[Coping in imprisonment: a study of the sequelae of the arrest of adolescents]

A coping model for the assessment of the effect of prison life is proposed. On this basis, previous findings of such effects can be interpreted as coping patterns learned under the specific conditions. Within this theoretical framework, the individual perceptions of the inmates regarding the atmosphere in a therapeutically oriented department and in three conventional settings of the same prison are compared. Furthermore, differences in their social attitudes and self-descriptions are assessed. A total of 108 juvenile prisoners filled out a multidimensional atmosphere scale for correction institutions and a multidimensional personality inventory for prisoners. All atmosphere dimensions of the group of prisoners in the therapeutically oriented setting differed significantly from the other three. Furthermore, the inmates of the therapeutic division showed less aggressive and negative attitudes than those of the other divisions. Other personality scales showed no significant differences. From these results it is concluded that the effects of prison life can be mitigated in a setting that provides the inmates with more opportunities to develop adequate coping behavior than a conventional prison environment does.