THE EFFECT OF SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT UPON FORMER FELONS.

The data (presented here) indicate that non-recidivists differ significantly from recidivists in their employment patterns: regularity of work, type of work and occupational mobility; their family life, particularly in terms of the conjugal family and their social relationships. The statistics, of course, do not indicate whether this difference is the cause or the effect of criminal activity. The interviews themselves however, strongly suggest that in many cases the factors described here have a causal relationship to recidivism. The author feels that in any case the differences between recidivists and non-recidivists as discussed in this paper are sufficiently large to warrant further study. This paper therefore provides further evidence that the adjustment of ex-convicts to law-abiding society depends on the social conditions under which this adjustment takes place. The particular conditions examined here are all subject to some extent to external control. This means that the ex-convict's chances of successful adjustment can be increased by guidance and help in providing him with work which is related to his capacities and interests, by providing counseling both to himself and his family; and by seeing to it that he is actively integrated into law abiding communities. (For the last point the support of community organizations might be enlisted.) AU this points to the desirability of parole as against straight release provided that real parole supervision is given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]