NCJ Number
4524
Journal
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF CRIMINOLOGY AND CORRECTIONS Volume: 14 Issue: 2 Dated: (APRIL 1972) Pages: 108-119
Date Published
1972
Length
12 pages
Annotation
DIFFERENCES IN INMATE STEREOTYPES AMONG SOCIAL WORKERS ARE MEASURED BY MEANS OF THE BASES UPON WHICH THEY ARE FOUNDED.
Abstract
REPORTS BY SOCIAL WORKERS BASED ON WRITTEN MATERIAL, INTERVIEWS, AND A COMBINATION OF THE TWO WERE ANALYZED AS TO THEIR CONTENT ON THE DIMENSIONS OF POSITIVE VERSUS SOCIETY ORIENTED STATEMENTS. THE FINDINGS INDICATED THAT STEREOTYPES DRAWN FROM WRITTEN MATERIAL RESULTED IN MORE EXTREME POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE IMPRESSIONS WHICH EMPHASIZED THE INMATE'S ADJUSTMENT TO SOCIETY. STEREOTYPES DRAWN FROM INTERVIEWS AND THE COMBINED INTERVIEW AND WRITTEN MATERIAL WERE SIMILAR, SUGGESTING THAT IMPRESSIONS DRAWN FROM INTERVIEWS TENDED TO BLOCK OUT THESE DRAWN FROM WRITTEN MATERIAL. IMPLICATIONS ARE DISCUSSED IN TERMS OF CASEWORK AND THE INTERPRETATION OF RECORDS AND INVESTIGATIVE REPORTS BY CORRECTIONAL WORKERS.