NCJ Number
147458
Journal
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology Volume: 37 Issue: 4 Dated: (Winter 1993) Pages: 297-313
Date Published
1993
Length
17 pages
Annotation
The Tennessee Self-Concept Scale was administered to 223 American and 180 incarcerated English youthful offenders. The six empirical scales include defensive positive, general maladjustment, personality disorder, psychosis, neurosis, and personality integration.
Abstract
Both groups presented scores that indicated a disproportionately high number of institutionalized delinquents are severely behaviorally and mentally maladjusted. The American youths scored significantly higher on the psychopathology subscales than their English counterparts, suggesting a cultural difference, specifically, U.S. fostering practices which produce psychologically abnormal youth who often become involved in delinquent behavior. The two scales that were most reliable in discriminating between the two groups were the personality disorder and personality integration subscales. The results suggest that both countries tend to institutionalize offenders who present abnormally high incidence of psychopathology, and call into question the U.S. policy of abandoning the treatment model of juvenile corrections in favor of increased incarceration. 5 tables, 2 notes, and 23 references