NCJ Number
165233
Journal
Federal Probation Volume: 60 Issue: 2 Dated: (June 1996) Pages: 24-31
Date Published
1996
Length
8 pages
Annotation
Inmates in a State prison for young offenders were surveyed to learn the extent to which institutional, social, psychological, and individual variables explain their mental health status.
Abstract
The study focused on the relationship between inmate well- being, fear of victimization, victimization experiences, prison stresses, demographic variables, correctional experience, and social support. A total of 111 inmates completed survey instruments. The dependent measure for the study was the General Well-Being Scale, which assesses self-representations of subjective well-being. Several independent measures were contained within the survey, including victimization experiences, fear of victimization, prison stresses, social support, anomie, demographic variables, and correctional experience. Victimization experiences were measured by a 14-item scale. The study identified five variables as important independent predictors of inmate general well-being. The degree to which an inmate fears being a victim of prison violence is the strongest predictor of his general well-being, which is consistent with previous research on offenders housed in maximum-security prisons. This finding suggests that an inmate who experiences a high level of fear suffers physically and psychologically. The second most influential predictor of well-being for youthful inmates was related to victimization experiences; the more victimization incidents an inmate experiences, the more his general well-being suffers. Inmates that had an internal support system in the prison environment reported higher levels of general well-being. Although the findings in this study should be considered tentative, they suggest several factors that corrections officials who manage facilities for youthful offenders may consider. 5 tables, 23 references, and appended Prison Stresses Scale