The following 35 statements on this questionnaire represent opinions that some inmateshave about their experience in jail. Please read each statement‚ and circle a number thatshows the degree to which you agree or disagree with it. For example‚ circling #3 wouldindicate that you pretty much agree with it‚ whereas circling #8 would indicate you leantoward disagreeing with it as far as your personal experience is concerned.
1. Rehabilitation is possible for me in this jail.
Agree1_____2_____3_____4_____5_____6_____7_____8_____9_____10Disagree
2. You can’t avoid trouble in jail because it comes looking for you.
Agree1_____2_____3_____4_____5_____6_____7_____8_____9_____10Disagree
3. There is really no way I can relate to guards most of the time.
Agree1_____2_____3_____4_____5_____6_____7_____8_____9_____10Disagree
4. Getting bonded out has more to do with luck than anything else.
Agree1_____2_____3_____4_____5_____6_____7_____8_____9_____10Disagree
5. It seems no matter how hard I try the system won’t give an inch.
Agree1_____2_____3_____4_____5_____6_____7_____8_____9_____10Disagree
6. I can’t get jail officials to notice when I do good.
Agree1_____2_____3_____4_____5_____6_____7_____8_____9_____10Disagree
7. It makes little sense to plan in jail because you never know what will happen.
Agree1_____2_____3_____4_____5_____6_____7_____8_____9_____10Disagree
8. Most of what happens to me in jail is out of my hands.
Agree1_____2_____3_____4_____5_____6_____7_____8_____9_____10Disagree
9. In jail you can’t really think before you act.
Agree1_____2_____3_____4_____5_____6_____7_____8_____9_____10Disagree
10. Violence in jail can not be avoided.
Agree1_____2_____3_____4_____5_____6_____7_____8_____9_____10Disagree
11. Only the administration can solve the tensions that exist in jail.
Agree1_____2_____3_____4_____5_____6_____7_____8_____9_____10Disagree
12. I can use almost any program to my advantage.
Agree1_____2_____3_____4_____5_____6_____7_____8_____9_____10Disagree
13. A inmate is really in charge of his own fate.
14. I have very little influence over how much respect other inmates show me.
Agree1_____2_____3_____4_____5_____6_____7_____8_____9_____10Disagree
15. How I act will influence how much respect guards show me.
Agree1_____2_____3_____4_____5_____6_____7_____8_____9_____10Disagree
16. How soon I get released depends on how I act.
Agree1_____2_____3_____4_____5_____6_____7_____8_____9_____10Disagree
17. I can take pretty good care of myself in jail.
Agree1_____2_____3_____4_____5_____6_____7_____8_____9_____10Disagree
18. There are very few problems that come up in jail that I can’t handle.
Agree1_____2_____3_____4_____5_____6_____7_____8_____9_____10Disagree
19. I can stop myself from getting down or depressed.
Agree1_____2_____3_____4_____5_____6_____7_____8_____9_____10Disagree
20. There isn’t much I can do in this jail to stop myself from being bored.
Agree1_____2_____3_____4_____5_____6_____7_____8_____9_____10Disagree
21. I have the power to make this bit (“time”) useful.
Agree1_____2_____3_____4_____5_____6_____7_____8_____9_____10Disagree
22. Be it good or bad‚ inmates deserve most of what happens to them.
Agree1_____2_____3_____4_____5_____6_____7_____8_____9_____10Disagree
23. Inmates who can’t get guards to treat them with respect don’t understand how to get along with guards.
Agree1_____2_____3_____4_____5_____6_____7_____8_____9_____10Disagree
24. It is really up to the inmate whether jail becomes an opportunity or a punishment.
Agree1_____2_____3_____4_____5_____6_____7_____8_____9_____10Disagree
25. Society put me here‚ and society and will determine when I leave and if I come back.
Agree1_____2_____3_____4_____5_____6_____7_____8_____9_____10Disagree
26. The administration should listen to the ideas of inmates.
Agree1_____2_____3_____4_____5_____6_____7_____8_____9_____10Disagree
27. My fate lies in the hands of the system.
Agree1_____2_____3_____4_____5_____6_____7_____8_____9_____10Disagree
28. You have to be more smart than lucky to get by in jail.
Agree1_____2_____3_____4_____5_____6_____7_____8_____9_____10Disagree
29. An inmate really can’t be expected to keep his cool in a place like jail.
Agree1_____2_____3_____4_____5_____6_____7_____8_____9_____10Disagree
30. When an inmate gets in trouble it is usually the end result of jail staff abusing their authority.
Agree1_____2_____3_____4_____5_____6_____7_____8_____9_____10Disagree
31. An inmate has a lot of control over how he is treated.
Agree1_____2_____3_____4_____5_____6_____7_____8_____9_____10Disagree
32. Most guards are influenced by the actions of inmates.
Agree1_____2_____3_____4_____5_____6_____7_____8_____9_____10Disagree
33. Jail is so negative that I can’t help but be influenced in a negative way.
Agree1_____2_____3_____4_____5_____6_____7_____8_____9_____10Disagree
