RELATIONSHIP OF TIME PERSPECTIVE TO PRISONER PARTICIPATION AND SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF A REHABILITATION PROGRAM

• NCJ Number: 65966
• Author(s): R P SCHOENROCK
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 106 pages
• Sale Source: UMI Dissertation Services
• Publication Type: Thesis/Dissertation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: SPECIAL PRICES FOR ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS. UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI - DOCTORAL DISSERTATION

Annotation

TWO PERSPECTIVES TOWARD TIME AMONG PRISON INMATES ARE INVESTIGATED IN TERMS OF INMATE PARTICIPATION IN PRISON REHABILITATION PROGRAMS.

Abstract

THE THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE STUDY IS BASED LARGELY ON THE WORK OF SHOSTROM (1964) IN HIS DEVELOPMENT OF THE TIME-ORIENTATION CONCEPT. SHOSTROM DETERMINED THAT SELF-ACTUALIZATON IS DEPENDENT UPON THE DEGREE TO WHICH A PERSON'S MIND SET IS ORIENTED TOWARD THE PAST, THE PRESENT, OR THE FUTURE. THOSE WHO CONSTANTLY REVIEW THE PAST OR IDEALIZE ABOUT THE FUTURE WERE FOUND TO BE LESS SELF-ACTUALIZING THAN THOSE ORIENTED TOWARD THE PRESENT. THE EFFECTS OF SUCH TIME ORIENTATIONS ON A SAMPLE OF 80 INMATES OF THE DADE COUNTY STOCKADE (FLORIDA) IN RELATION TO THEIR PROGRAM PARTICIPATION WERE INVESTIGATED. SUBJECTS WERE SERVING 1 YEAR SENTENCES FOR A VARIETY OF OFFENSES. ALL WERE MALES RANGING IN AGE FROM 17 TO 32 YEARS. A TOTAL OF 15 INMATES ENTERING AND 15 INMATES NOT ENTERING REHABILITATION PROGRAMS WERE ADMINISTERED THE PERSONAL ORIENTATION INVENTORY, THE ACHIEVEMENT TEST-READING VOCABULARY, AND THE SHIPLEY-HARTFORD EXAMINATION. THE REMAINDER OF THE STUDY FOCUSED ON FOUR TYPES OF TREATMENT GROUPS (TWO TIME-ORIENTED AND TWO NONSPECIFIC), EACH OF WHICH WAS CONDUCTED BY ONE OF TWO THERAPISTS. A FIFTH GROUP (MEMBERS OF WHICH WERE ALSO PARTICIPATING IN REHABILITATION PROGRAMS), WHICH RECEIVED NO GROUP INTERVENTION, WAS ALSO INCLUDED. RESULTS SHOWED THAT WHO CHOSE TO ENTER REHABILITATION PROGRAMS EXHIBITED A SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER LEVEL OF TIME COMPETENCY (ORIENTED TOWARD THE PRESENT) THAN INMATES WHO DID NOT ENTER SUCH PROGRAMS. HOWEVER, THOSE WHO ENTERED AND THEN DROPPED OUT OF REHABILITATION PROGRAMS DID NOT DIFFER IN TIME COMPETENCY SCORES FROM THOSE WHO REMAINED. RESULTS SHOWED THAT TRADITIONAL COUNSELING GROUPS ARE APPARENTLY AS EFFECTIVE IN INFLUENCING THE LEVEL OF TIME COMPETENCY IN INMATES AS ARE STRUCTURED GROUPS FOCUSING ON TIME-RELATED ISSUES. SUBJECTS RECEIVING GROUP INTERVENTION SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN TIME COMPETENCY; WHEREAS, THOSE NOT RECEIVING GROUP INTERVENTION EXPERIENCED NO CHANGE IN TIME COMPETENCY. MATERIALS USED IN THE STUDY AND ELABORATION ON TEXT MATERIAL ARE PROVIDED IN THE APPENDIXES. TABULAR DATA AND REFERENCES ARE ALSO INCLUDED. (RCB)