NCJ Number
76949
Date Published
1977
Length
34 pages
Annotation
Demographic and criminal history variables of inmates in Virginia's Mecklenburg Correctional Center were analyzed and compared to those of inmates in another maximum security institution.
Abstract
The center, first occupied in March 1977, was designed to control and treat the problem inmate who has demonstrated an inability or an unwillingness to function in other institutions. Inmates are segregated and treated individually. Data on the center's 132 adult male felons and on 80 inmates in the Powhatan Correctional Center was gathered through the Mini-Mult Prison Questionnaire, a 32-item Biographical Inventory, and an 11-item, self-report Inmate Status Inventory. The results show that the Mecklenburg inmate is a socially defiant, violence-prone, impulsive individual who has demonstrated little or no ability to learn from experience. He is relatively young and has fewer family ties than his counterpart in other maximum security units and thus has less to look forward to on the outside. Since he is facing a considerably longer sentence for a more serious crime than the typical maximum-security inmate, he has little expectation of release and less incentive to behave appropriately than the inmate who is approaching a parole date. The center's inmate is equal to other confined felons in both intelligence and tested educational level. But the Mecklenburg inmate has a juvenile record more often than other prisoners; and even though he is younger, he is just as likely to be an adult recidivist. He is also more likely to place himself in inherently violent situations, and he is more often incarcerated for crimes against persons. Finally, he has demonstrated an inability to get along with people, and has an excessive number of institutional adjustment reports in his record. Data tables and an eight-item reference list are included. (Author abstract modified)