Predictors of Early Termination in a Prison-Based Program of Psychoeducation

• Author: Glenn D. Walters
• Published date: 01 June 2004
• DOI: 10.1177/0032885504265076
• Date: 01 June 2004
• Subject Matter: Journal Article

10.1177/0032885504265076THE PRISON JOURNAL / June 2004Walters / THE PREDICTORS OF EARLY TERMINATION

PREDICTORS OF EARLY TERMINATION

IN A PRISON-BASED PROGRAM

OF PSYCHOEDUCATION

GLENN D. WALTERS

Federal Correctional Institution, Schuylkill, Pennsylvania

The Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking Styles (PICTS) was administered

to 207 male federal prisoners enrolled in a 10-week program of psychoeducation.

Compared with inmates who completed the course, dropouts (n= 16) scoredhigher

on seven of the eight PICTS thinking style scales, with differences on three of these

scales (Mollification, Cognitive Indolence, and Discontinuity) achieving statistical

significance. A multivariate composite of the eight thinking style scales proved signif-

icant, and the PICTS achieved significant predictability even after controlling for

basic demographic measures such as age, education, ethnic status, marital status,

and instant offense. Although a low base rate of discontinuation in the presentsample

(7.7%) made predicting program completion impractical, the PICTS may still help

clarify the motives of incarcerated offenders who prematurely terminate psychoedu-

cational programming.

Keywords: PICTS; prison; attrition; psychoeducation

The pessimism of the 1970s, which held that “nothing works” when it

comes to changing criminal behavior (Martinson, 1974; Wilson &

Herrnstein, 1985), has given way to renewed hope as reviews,meta-analyses,

and large-scale studies have confirmed the ameliorative effects of formal

correctional programming (Gendreau & Ross, 1987; Izzo & Ross, 1990;

Walters, 1999). Correctional interventions appear to produce the best out-

comes when high-risk offenders are targeted, criminological needs are

addressed, and interventions are matched with offenders’ learning style

(Andrews et al., 1990). However,an individual must be enrolled in a program

The assertions and opinions contained herein are the private viewsof the author and should

not be construed as official or as reflecting the views of the Federal Bureau of Prisons or U.S.

Department of Justice. Address correspondence, including requests for copies of the PICTS, to

Glenn D. Walters, Psychology Services, FCI-Schuylkill, P.O.Box 700, Minersville, PA 17954-

0700; e-mail: gwalters@bop.gov.

THE PRISON JOURNAL, Vol. 84 No. 2, June 2004 171-183

DOI: 10.1177/0032885504265076

© 2004 Sage Publications

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