Aggressiveness and ability to respond emotionally in convicts with first and repeat convictions

Context and relevance. The problem of recidivism remains one of the acute problems for the modern penitentiary system and society as a whole. According to statistics, the proportion of people who re-commit crimes after serving their sentences remains at a high level, which actualizes the search for psychological mechanisms underlying sustainable criminal behavior. In this regard, for the possibility of predicting and subsequent prevention of recidivism, it becomes relevant to study the stable personal characteristics of convicts, in particular, the relationship between their aggressive tendencies and the ability to respond emotionally. Objective. The purpose of the study is to identify differences in aggressiveness and emotional response ability in convicts with first and repeat convictions. Methods and materials. The study involved 291 inmates aged 18 to 69 years (M = 39,7; SD = 10,9), 247 males and 44 females. The following methods were used: socio-demographic questionnaire, Wagner “Hand Test”, “Emotional Response Scale”. Results. As a result, it was found that convicts with first and repeated convictions, as well as those differing on the object of the crime, had no differences in aggressiveness and ability to emotional response. At the same time, the aggressiveness of male convicts is statistically significantly higher than that of men who have never been criminally prosecuted. Convicts in general appear sensitive to experiences, but may not realize what others are experiencing. Conclusions. Convicts with first and second convictions do not differ in aggressiveness. In general, they turn out to be sensitive to experiences, but they may not understand what others are experiencing. The obtained results can be used in designing programmes of psychological support for inmates in the process of resocialisation.

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