Local Corrections

Abstract

The present study is an assessment of detainee preferences as observed within three jail settings. Individuals were sampled who, prior to the dates of testing, had been detained for five days or less. To assess these individuals' preferences, a modified version of Toch's “Prison Preference Inventory” was employed. This instrument was administered to groups of sampled inmates during a series of weekly sessions held at each facility. The responses of the detainees surveyed revealed a pattern of preferences similar to that which has been obtained among prison inmates. This similarity was also revealed in the analyses conducted across detainees' backgrounds, in that preferences were found to vary as a function of respondents' race and prior exposure to confinement. Yet in spite of these differences according to background, little variation in preference was revealed across the three facilities surveyed. Of additional note is the finding that among the eight concerns assessed, support via program opportunities was the most highly preferred factor. This greater preference for support was observed within each facility surveyed as well as in each category of detainee that was compared.