NCJ Number
53525
Date Published
1978
Length
35 pages
Annotation
THIS STUDY EXAMINES DIFFERENCES AMONG SELECTED PERSONALITY DIMENSIONS OF FELONS AND FELON-TYPES ON PROBATION, INCARCERATED FELONS, AND NONFELON POPULATIONS USING A SAMPLE OF 441 FELONS FROM 12 TEXAS JURISDICTIONS.
Abstract
MACH V SCALES (USED TO ASSESS DEGREES OF MANIPULATIVE TENDENCIES), MULTIDIMENSIONAL I-E SCALES (USED TO DETERMINE DEGREES OF SELF-CONTROL), AND ANXIETY SCALES WERE ADMINISTERED TO THE TWO GROUPS OF FELONS. THEIR RESPONSES WERE GROUPED INTO THREE CRIME CATEGORIES, PERSON CRIMES, PROPERTY CRIMES, AND DRUG CRIMES, AND THEN ANALYZED. DATA WERE ALSO OBTAINED ON THE RACE AND SEX OF PROBATIONERS AS WELL AS ON THEIR PROBATION STATUS. THE SCORES WERE COMPUTED, CORRELATED, COMPARED ACROSS CRIME TYPES, AND FINALLY COMPARED WITH THE SCORES OF NORMAL POPULATIONS. RESULTS OF THE COMPARISONS INDICATE THAT NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES EXIST AMONG THE VARIOUS GROUPS REGARDING MANIPULATIVE TENDENCIES. CONSISTENT DIFFERENCES APPEAR BETWEEN NONFELON AND PROBATED-FELON POPULATIONS, AND PROBATED-FELON AND INCARCERATED-FELON GROUPS, REGARDING THEIR ABILITY TO EXERT AND MAINTAIN SELF-CONTROL. PROBATED FELONS SEEM TO BE MORE CONTROLLED BY EXTERNAL CIRCUMSTANCES; THEY INDICATE A STRONGER BELIEF THAT POWERFUL PERSONS AND CHANCE FORCE AND LUCK HAVE CONTROL OVER THEIR LIVES THAN NONFELON POPULATIONS. THIS PERTAINED PARTICULARLY TO FELONS CONVICTED OF PROPERTY CRIMES. PROBATED-FELONS ALSO SEEM TO BE THE MOST ANXIOUS OF ALL THE GROUPS TESTED. IMPLICATIONS ARE THAT PROBATION MIGHT BE MORE EFFECTIVE IF IT WAS INITIATED IN A FRAMEWORK OF HIGHLY STRUCTURED SUPERVISION WITH MAXIMUM DIRECTION PROVIDED BY OFFICERS OR SOME OTHER POWERFUL AUTHORITY FIGURE SUCH AS THE DIRECTOR OF A COMMUNITY CORRECTIONAL PROGRAM. (DAG)