34. Good things happen to inmates who make good things happen.
Agree1_____2_____3_____4_____5_____6_____7_____8_____9_____10Disagree
35. Peer pressure is so strong in jail that it prevents me from doing good.
Agree1_____2_____3_____4_____5_____6_____7_____8_____9_____10Disagree
36. In what year were you born? ___________________
37. Are you (Female or Male)?
38. _____Black/African American
_____White
_____Other
39. What is your marital status?
_____Never married
_____Married: living with spouse
_____Married: not living with spouse
_____Divorced
_____Widowed
40. What was the last year in school that you have completed?
_____Less than 6th grade
_____Completed 6th grade
_____Completed 7th grade _____GED
_____Completed 8th grade _____Vocational School (formal training)
_____Completed 9th grade _____Any informal training (apprenticeship)
_____Completed 10th grade
_____Completed 11th grade
_____High school diploma
_____Some College
_____College degree
41. Before your current incarceration‚ how many people lived with you in yourhousehold? _______________WRITE NUMBER
42. Do you rent or own the space you lived in before your current incarceration orwere you staying at someone else’s house?___________
43. Have you had dealings with the courts prior to your current incarceration? If yes‚under what circumstances?
44. Have you‚ in the past 5 years‚ had a bench warrant? About how long ago?
45. Did you serve any time on that/those warrant(s)?
46. Prior to 5 years ago‚ did you ever have a bench warrant?
47. Did you serve any time on that/those warrants?
48. What kind of offenses lead to you having bench warrants? (ticket‚ misdemeanor‚ felony)
49. Has there been a time when you have had contact with the police (courts) andwent completely through the process?
50. What were the charges?
51. I am going to read you a statement. I want you to tell me if you SD‚ D‚ PA/D‚ A‚or SA. The criminal justice system (police‚ courts‚ and corrections) is an essentialpart of society.
_____Strongly disagree
_____Disagree
_____Partially agree/disagree
_____Agree
_____Strongly agree
52. On a scale of 1 to 10‚ with one being the least important and 10 being the mostimportant‚ how important do you consider a court appearance?(circle the number)
1_____2_____3_____4_____5_____6_____7_____8_____9_____10
53. Roughly‚ how many court appearances have you missed? _______________
54. Have you‚ in the past‚ served time on a bench warrant? Yes / No (circle)
55. How many people (relatives and close friends) do you know who are currentlyspending time in either a jail or a prison? (Write the number of people)
Relatives________ (specify parents/ siblings/ children)
Close friends_____
56. How many visitors do you have a week? ________number of visitors per week
57. How many letters do you receive a week? _______number of letters per week
58. You are the natural parent of how many children?
____ 0(AGES)
____ 1
____ 2
____ 3
____ 4
____ 5
____ more than 5
59. How many brothers and sisters do you have? ____________________WRITE
NUMBER
60. How many children do you have custody of? (this includes your children andanyone else’s that you provide the primary support for) ____________WRITENUMBER
61. Before you entered jail‚ who did you live with? (check all that apply)
_____None
_____Mom
_____Dad
_____Grandmother
_____Grandfather
_____Aunt
_____Uncle
_____Other
62. Before your current incarceration‚ did you attend church servicesregularly?_____x a month
63. Were you employed at the time of your arrest?
_____No
_____Full-time
_____Part-time
64. What job or type of job did you work in the last 12 months?
65. In the last year‚ how much did you work?______# of months
66. Roughly‚ how much money did you make in a week?
Please describe to me the nature of your most recent arrest.
Please describe to me why you were unable to attend a scheduled court appearance.
Intoxicated____________________________________________
Environmental factors (ex. no ride)_________________________
Personal reasons (ex. sickness)____________________________
No information (did not know court date)____________________
No money to pay fines___________________________________
Other_________________________________________________
Did you know that you could pay and have your court date changed?
If has served time on a bench warrant before but does attend now‚ what changed?
Does it matter whether the court appearance is for a misdemeanor or a felony or tickets?
What is the difference between the times you do attend court and the times you don’t?
Anna Cutlip. A ThesisSubmitted to the Graduate Faculty of theLouisiana State University andAgricultural and Mechanical Collegein partial fulfillment of therequirements for the degree ofmaster of ArtsinThe Department of Sociology .Louisiana State University‚ May 2002
