FEAR IN THE DETERRENCE OF DELINQUENCY: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE RAHWAY STATE PRISON LIFERS' PROGRAM.
Item
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Title
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FEAR IN THE DETERRENCE OF DELINQUENCY: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE RAHWAY STATE PRISON LIFERS' PROGRAM.
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Identifier
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AAI8014973
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identifier
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8014973
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Creator
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LANGER, SIDNEY.
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Contributor
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Charles Winick
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Date
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1980
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Sociology, Criminology and Penology
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Abstract
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The primary focus of the dissertation is an evaluation of the effectiveness of the Juvenile Awareness Program of the Lifers' Group at Rahway State Prison in the deterrence of delinquency. The study also explores the evolution of the program and several themes related to the inmates' involvement in the Lifers' Group.;The study involved an examination of the extent of delinquent activity of a sample number of juvenile offenders prior to and an average of twenty-two months after their participation in the Lifers' Program. The study revealed that at the conclusion of the twenty-two month period of analysis, the extent of their delinquent activity was significantly lower than that of a control group of youths who did not participate in the program. These findings do not indicate that the experimental group's delinquent involvement decreased and the control's involvement increased. Indeed, they indicate that both the experimentals' and controls' delinquent activity increased during the elapsed time. However, the increase in delinquent activity of the participants in the program was slight and not statistically significant as compared with their pre-Lifers' Group intervention involvement. On the other hand, the delinquent activity of the control group increased sharply and was significantly greater than their previous levels of delinquent involvement. In essence, the delinquent activity of the program participants was held relatively constant after their trip to Rahway, while the delinquency of the youths in the control group increased substantially during the same period.;In order to determine whether the Lifers' Program had a differential short-term effect as compared with the long-term findings, I also analyzed the youths over a period of ten months after their participation in the program. Indeed, the short-term findings proved to be at variance with the previously stated results. The study revealed that there was no significant difference in delinquent activity between the experimentals and controls at the end of the ten-month period. The extent of delinquent activity for both groups increased significantly as compared with their previous level of delinquent involvement. However, while the level of activity increased significantly for both groups, the increase was much more substantial for the controls.;The relevant sociological and social psychological literature is reviewed in order to provide a theoretical framework within which the Lifers' Program can be evaluated. Specifically, the link between communicator credibility, attitude change, and reference group dynamic is discussed and the suggestion made that the inmates are attempting, in a fear arousing communication, to increase the perceived certainty and severity of punishment. Finally, I have suggested that a process of "accelerated" maturational reform may have occurred for the experimental youths thus explaining the differential short and long-term findings of the study.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy Restricted.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Sociology