The attitudinal effects of structured discussions and recreational association between young criminal offenders and undergraduate volunteers

The conditions under which association with citizen volunteers will influence the attitudes of prison residents is a question of some general and applied interest. In this study, positive effects on offender attitudes were evident following association within a focused group discussion condition but not following group recreational association. Changes following recreational association were no different from those evident within a routine incarceration control condition. The results are discussed in terms of differential association theory.