Coping, Imprisonment, and Rehabilitation

The results of a recent longitudinal study of coping in prison are reviewed with respect to their implications for rehabilitation. The failure of the conditions of ordinary imprisonment to change behavior generally, and the demonstration of substantial coping deficits among prisoners in particular, are both justification for increased adoption of treatment programs aimed at behavioral change. More specifically, the data indicate that programs should begin at the start of a prison term rather than later, and they also delineate some of the particular targets for change. These all justify the conclusion that the empirical study of the process of imprisonment and the behavioral precursors of criminal actions can help to maximize the effectiveness of treatment programs.