Citation

van Den Berg C, Beijersbergen K, Nieuwbeerta P, Dirkzwager A. Sex. Abuse 2018; 30(7): 828-845.

Affiliation

2 Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1079063217700884

PMID

28372519

Abstract

Empirical literature has revealed that social isolation can affect the rehabilitation of sex offenders after serving their sentence. This process of social isolation can already start during incarceration due to strained relationships with fellow prisoners and correctional staff. The current study examined to what extent sex offenders felt socially isolated during incarceration, using survey and registered conviction data on a large sample of male adult prisoners from the Prison Project. It was found that support from and relationships with correctional officers and fellow prisoners were perceived less positive by sex offenders than nonsex offenders. No evidence was found for higher levels of loneliness in sex offenders compared with prisoners convicted for a nonsexual offense. In sum, although the effects were small, sex offenders reported more social isolation during imprisonment compared with nonsex offenders.

Language: en

Keywords

loneliness; prison; sex offenders; social isolation