NCJ Number
192897
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 30 Issue: 1 Dated: January/February 2002 Pages: 19-28
Date Published
2002
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This study, which was conducted in a county jail in Maryland, used a randomized experimental design to test the effect of environmental change intended to decrease disciplinary violations among youthful offenders (n=256).
Abstract
Subjects, who ranged in age from 15 to 22, were randomized into treatment and control groups. Those randomized into the treatment group resided in the Youthful Offender Unit (YOU). Subjects assigned to the control group resided in the general population. In the YOU, inmates were exposed to a number of potentially therapeutic activities that provided many opportunities for personal development and advancement. YOU residents were housed in a dorm of approximately 40 residents. Although there was some variability in the level of staffing in the YOU, over the course of this analysis, staff presence in the YOU was always greater than in the general population. Additional correctional counselors largely accounted for the higher level of staff. During the period studied, YOU residents were exposed to an average of three sessions of Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT) per week, the MRT program seeks to facilitate an increase in the client's level of moral reasoning by requiring clients to progress through a series of steps that encompass nine stages of personality development. Activities target moral development, increasing self-control, and reducing association with delinquent peers. Inmate adjustment was quantified by using the frequency and prevalence of disciplinary violations. Findings indicated that treatment and control groups were not significantly different regarding disciplinary violations. Increasing amounts of time in YOU, however, were associated with significant decreases in disciplinary violations. 5 tables, 2 notes, and 41 references