Terrill R. Holland

Personality Patterns among Short-Term Prisoners Undergoing Presentence Evaluations

The MMPI profiles of 295 short-term prisoners undergoing presentence evaluations were cluster-analyzed, resulting in four distinct groups. These groups differed in IQ, on recidivism-related characteristics reflected in a Base Expectancy score and an estimate of extensiveness of arrest record, and on type of psychiatric-psychological recommendation made to the referring courts. However, they did not differ on age, educational level, or the severity of their offenses. In comparing these results with those of other typological investigations of offender groups, it was tentatively concluded that these short-term prisoners being considered for probation seem less emotionally disturbed than those serving sentences for custodial or other purposes.

Social Roles and Information Utilization in Parole Decision-Making

Preparole evaluations conducted by prison caseworkers were compared with board action and parole outcome on 421 cases heard by the California Adult Authority during 1968-1969. These two groups of decision-makers emphasized different considerations in performing their tasks, with board members focusing primarily on the seriousness of the most recent offense and caseworkers weighting recidivism-related variables. Furthermore, board decisions were unrelated to subsequent parole performance, and a weak relationship was seen between self-reported and actual utilization of offender case information by board members. The findings, discussed in terms of social role differences between caseworkers and board members, were intepreted as consistent with the need for guidelines which structure and limit the discretion of personnel making prison release recommendations and decisions.

Multivariate analysis of WAIS-MMPI relationships among brain-damaged, schizophrenic, neurotic, and alcoholic patients†

Subjected WAIS and MMPI profiles of brain-damaged, process schizophrenic, reactive schizophrenic, neurotic, and alcoholic patients (N = 423) to multiple discriminant and canonical correlational analyses. The groups differed significantly in WAIS and MMPI profile patterns, and the combination of both sets of measures resulted in increased group discrimination compared to either set alone. Nonetheless, despite this element of independence in their contributions to group differentiation, WAIS subtests and MMPI scales were correlated with each other along two significant profile dimensions. The results were seen to provide a multivariate description of intelligence and personality as partially overlapping domains that contain both shared and unique components of variance.

Correctional Classification and the Prediction of Institutional Adjustment

Each of 293 minimum security prisoners was rated by classification of staff members according to the likelihood of serious disciplinary infractions and escapes from custody. Follow-up data were then obtained, and the predictive validity of these ratings was compared with that of selected information extracted from the files of inmates. In predicting outcomes, only escape ratings were statistically significant, and neither escape nor disciplinary ratings contributed significant criterion variance when combined with objective variables. The findings were discussed in terms of the need for both increased predictive accuracy and explicit consideration of the welfare of inmates when making correctional classification decisions.

Personality patterns among correctional officer applicants

The MMPI profiles of 359 correctional officer applicant were cluster analyzed, which resulted in the identification of five relatively homogeneous subgroups. While MMPI performance was not related to later events in the correctional careers of the Ss, certain similarities were noted between the officer group and two samples of inmates previously studied in a comparable fashion. In this respect, although the officers manifested generally lower profile elevations than inmates, configural similarities were noted between the average inmate and the officer profiles, and partial overlap was seen between the profile types identified in the two groups. The implications of the findings for occupationally adaptive and maladaptive correctional officer behavior were discussed.

Diagnostic Labeling Individual Differences in the Behavior of Clinicians Conducting Presentence Evaluations

The use of four broad diagnostic categories (normality, personality trait disorder, sociopathy, and psychiatric disturbance) was examined for four mental health clinicians conducting presentence evaluations of 560 felony offenders (140 cases per clinician). Although these four groups of subjects did not differ on age, offense severity, number of prior convictions, IQ, or MMPI performance, clinicians nonetheless varied widely both in their relative frequencies of use of these categories and their utilization of information in making diagnostic discriminations. Furthermore, labels and sentencing recommendations were related to each other in such a way that the attribution of normality was accompanied by a predominance of recommendations for placement on probation, while classification as a sociopath was associated with recommendations for long-term, involuntary confinement in an institutional setting. Those clinicians with the most highly deviant recommendation rates also exhibited the most extreme differences in their use of the normal and sociopathic categories and made judgments that were minimally related to objectively assessed characteristics of offenders. It was concluded that biases in the definition and assignment of labels might be reduced by means of a combined clinical-statistical approach to gathering and utilizing diagnostic information.

Utilization of offender case information by “lenient” vs. “punitive” clinicians

Presentence evaluations conducted by psychologists and psychiatrists (clinicians) and correctional counselors (caseworkers) were subjected to multiple regression analyses in order to specify the relative contribution of inmate characteristics (offense severity and recidivism probability) and decision-maker response biases to sentencing recommendations. Although both groups of decision-makers showed a response bias effect for cases that were difficult to discriminate, the effect was generally larger for clinicians than for caseworkers. Response bias (lenient vs. punitive) was not associated with type of clinical judgment model (linear vs. configural) or predictability of recommendation, although it was associated with the degree of relative weighting of the two independent variables and, in the case of extremely punitive decision-makers, with the tendency to utilize only one evaluative dimension (offense severity) to the exclusion of the other. Furthermore, it was found that inmates who committed the most serious offenses were exposed selectively to those decision-makers most likely both to place exclusive emphasis on offense severity and to recommend relatively punitive case dispositions. The need for an accountability system designed to minimize the effects of the response biases of correctional decision-makers was discussed.

Offender Ethnicity and Presentence Decision-Making A Multivariate Analysis

Multiple discriminant analyses were performed to examine the sentencing recommendations of clinicians versus caseworkers for white, Mexican-American, and black male offenders, both before and after controlling for selected criminological characteristics of these ethnic groups. Though generally of small magnitude, discrimination effects favoring whites for relatively lenient case dispositions were larger for caseworkers than for clinicians and remained statistically significant only for caseworkers after holding constant criminological variables. The results are discussed in terms of the need for decreasing the discretion of decision makers through the use of guidelines that contain expected decision outcomes.

ASSESSMENT OF CONCEPTUAL DEFICITS IN BRAIN-DAMAGED AND SCHIZOPHRENIC PATIENTS

Five concept-formation scores for 20 brain-damaged and 20 schizophrenic inpatients were factor analyzed, along with WAIS Vocabulary and Block Design. One factor emerged from this analysis, suggesting that these concept-formation tests do not measure an ability which is greatly different from general intelligence when administered to patients of the type studied. None of the single concept-formation scores discriminated between the brain-damaged and schizophrenic groups independently of general intellectual level, although an exploratory analysis of the subtests of the Halstead Category Test indicated that differential performance on Subtest IV versus Subtest V produced valid criterion variance beyond that attributable to Vocabulary and Block Design alone, The findings were discussed in terms both of the factors underlying the performance of the present subjects versus those from different patient populations, and the need for refining ability-oriented diagnostic strategies when studying impaired patients who do not manifest highly specific psychological deficits on standard clinical tests yielding single scores.

Impression Management in the Ethical Self-Presentation of Offenders Undergoing Presentence Evaluation

Ethical choices were assessed for offenders instructed to produce favorable versus unfavorable impressions. Pronounced impression management effects were obtained for prosocial and antisocial responses, and high scores on a dimension of change defined by these variables were related to sociopathic features on the MMPI. Highly consistent trends did not emerge for avoidance responses, although a secondary dimension of change was identified which contrasted avoidance with antisocial alternatives and was associated with increasing age, numerous prior incarcerations, and a defensive-repressive MMPI pattern. The findings were discussed in terms of their relevance for understanding the impression management manipulations likely to be encountered during the evaluation of different types of offenders.