Parole Interviews of Sex Offenders

Abstract

This study investigates the role of impression management in parole interviews and the question of how parole boards interpret what they see as managed impressions. Observations were made of 166 male sex offenders in 236 parole interviews, and detailed interviews were conducted with parole board members. The results indicate that although parole board members believe impression management occurs in all parole interviews, the issue of the veracity of the candidates in presenting themselves rarely arises. Instead, the candidate's self-presentation is most often interpreted as a reflection of his self-conception, which may or may not correspond with the board's construction of the candidate's “true” self. Furthermore, rather than routinely dismissing impression management as a deceptive camouflage that obstructs accurate appraisals of the candidate's future behavior, in some cases the board sees the ability to develop competent impression management skills as a positive asset to have in adjusting to the outside community, and therefore actually encourages some candidates to develop their impression management skills further.