Personal quality of life factors among imprisoned repeat offenders

Abstract

Our objective was to demonstrate the level of life quality among recidivist prisoners and to determine the personal factors associated with that feature. In our research 100 prisoners participated. Used in the measurement were The Questionnaire of Sense Of Quality of Life, Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire INTE, Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory, Generalized Self Effi cacy Scale (GSES), and Life Orientation TestRevised – LOT-R. The measured quality of life levels were as follows: 32% prisoners obtained low; 59% average and 9% high scores. These persons had low levels of emotional intelligence (41% low scores), an average level of optimism (66% average scores) and high self-effi cacy (42% high scores). Prisoners negatively evaluated their past, fatalistically evaluatedtheir present, and fi rmly focused on the future. The study indicates a strong correlation between sense of life quality and emotional intelligence, and future time perspective and optimism. This information might be important in creating rehabilitation programs for prisoners.