Work Release: A Series of Pilot Studies
| Author | S J Kantola |
| Published date | 01 March 1977 |
| Date | 01 March 1977 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/000486587701000107 |
AUST &NZ
JOURNAL
OF
CRIMIN()L()GY
(March 1977) 10 (41-51)
WORK RELEASE: ASERIES
OF
PILOT
STUDIES
SJKantola-
41
Introduction
The
work release
programme
as administered by the Western Australian
Department
of Corrections is a system
whereby
prisoners who have
been
in
prison for at least six months can
spend
the last three months of their term
working in the community during the
day
while spending non-working days and
nights in a work release hostel. A review of the literature revealed that there has
been
very little research directed
toward
understanding the psychological
environment which confronts the
work
releasee. To help remedy this situation it
was
decided
to test for personality variables which differentiated those
who
fail
to complete their work-release term from those who complete their work-release
term.
Variables dealing with conflict behaviour
and
temporal orientation were the
major concerns of this study. Measurements of conflict behaviour were
considered apromising source of significant research as the
work
releasees are
subjected to the seemingly conflicting environments of freedom during the day
and
confinement at night. The
work
releasee is no longer in prison where his
behaviour was closely proscribed. While on work release he must
decide
for
himself whether to
obey
the rules of
work
release. Types of conflict
and
their
modes of resolution have been studied by Hovland
and
Sears (1938) following a
theoretical analysis by Lewin (1935). Miller (1944, in Hall
and
Lindzey, 1970)
and
Miller
and
Dollard (1941) have further
developed
the dynamics of conflict
behaviour. Rinquette (1967) found that in approach-avoidance
motor
conflict
decisions those subjects with responses classed as compromise or blocking
measured higher on scales of intelligence, ego strength, and reaction time,
and
lower on a risk taking scale than those subjects with arbitrary or equivocation
responses.
Measures of temporal orientation
were
considered promising because anyone
failing
work
release risks an extension of his prison sentence which is already in
its last three months. 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. Thus the failing work releasee
would
probably
show less consideration
of the future
and
greater impulsivity. This reasoning
led
to the measuring of
delay of gratification tendencies.
The
ability to delay gratification has been
extensively studied as an indicator of normal socialization development (Freud
1946, Mischel 1966, Singer 1955). Mischel
and
Gilligan (1964) have found
empirical support for the view that "a relatively consistent preference for
oBA (Psych) Univ of
Oregon
USA. Research
undertaken
while
employed
by the Western Australian
Dept
of Corrections Perth, WA. The writer gratefully acknowledges the assistance given by Dr A
Richardson, Univ of W A, whose direction
led
to the
mode
of conflict resolution test and also
offered
very beneficial suggestions in all facets of
the
study.
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