Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 
 

Files

File List


ucin1281991890.pdf (695.87 KB)

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

White-Collar Offenders and the Prison Experience: An Empirical Examination of the “Special Sensitivity” to Imprisonment Hypothesis

Stadler, William Andrew
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1281991890

Abstract Details

2010, PhD, University of Cincinnati, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Criminal Justice.
Quantitative research concerning white-collar offenders has received little attention in recent years. Research that has been conducted has primarily focused on the social and behavioral characteristics of these individuals, as well as the etiology of white-collar offending. In this regard, comparisons have been drawn between conventional street offenders and those convicted or sentenced for white-collar offenses with respect to demographic, social, and criminal history information. However, virtually no research has investigated the attributes and experiences of white-collar inmate within the prison environment. Moreover, there have been few attempts to draw comparisons among samples of imprisoned white-collar offenders and their street offender counterparts. While informative, studies that have examined incarcerated white-collar offenders have largely been guided by a qualitative research methodology that does little to inform the predictive validity of white-collar offender characteristics with respect to their subsequent prison experiences. As a result, the hypothesis that white-collar offenders are particularly sensitive to prison environments, because they are thought to be from backgrounds of privilege and hold higher rank on the social status spectrum, has remained untested. Because of this lack of research, the view that white-collar offenders experience more frequent and significant prison adjustment problems in the form of physical and mental health harms, social isolation, victimization, and institutional misconducts largely remains unchallenged. However, more rigorous investigation of the experiences of incarcerated white-collar offenders could have far-reaching implications with respect to how the justice system wishes to sanction white-collar offenders, how correctional facilities might go about addressing the needs of this special inmate population, and how the prison experience might impact the lives of white-collar offenders, both in prison and upon their release from incarceration. In an attempt to investigate these issues and address the special sensitivity hypothesis, the current study utilizes a male sample of incarcerated federal corrections inmates to explore differences between white-collar and street offenders. Specifically, demographic and social characteristics, as well as those involving attitudes, motivations, self-control, and personality attributes are examined among a male-only sample of prisoners incarcerated for white-collar offenses and non-white-collar offenses. Moreover, the current study examines the hypothesis that white-collar offenders are somehow more sensitive to the pains of imprisonment than offenders of the non-white-collar variety. The subsequent prison experiences of these offenders is examined and measured through a variety of prison adjustment measures during the course of their prison stay. Finally, implications of the findings are discussed with respect to how the justice and correctional systems may be affected by, and how they choose to respond to, white-collar offending populations with different management, supervision, and treatment strategies.
Michael Benson, PhD (Committee Chair)
Francis Cullen, PhD (Committee Member)
Patricia Vanvoorhis, PhD (Committee Member)
Kristy Holtfreter, PhD (Committee Member)
216 p.
Criminology
Special Sensitivity; White-Collar Offenders; Adaptation to Imprisonment; White-Collar Crime; Prison Experience

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Stadler, W. A. (2010). White-Collar Offenders and the Prison Experience: An Empirical Examination of the “Special Sensitivity” to Imprisonment Hypothesis [Doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1281991890

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Stadler, William. White-Collar Offenders and the Prison Experience: An Empirical Examination of the “Special Sensitivity” to Imprisonment Hypothesis. 2010. University of Cincinnati, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1281991890.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Stadler, William. "White-Collar Offenders and the Prison Experience: An Empirical Examination of the “Special Sensitivity” to Imprisonment Hypothesis." Doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1281991890

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ucin1281991890
1,435
© 2010, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by University of Cincinnati and OhioLINK.