Search

This study compared the experience of loneliness of criminals to that of the general population. The heterogeneous criminal population was divided into five more homogeneous subgroups whose loneliness experience was compared. These were sex offenders, violent offenders, property offenders, drug related offenders, and a category that contained all other miscellaneous offences. Three hundred fifty-six incarcerated male offenders and 501 males from the general population volunteered to answer an 82-item yes/no questionnaire. The questionnaire was composed of five subscales: Emotional Distress, Social Inadequacy and Alienation, Growth and Discovery, Interpersonal Isolation, and Self-Alienation. Results indicated significant differences between the loneliness experience of criminals and the general population, as well as amongst the criminal subgroups.

The present study examined the influence of incarceration on perceived sources of loneliness. It was hypothesized that incarcerated offenders would perceive the causes of their loneliness differently than would the general population sample. On an 82-item, yes-or-no questionnaire, 162 men from the general population and 199 male offenders, all of which were recruited on a voluntary basis, reported the sources of their loneliness. Results indicated a significant difference in the perceived sources of loneliness among the two populations. It also was found that the duration of loneliness (i.e., chronic vs. episodic) and its presence at the time of testing affect the perception of its causes.

Loneliness is a pervasive social problem and is experienced universally. It contributes to criminality and recidivism. The present study examined the influence of incarceration on coping with loneliness. Beyond the aim of gaining more insight into how offenders handle loneliness in jail, this study explores how marital status affects the chosen coping strategies (especially if the marriage has been terminated). The experiences of chronic and situational or event-related loneliness are also compared as to their effect on coping. Finally, the study is an investigation of the social stigma of loneliness, which results in people's refusal to admit it. As a result, when research is done, individuals usually report their recall of past loneliness. The present study presents a comparison of whether the salient coping strategies of offenders differ when they are recalled or when they are being experienced at the time of reporting.

Loneliness is a pervasive social problem and is experienced universally. It also contributes to criminality and recidivism The present study examined the influence of incarceration on the experience of loneliness. Beyond the aim of gaining more insight into loneliness in jail, this study explores how marital status affects the experience of loneliness (especially if the marriage has been terminated). The experiences of chronic and situational, or event-related, loneliness are compared. Finally, the study is an investigation of the social stigma of loneliness, which results in people's refusal to acknowledge their condition. As a result, when research is done, individuals usually recall loneliness. The present study presents a comparison of whether the salient characteristics of loneliness of offenders differ when they are recalled or when they are being experienced at the time of reporting.

A descriptiveframeworkfor the context analysis of sexualfantasies was developed by examination of the verbatim reports of fantasies of sexual offenders and non-sexual offenders. Twenty-two fantasy themes, subsumed under five major categories of sexual fantasies, were identified. Application of the scale to a sample of fantasies elicited from 103 offenders revealed differences in the frequency of occurrence of various fantasy themes and categories between the sex offenders and non-sex offenders. In addition to demonstrating the diversity of the content of erotic imagery, the study results suggest that the scale may have use in the discrimination of differences relevant to the understanding of sexual deviancy.