SURVEY OF IOWA'S CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS - MAY 1978

• NCJ Number: 66575
• Author(s): J BOUDOURIS
• Date Published: 1980
• Length: 96 pages
• Corporate Author: Iowa Dept of Social Services
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

INMATE-STAFF RELATIONS AND GENERAL INMATE ATTITUDES TOWARD CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS AND PROGRAMS WERE SURVEYED AT IOWA'S SEVEN CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN 1979.

Abstract

THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE FINDINGS OF A RECENT SURVEY OF THE SOCIAL CLIMATE IN IOWA'S SEVEN CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS. A QUESTIONNAIRE, OBTAINED FROM THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF PRISONS, CONTAINING THE 90-ITEM CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS ENVIRONMENT SCALE (CIES), WAS ADMINISTERED TO 483 RESIDENTS AND 330 STAFF MEMBERS. SINCE THE COMPLETION OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE WAS ENTIRELY VOLUNTARY, THIS SELF-SELECTION PROCESS OBVIOUSLY SCREENED OUT HOSTILE AND UNCOOPERATIVE INDIVIDUALS AMONG BOTH INMATES AND STAFF, WHICH CREATES THE POSSIBILITY OF BIAS IN SOME OF THE SURVEY FINDINGS. THE CIES SCORES WERE DETERMINED FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF BOTH RESIDENTS AND STAFF ON THE DIMENSIONS OF INVOLVEMENT, SUPPORT, EXPRESSIVENESS, AUTONOMY, PRACTICAL ORIENTATION, PERSONAL PROBLEM ORIENTATION, ORDER AND ORGANIZATION, CLARITY, AND STAFF CONTROL. A STUDY OF THIS TYPE HAD NEVER BEEN CONDUCTED AT ALL SEVEN IOWA CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS BEFORE. PERIODICALLY REPEATED IN THE FUTURE, IN ADDITION TO MEASURING THE SOCIAL CLIMATE IN THE INSTITUTIONS, IT MAY ALSO FURTHER COMMUNICATION AND COOPERATION BETWEEN ADMINISTRATORS, STAFF, AND RESIDENTS. THE WAYS IN WHICH RESIDENTS VIEW THEIR MILIEUS CAN SUGGEST TO ADMINISTRATORS THE TYPES OF PROGRAMS THEIR CLIENTS WILL PERCEIVE POSITIVELY. AS WELL AS ENABLE THE OPTIMUM MATCHING OF INMATES AND PROGRAMS. ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT FINDINGS OF THIS STUDY INDICATES THAT THE PROGRAMS AND SERVICES AVAILABLE TO THE RESIDENTS OF AN INSTITUTION ARE ASSOCIATED WITH ITS SOCIAL CLIMATE AS MEASURED BY THE CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS ENVIRONMENT SCALE. WHERE RESIDENTS FIND SERVICES AND PROGRAMS HELPFUL, THEY WILL ALSO TEND TO VIEW THE INSTITUTION POSITIVELY ON THE CIES DIMENSIONS. NUMEROUS TABLES AND GRAPHS ARE PROVIDED IN THE TEXT. A SHORT BIBLIOGRAPHY CONTAINING FOUR ENTRIES IS INCLUDED. AN APPENDIX GIVES THE CIES FORM.