Relationship Between Prisonization and Social Skills Among Prison Inmates

• NCJ Number: 171336
• Journal: Prison Journal Volume: 76 Issue: 3 Dated: (September 1996) Pages: 293-309
• Author(s): D P Lawson; C Segrin; T D Ward
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 17 pages
• Sale Source: NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study of the process of organizational assimilation and how it was affected by social skills within the context of a midwestern correctional facility demonstrated links between prisonization, internal and external communication, and powerlessness.

Abstract

Of 290 surveys made available to inmates, 132 were completed, for a response rate of 46 percent; 15 respondents were women, and the remaining 117 respondents were men. The following variables were assessed using a combination of open-ended and closed-ended questions in a 55-item survey: Organizational Structure and Prisonization Scale, information seeking, external communication, social skills, and demographics. Although findings supported links between prisonization, amount of internal and external communication, and powerlessness, inmate prisonization was not related to social skills. The assimilation of inmates into the prison culture was influenced by intra- and extra-prison variables. Study limitations are noted, and further research is recommended to determine how inmate assimilation and communication influence such important processes as rehabilitation and recidivism. 48 references, 2 notes, and 2 tables