Adjustment Patterns in Incarcerated Women

Abstract

This study investigated how adjustment patterns in incarcerated women are related to length of sentence. Participants included 692 female inmates who were divided into groups based on prison sentence length: long-term (10+ years), medium-term (2-10 years), and short-term (less than 2 years). Adjustment measures included the Brief Symptom Inventory and the Prison Adjustment Questionnaire. Institutional records provided information on behavioral misconduct. Results found that long- and medium-term inmates reported higher feelings of conflict and committed significantly more nonviolent and institutional offenses than short-term inmates. Results indicated no significant relationship between sentence length and emotional adjustment. These results suggest that long- and medium-term female inmates exhibit more difficulty with conflict and institutional misconduct than short-term inmates, thereby needing more specialized interventions.