NCJ Number
78946
Journal
Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency Volume: 18 Issue: 2 Dated: (July 1981) Pages: 272-294
Date Published
1981
Length
23 pages
Annotation
The attitudes of a sample of Connecticut prison officers toward inmates and treatment programs were examined to test the hypothesis that among prison officers, perceived group norms differ substantially and systematically from the views actually expressed by group members.
Abstract
This hypothesis is based on the concept of 'pluralistic ignorance,' the phenomenon in which members of a group systematically misperceive the attitudes and beliefs of their fellow group members. The present study hypothesized that officers would be perceived by other officers as less sympathetic to inmates and treatment than they reported themselves to be. A total of 273 officers from 9 correctional institutions completed part or all of a questionaire which contained 8 hypothetical conflict situations that officers actually face in their working lives. The questions concerned officers' attitudes about their relationship to inmates and their attitudes about treatment. Results showed that in each of the situations, officers perceived their colleagues as being less sympathetic to inmates and treatment than they reported themselves to be. Officers holding sympathetic attitudes were likely to see themselves as isolated from the officer group, whereas officers holding attitudes unsympathetic to inmates and treatment tended to view themselves as being in the mainstream of opinion, regardless of the majority view. In addition, officers tended to perceive unanimity among their colleages even when consensus was lacking. When coupled with research on inmate attitudes, findings indicate the existence of two subcultures within penal institutions. The effects of perceptions and of pluralistic ignorance on behavior within prisons should be studied. Footnotes, tables presenting the study instrument and results, and 28 references are provided. (Author abstract modified)