NCJ Number
42174
Journal
AUSTRALIAN & NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF CRIMINOLOGY Volume: 10 Issue: 1 Dated: (MARCH 1977) Pages: 41-51
Date Published
1977
Length
11 pages
Annotation
THIS STUDY ATTEMPTED TO ISOLATE THE PERSONALITY AND PSYCHOLOGICAL VARIABLES DIFFERENTIATING THOSE WHO FAIL TO COMPLETE THEIR WORK RELEASE TERM FROM THOSE WHO SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE WORK RELEASE.
Abstract
THE 32 SUBJECTS USED IN THIS STUDY WERE INMATES OF AN AUSTRALIAN PRISON OR AUSTRALIAN WORK RELEASE HOSTELS. ALL SUBJECTS WERE ADULT MALES. VARIABLES DEALING WITH CONFLICT BEHAVIOR AND TEMPORAL ORGANIZATION WERE THE MOJOR CONCERNS OF THIS STUDY. MEASUREMENTS OF CONFLICT BEHAVIOR WERE CONSIDERED PROMISING SINCE WORK RELEASEES ARE SUBJECTED TO THE SEEMINGLY CONFLICTING ENVIRONMENTS OF FREEDOM DURING THE DAY AND CONFINEMENT AT NIGHT. MEASURES OF TEMPORAL ORIENTATION WERE CONSIDERED PROMISING BECAUSE IT SEEMED THAT THE PERSON FAILING WORK RELEASE WAS DOING SO WITHOUT A PROPER CONSIDERATION OF THE RELATIVE SHORTNESS OF TIME LEFT ON HIS SENTENCE. AMONG THE SPECIFIC CHARACTERISTICS TESTED WERE INMATES' MODE OF CONFLICT RESOLUTION, ABILITY TO DELAY GRATIFICATION, ORIENTATION TO THE FUTURE, TIME ESTIMATION, AND FEELINGS OF CONTROL OVER THE FUTURE (LOCUS OF CONTROL). THE RESULTS SHOWED THAT THE FAILURE-PRONE WORK RELEASEE IS MORE LIKELY TO BE A RECIDIVIST, IS MORE LIKELY TO HAVE HAD A PRIOR ESCAPE ATTEMPT, HAS MALADAPTIVE MODES OF CONFLICT RESOLUTION, AND IS LESS ABLE TO DELAY GRATIFICATION. MEASURES OF TEMPORAL EXPERIENCE PROVED TO BE LESS USEFUL. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)...DMC