NCJ Number
183228
Journal
Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 27 Issue: 3 Dated: June 2000 Pages: 330-355
Date Published
June 2000
Length
26 pages
Annotation
This study investigates moral intelligence in a sample of 22 incarcerated females.
Abstract
Twenty-two incarcerated females, 20 incarcerated males and a community sample of 23 women completed four self-report measures, including a demographic measure, Adult Nowicki-Strickland Internal-External Control Scale, Hogan Empathy Scale and the Socialization, Responsibility and Self-Control subscales of the California Psychological Inventory, plus three moral dilemmas. With respect to moral character, female inmates more closely resembled their male counterparts than they did the community women. With respect to moral reasoning, female inmates were more apt to embrace an ethic of care versus justice than either of the other two groups. The three groups were best distinguished by their scores on the socialization measure. Females convicted of violent offenses had higher self-control scores than did other participants. This unclear relationship between self-control and psychopathy among females raises a number of questions overlooked in the research literature. The article briefly discusses several explanations. Tables, references