PRISONIZATION AS AN INHIBITOR OF EFFECTIVE RESOCIALIZATION

Abstract

Abstract This study focuses on data collected from 267 incarcerated, male delinquents The intent of this report is to identify and discuss the possible impact of prisonization on the inmate—an impact that in fact may impede the resocialization goals of the formal organization. Prisonization is conceptualized as the degree of assimilation into the inmate contraculture, and the particular type of social role assumed by the inmate. The proposed consequences of this socialization process are conceptualired as opposition to the institution, the degree of priority placed on interpersonal contact with other inmates while incarcerated, and opposition to the legal system. The findings of this study suggest that prisonization is related to self‐attitudes that are not conducive to effective reconciliation .