Is the Nature of Communication Relevant to the Supportiveness of Women's Relationships With Probation and Parole Agents?. (May 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Morash, Merry; Kashy, Deborah A.; Smith, Sandi W.; Cobbina, Jennifer E.
• Is Part Of: International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology. Volume 62:Number 6(2018)
• Page Start: 1629
• Page End: 1647
• Publication Date: 2018-05
• Subjects: women -- probation -- parole -- communication -- relationship; Criminals -- Rehabilitation -- Periodicals; Criminal psychology -- Periodicals; Violent offenders -- Periodicals; Sex offenders -- Periodicals; Criminology -- Periodicals; 364.3
• DOI: 10.1177/0306624X16689832
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0306-624X

Abstract

This article reports on a study of the connection of probation and parole agents' communication with relationship supportiveness as perceived by both women offenders and agents. For a sample of offenders and their agents, multilevel modeling was used to control for nonindependence of data for women assigned to the same agent. Consistent with communication theory, a conversational approach was positively related to measures of a supportive relationship, and an authoritarian/ conformity pattern of communication was negatively related to a supportive relationship. For low-risk offenders, attention to client-identified problems was positively related to more supportive relationships. For women with high risk for reoffending, the agents viewed themselves as less supportive if they addressed a high proportion of offender-identified needs. Findings suggest the efficacy of training to promote agents' conversational communication and attention to offender-identified problems. Findings also suggest the need to more fully explore agents' experience in working with very high-risk offenders.