VANIER CENTRE FOR WOMEN - LENGTH OF TIME IN VANIER, ATTITUDES AND FIRST YEAR RECIDIVISM - RESEARCH REPORT NO 2

• NCJ Number: 40602
• Author(s): P G MADDEN; L R LAMBERT
• Date Published: 1974
• Length: 8 pages
• Corporate Author: Ontario Dept of Correctional Services
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

TO TEST THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LENGTH OF INCARCERATION, ATTITUDES, AND RECIDIVISM, THIS STUDY CORRELATED DATA ON INMATE ATTITUDES, ONE YEAR FOLLOW-UP RECIDIVISM DATA, AND CORRECTIONAL DATA FOR A CANADIAN WOMEN'S INSTITUTION.

Abstract

DATA ON THE INMATES ATTITUDES WAS OBTAINED BY MEANS OF A PRE-DISCHARGE QUESTIONNAIRE GIVEN TO VANIER RESIDENTS. RECIDIVISM DATA WAS COLLECTED BY MEANS OF INSTITUTIONAL FILES AND POLICE REPORTS. TO TEST THE EFFECT OF PRIOR INCARCERATIONS, THE SAMPLE WAS DIVIDED INTO TWO PARTS: THOSE WHO HAD SERVED ANY PREVIOUS TIME IN A CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION AND THOSE WHO HAD NOT. THE DATA INDICATED THAT VERY SHORT SENTENCES AND THOSE IN EXCESS OF EIGHT MONTHS ARE RELATED TO HIGHER RECIDIVISM RATES, AS WELL AS TO MORE NEGATIVE ATTITUDES ABOUT VANIER. WORST RESULTS OCCUR AMONG THOSE WITH VERY SHORT TERMS, PARTICULARLY IF THE RESIDENT HAD A PRIOR INCARCERATION. BASED ON THESE RESULTS, IT IS SUGGESTED THAT IN SOME CASES TOTAL COMMUNITY SUPERVISION MAY BE PREFERABLE, WHILE IN OTHERS GRADUAL OR EARLIER DISCHARGE MAY BE AN ANSWER. THE AUTHORS CONCLUDE THAT IN TERMS OF ONE YEAR RECIDIVISM RATES, THE RESOURCES AT VANIER SEEM TO BE MOST USEFULLY DEPLOYED WHEN RESIDENTS ARE THERE NO MORE THAN FOUR TO EIGHT MONTHS....DMC