NCJ Number
47083
Date Published
1978
Length
94 pages
Annotation
AN INVESTIGATION IS UNDERTAKEN OF THE PROBLEM OF PSYCHOLOGICAL CHANGE MANIFESTED IN OFFENDERS SUBJECT TO EXTENDED INCARCERATION.
Abstract
THE INVESTIGATION IS AIMED AT ANALYZING IF, AND TO WHAT PSYCHOMETRICALLY EXAMINABLE DEGREE, A PRISONER'S INTELLECTUAL DETERIORATION IS DUE TO THE BASIC CONDITION OF INCARCERATION. QUESTIONS SUCH AS WHETHER CERTAIN TYPES OF PRISONERS ARE DISTINCTLY SUSCEPTIBLE TO MENTAL DETERIORATION; WHETHER VARIABLES EXIST THAT IDENTIFY THESE TYPES; AND WHAT, IF ANY, LEVEL OF STATISTICAL PREDICTION IS PERMITTED BY THESE VARIABLES ARE ALSO OF CONCERN. CONSEQUENCES OF PRISON CONFINEMENT ARE DISCUSSED, INCLUDING EROSION OF INDIVIDUALITY, DISCULTURATION, ESTRANGEMENT, PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DAMAGE, ISOLATION, AND STIMULUS DEPRIVATION. THE CONCEPTUALIZATION AND MEASUREMENT OF MENTAL DETERIORATION IS EXAMINED; A DEFINITION OF MENTAL DETERIORATION IS PRESENTED, AND THE WECHSLER INDEX OF DETERIORATION IS EXAMINED. CRITICAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE WECHSLER INDEX AND NOTES ON ALTERNATIVE MEASURES ARE PRESENTED. THE GOALS AND METHODOLOGY OF THE RESEARCH ARE DISCUSSED, AS WELL AS SAMPLE SELECTION AND DATA GATHERING TECHNIQUES. TABULAR REPRESENTATIONS AND DISCUSSION OF THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SAMPLE ARE PROVIDED. THESE CHARACTERISTICS INCLUDE EDUCATION, OCCUPATION, PLACE OF BIRTH AND AREA OF RESIDENCE, HISTORY OF DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS, TRANSFERS, AND LENGTH OF DETENTION FOR COMPARATIVE SAMPLES OF AMERICAN AND ITALIAN PRISONERS. AN EXAMINATION OF THE NATURE, QUANTITY, AND MEANING OF DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE GROUPS IN RELATION TO MENTAL DETERIORATION VARIABLES WAS UNDERTAKEN USING TWO TYPES OF STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: FACTOR ANALYSIS AND VARIANCE ANALYSIS. DATA GENERATED IN THE COURSE OF THE ANALYSIS OF BOTH SAMPLES ARE PRESENTED IN TABULAR FORM AND DISCUSSED IN TWO PARTS. ONE IS DEVOTED TO THE RESULTS OF THE FACTOR ANALYSIS, AND THE OTHER CONCERNS THE RESULTS OF VARIANCE ANALYSIS. NOTES ON INTERPRETATION, STATISTICAL DATA GENERATED ON BOTH THE ITALIAN AND AMERICAN SAMPLES, AND COMPARATIVE OBSERVATIONS ON THESE DATA ARE PRESENTED IN RELATION TO EACH METHOD OF ANALYSIS. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT DEGREES OF INTELLECTUAL DETERIORATION DO NOT CORRELATE IN A UNIFORM AND CONSTANT WAY WITH THE LENGTH OF INCARCERATION. INTELLECTUAL DETERIORATION IS DIFFERENTIALLY DISTRIBUTED WITHIN THE PRISON POPULATION, STRIKING TO A GREATER EXTENT THOSE PRISONERS WHO ARE LESS PREPARED AND LESS PROTECTED BY THEIR INTERIOR RESOURCES AGAINST THE UNIFORM, NONSTIMULATING, AND COERCIVE ENVIRONMENT OF THE MODERN PRISON. A SAMPLE SURVEY CARD AND BIBLIOGRAPHY ARE PROVIDED. FOR THE ORIGINAL ITALIAN VERSION, SEE NCJ-44475. (KBL)