SELF AND ENVIRONMENTAL PERCEPTIONS AS A PRELIMINARY MEANS OF PREDICTING POTENTIAL MANAGEMENT PROBLEMS AND POTENTIAL RECIDIVISM AMONG YOUTHS IN A CORRECTIONAL SETTING

• NCJ Number: 49308
• Author(s): K L M BUXNER
• Date Published: 1975
• Length: 110 pages
• Sale Source: UMI Dissertation Services
• Publication Type: Thesis/Dissertation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON - DISSERTATION

Annotation

THE SEMANTIC DIFFERENTIAL TECHNIQUE WAS USED TO EXAMINE SELF AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONCEPTS OF THE MALE OFFENDERS FOR PREDICTING RECIDIVISM AND MANAGEMENT PROBLEMS. EXISTING LITERATURE IN THE FIELD IS REVIEWED.

Abstract

THE PREDICTIVE INSTRUMENT WAS USED TO INVESTIGATE THE PERCEPTIONS OF 89 MALE RESIDENTS OF THE FEDERAL YOUTH CENTER, ENGLEWOOD, COLORADO, TO DETERMINE IF SUCH VARIABLES HAD PREDICTIVE VALUE IN DIFFERENTIATING GROUPS OF LEAST TROUBLE AND MOST TROUBLE RESIDENTS, AND TO ESTABLISH IF THE MOST TROUBLE GROUP RESPONDED IN A MANNER SIMILAR TO THE RECIDIVIST GROUP RATINGS. OF THE EXPERIMENTAL CONCEPTS USED TO TEST THE HYPOTHESIS, THOSE THAT WERE SIGNIFICANT WERE CONCERNED WITH SELF AND PAST PERCEPTIONS. THE LEAST TROUBLE GROUPS TENDED TO RESPOND LESS FAVORABLY TO THESE CONCEPTS. AGE, EDUCATION, CRIMES FOR WHICH RESIDENT WERE INCARCERATED, AND TENDENCY TO RESPOND IN A SOCIALLY DESIRABLE MANNER APPEARED TO BE MORE IMPORTANT VARIABLES IN PREDICTING GROUP MEMBERSHIP THAN THE EXPERIMENTAL CONCEPTS. LEAST TROUBLE GROUP MEMBERS WERE USUALLY OLDER, BETTER EDUCATED, MORE LIKELY TO RESPOND IN A SOCIALLY DESIRABLE MANNER, AND LESS LIKELY TO BE INDIAN THAN THE OTHER TWO GROUPS. THE LEAST TROUBLE RESIDENTS WERE LESS LIKELY TO BE INCARCERATED FOR THEFT, BURGLARY, AND INTERSTATE TRANSPORTATION OF STOLEN VEHICLES AND WERE USUALLY IN INSTITUTIONS FOR DRUG-RELATED CRIMES. THE MOST TROUBLE MEMBERS WERE YOUNGER, LESS EDUCATED, AND MORE LIKELY TO BE INDIAN THAN THE OTHER TWO GROUPS. RECIDIVIST GROUP MEMBERS WERE USUALLY INCARCERATED FOR INTERSTATE TRANSPORTATION OF VEHICLES AND THEFT, BUT LESS LIKELY TO HAVE COMMITTED DRUG-RELATED CRIMES. THE DEGREES OF INTERNARTIONALIZATION OF CONVENTIONAL NORMS AND VALUES, INDICATING AN ABILITY TO ADJUST TO ENVIRONMENTS AND CONTROL IMPULSIVE BEHAVIOR, WERE SUGGESTED AS POSSIBLE EXPLANATIONS FOR SOME OF THESE DIFFERENCES. THE LEAST TROUBLE GROUP'S TENDENCY TO RESPOND IN A DESIREABLE MANNER WAS PERHAPS DUE TO GREATER SENSITIVITY TOWARDS THE EXPECTATIONS OF OTHERS, AND A HIGHER NEED FOR AVOIDANCE OF PUNISHMENT. A BIBLIOGRAPHY IS INCLUDED, AND THE APPENDIXES CONTAIN TABLES, DISTRIBUTION STATISTICS, THE CORRELATIONAL MATRIX, FEDERAL PAROLE BOARD GUIDELINES, SIGNIFICANT CORRELATIONS BETWEEN EXPERIMENTAL CONCEPTS AND AMONG THE SUBJECTS GROUPS, AND REGRESSION ANALYSIS OF EACH OF THE GROUP VARIABLES. AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED. (DAG)