Shock Incarceration in Louisiana, 1987-1989

Résumé 0

These data describe the results of one component of an evaluation of the "shock incarceration" program in the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections (LDPSC). This program, formally called IMPACT (Intensive Motivational Program of Alternative Correctional Treatment), began in 1987 and consisted of two phases. In the first phase offenders spent 90 to 180 days in a medium security prison participating in a rigorous boot camp-type program. Offenders who successfully completed the program were released from prison and placed under intensive supervision in the community--the second phase of the program. Changes in offender behavior and attitudes during the prison and community supervision phases of the shock program were examined in a quasi-experimental design to determine the impact of the program on the individual offenders. Comparisons were made with similar offenders who were not in the shock program who had been sentenced to prison and parole/probation. Shock and nonshock incarcerated offenders were asked to complete self-report questionnaires. Information was also collected from LDPSC records and from monthly parole performance evaluations completed by parole and probation officers. Information collected from LDPSC records included demographics, sentence characteristics, release date, offense, criminal history, I.Q. (Beta II) and MMPI scores, and diagnostic personnel evaluations of mental health, substance abuse, general attitude, adjustment, and violence potential. Part 1 of the collection consists of inmate data collected from the incarcerated shock program participants (N = 208) and the incarcerated nonshock offenders (N = 98, with partial records for an additional 46). Information includes police record data, clinical diagnostic data, offender's self-reported demographic data, scales for self-reported attitudes and personality measures, and offender's self-reported criminal and substance abuse history. Part 2 contains demographic data collected for all samples, including police record data and clinical diagnostic data. Part 3 consists of parole and probation data for all inmates. Offenders were followed for 12 months after leaving prison or until they failed community supervision (by absconding, being jailed for a lengthy period of time, or having their parole/probation revoked). Consequently, there is monthly data for between 1 to 12 months for each offender. Information includes items relating to parolees' performance at work and school, personal adjustment, employment, substance abuse counseling, interpersonal relations, compliance with intensive supervision program requirements, and contacts with the criminal justice system.