NCJ Number
37506
Journal
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF CRIMINOLOGY AND CORRECTIONS Volume: 18 Issue: 4 Dated: (OCTOBER 1976) Pages: 387-400
Date Published
1976
Length
14 pages
Annotation
THE ROLE PERCEPTION THAT CORRECTIONAL STAFF, WHITE INMATES, AND INDIAN INMATES HAD OF THEMSELVES AND EACH OTHER WERE COMPARED IN THIS STUDY WHICH UTILIZED A PARTICIPANT COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH APPROACH.
Abstract
TO AVOID ANTAGONISTIC OR NEGATIVE FEELINGS FROM THE RESEARCH SUBJECTS, THE EXPERIMENTER SOUGHT TO INVOLVE THE PARTICIPANTS - BOTH STAFF AND INMATES - IN THREE STAGES OF THE EXPERIMENT: CONSTRUCTION OF THE EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN, ACTUAL TESTING, AND FEEDBACK FROM THE DATA ANALYSIS. IN THIS STUDY, INMATES AND STAFF COMPLETED A ROLE PERCEPTION INSTRUMENT WHICH MEASURED THEIR CONCEPTS OF THE TYPICAL AND IDEAL OFFICER AND THE TYPICAL AND IDEAL RESIDENT. THE EXPERIMENTER HYPOTHESIZED THAT: (1) THE PARTICIPANTS WOULD NOT PERCEIVE A DISCREPANCY BETWEEN THE TYPICAL AND IDEAL CONCEPTS REFERRING TO THEIR OWN GROUP BUT WOULD RATE A DISCREPANCY BETWEEN THE TYPICAL AND IDEAL CONCEPTS OF THE OTHER GROUP; (2) BOTH OFFICER AND RESIDENT PARTICIPANTS WOULD FAVOURABLY PERCEIVE THEIR PARTICIPATION IN THE RESEARCH. THE RESULTS OF THE EXPERIMENT TENDED TO CONFIRM THESE HYPOTHESES. OFFICERS AND RESIDENTS PERCEIVED A RATHER LARGE DISCREPANCY BETWEEN THE TYPICAL AND IDEAL CONCEPT OF THE OTHER GROUP, BUT THIS EFFECT WAS MOST PRONOUNCED FOR THE OFFICERS AND LEAST SO FOR THE INDIAN INMATES. IT WAS ALSO FOUND THAT THE WHITE INMATES HAD QUITE NEGATIVE SELF-IMAGES, BASED ON THEIR RATINGS OF THE TYPICAL RESIDENT. THE EXPERIMENTER NOTES THAT THE COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH METHOD WAS WELL RECEIVED BY BOTH INMATES AND STAFF. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)