NCJ Number
146515
Journal
Journal of Offender Rehabilitation Volume: 20 Issue: 1/2 Dated: (1993) Pages: 93-113
Date Published
1993
Length
21 pages
Annotation
A cross-sectional analysis of the relationship between social climate and inmate adjustment patterns was conducted in 10 prisons.
Abstract
Perceptions of the climate in each prison were measured using Wright's Prison Environment Inventory. Six indicators of individual adjustment were used to measure outcome behavior among the 942 randomly sampled inmates. The data were analyzed using stepwise regression analysis. Results were consistent with those of organizational psychologists who have applied the concept of climate to other settings and with related prison behavioral studies. Specifically, the provision of support for self-advancement and improvement is related to positive prison adjustment. In addition, prisons with less structure and more opportunities for self-efficacy experience fewer behavioral problems. Findings also suggested that the relationship occurs at the organizational rather than individual level and indicated that greater structure may reduce control instead of increasing it. Tables and 56 references