE THAN STAFF, AND THE MALE STAFF HAD A LESS FAVORABLE AVERAGE RESPONSE THAN FEMALE STAFF AND MALE AND FEMALE INMATES. THE SECOND TIME THE SCALE WAS ADMINISTERED (TO 182 STAFF AND 521 INMATES), THE RESPONDENTS HAD A LESS FAVORABLE AVERAGE ATTITUDE, ALTHOUGH THE SCALE WAS SHOWN TO BE BOTH RELIABLE AND STABLE, POSSIBLY BECAUSE EXTENDED EXPERIENCE WITH COCORRECTIONS MANIFESTED UNFULFILLED EXPECTATIONS, BECAUSE OF PRISON OVERCROWDING, OR BECAUSE THE 95.3 PERCENT INCREASE IN FEMALE INMATES CHANGED THE MALE TO FEMALE RATIO AND LOWERED THE AVERAGE AGE OF FEMALE INMATES BY 5 YEARS. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE SAME SCALE WAS ADMINISTERED AT FCI'S IN PLEASANTON, ENGLEWOOD, AND PETERSBURG, INVOLVING A TOTAL OF 1,313 INDIVIDUALS (INCLUDING THE FIRST STUDY AT LEXINGTON). IN GENERAL, RESULTS WERE CONSISTENT WITH THE LEXINGTON STUDIES AND SUPPORT THE FINDING THAT THE COCORRECTIONAL OPINION SURVEY IS BOTH RELIABLE AND STABLE AND THUS PROVIDES A TOOL FOR ASSESSING BOTH INMATE AND STAFF ATTITUDES TOWARD COCORRECTIONS. A LIST OF 14 REFERENCES, TABLES, AND GRAPHS ACCOMPANY THE STUDY.