Thursday 16 May 2013

IMPRISONMENT: Theory of Planned Behaviour

Some of the main factors that influence recidivism rates are outlined by the theory of planned behaviour.

It was developed from the theory of planned action, which essentially describes how if intentions are positive towards an action, and attitudes are positive towards an action, then someone is likely to act in that way. The theory of planned behaviour developed this, by suggesting that perceived behavioural control is an important factor too; this refers to whether the individual believes they can actually do the action, which is essentially the same as self-efficacy. 

This theory can be applied to offenders and recidivism rates because if an offender has positive attitudes and intentions towards rehabilitation/getting a job/staying out of trouble, and they believe that they can do so, it's more likely that they'll be successful. This theory emphasises the role of self-belief and attitudes, and thus is a cognitive theory.

The main application of this theory is looking at ways to improve attitudes, intentions and beliefs relating to the outside world. One of the ways thought to help people get used to the outside world and feel more positive towards rehabilitation is getting a job inside prison, as it allows them to gain work experience and be more employable. 

Study: Gillis and Nafekh conducted a content analysis using retrospective data of over 23000 released offenders. The independent variable was whether the offender was employed prior to his or her release, and the dependant variable was the recidivism rates. 

Results were positive, and showed that those on employment schemes were more likely to remain on conditional release and less likely to commit a new offence. 15% less of the "employed"condition went back to prison, and the average time of returning to prison was greater. 

Thus, employment may be one way to help reduce recidivism rates as it encourages positive attitudes, beliefs and intentions for release. 

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