NCJ Number
172111
Journal
Journal of Offender Rehabilitation Volume: 25 Issue: 3/4 Dated: (1997) Pages: 159-170
Date Published
1997
Length
12 pages
Annotation
Female inmates, correctional staff, and correctional officers in a women's prison in Nebraska were surveyed to determine each group's perceptions of the prison's educational, behavior modification, and vocational programs.
Abstract
Data were collected in June 1994. The four-page survey used a Likert scale that denoted Very Important, Important, Okay, Poor, and Waste of Time. Responses came from 61 of the 110 female inmates, 17 of the 43 correctional staff, and 21 of the 37 uniformed correctional officers. Results revealed that all three groups were generally satisfied with the current programs. The majority of inmate responses were in the Very Important or Important categories. The correctional personnel also had positive ratings of the majority of programs, although they ranked more programs in the Okay category than did the inmates. The top programs from the perspective of all groups were the general equivalency diploma, adult basic education, parenting skills, life skills/cognitive self change, and HIV/AIDS education. Individual counseling was ranked fourth by the correctional staff and highly by correctional officers, but inmates did not include it in their top 10 programs. In addition, inmates, but not correctional staff or officers, indicated a high perceived need for religion. All three groups ranked college correspondence courses, culture groups, and out-of-state pre-employment counseling as having the least value. Inmates and correctional staff opposed shock incarceration programs, whereas correctional officers favored them. Findings indicated that the perceptions of women inmates, correctional staff, and correctional officers were more similar than expected. Tables and 17 references (Author abstract modified)