NCJ Number
238132
Date Published
2011
Length
238 pages
Annotation
This study examined the ways in which juvenile offenders adjust to imprisonment in correctional institutions in the Netherlands.
Abstract
Major findings from the study include the following: young offenders presented positive reports on their safety, autonomy, and wellbeing during stay in a juvenile correctional institution; few young offenders self-reported clinical levels of psychosocial problems; most young offenders reported positive interaction with fellow offenders and staff members; psychological aspects of adjustment to imprisonment did not differ across gender, age, or ethnicity; young peoples' ability to adjust to imprisonment depended on both individual characteristics and characteristics of the correctional institution; and the more that young people perceived a positive social interaction among staff and fellow inmates, the safer they felt while incarcerated. This study examined the ways in juvenile offenders adjusted to imprisonment in correctional institutions in the Netherlands. Information for the study was obtained from self-reports, staff reports, file data, and office record data in a survey of 207 juvenile offenders in pre-trial detention or juvenile detention who were incarcerated in juvenile correctional institutions. The main focus of the study was to examine five aspects of the way in which young people adjust to imprisonment: perceived safety, autonomy, well-being/stress, self-reported psychosocial functioning, and (mis)behavior. The findings indicate that the social aspects of adjustment to imprisonment are related more to the psychological aspects of adjustment than to the behavior of offenders during imprisonment. These findings provide possibilities for increasing the motivation of young offenders to participate in treatment programs and activities. Tables, figures, and references