PRIVACY AND CORRECTIONS - A SOCIAL LEARNING APPROACH

• NCJ Number: 64858
• Journal: Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 6 Issue: 4 Dated: (DECEMBER 1979) Pages: 339-357
• Author(s): D E SMITH; R M SWANSON
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 19 pages
• Corporate Author: Sage Publications, Inc
• Sale Source: Sage Publications, Inc; UMI Dissertation Services; Institute for Scientific Information
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: PRICE QUOTED FOR SAGE IS FOR THE ENTIRE ISSUE.

Annotation

THE EFFECTS OF VARIOUS CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS ON INMATE PERCEPTIONS OF PRIVACY ARE INVESTIGATED USING A SOCIAL LEARNING APPROACH.

Abstract

THE STUDY INVESTIGATED THE EFFECTS OF SIX CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN THE SOUTHWEST AND SOUTHEAST ON INMATE VALUES AND EXPECTANCIES OF PRIVACY. THE HYPOTHESIS WAS THAT DIFFERENCES IN INMATE VALUES AND EXPECTANCIES WOULD BE OBTAINED BASED ON THE DIFFERENT STRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS OF EACH INSTITUTION. PRIVACY WAS CONCEPTUALIZED AS SOLITUDE, INTIMACY, INDIVIDUATION, AND SELF-DISCLOSURE. INMATES SELECTED BY A STRATIFIED RANDOM-SAMPLING WERE ADMINISTERED A QUESTIONNAIRE OF 32 ITEMS WITH QUESTIONS RELATING TO BOTH EXPECTANCY AND VALUE. EFFECTS ATTRIBUTED TO GENDER WERE CONTROLLED. RESULTS SUPPORTED THE HYPOTHESIS THAT INDIVIDUAL NOTIONS OF PRIVACY VARY AS A FUNCTION OF ENVIRONMENT. SUPPORT CAME ALMOST ENTIRELY FROM THE EXPECTANCY SCALES, IN WHICH MANY OF THE OBTAINED DIFFERENCES WERE SIGNIFICANT. THE ONLY DIFFERENCES OBTAINED ON THE VALUE SCALES OCCURRED WITH INTIMACY, SUGGESTING THAT ONE'S EXPECTANCY FOR PRIVACY IS MORE SENSITIVE TO ENVIRONMENTAL VARIATIONS THAN ONE'S VALUE FOR PRIVACY. OVERALL, THE RESULTS DEMONSTRATE THAT INMATE PERCEPTIONS OF PRIVACY VARY AS A FUNCTION OF THE DESIGN AND ORGANIZATION OF THE INSTITUTION, ESTABLISHING A LINK BETWEEN THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT AND THE INMATE'S PERCEPTUAL ENVIRONMENT. TABLES AND REFERENCES SUPPLEMENT THE TEXT. (MHP)