Moral Problem Solving among Inmates in a Maximum Security Correctional Institution

Abstract

The authors initiated a closed-ended group for inmates in Patuxent Institution, a maximum security correctionalfacility located in Jessup, Maryland. This group was designed to provide aformat, by which inmates could examine and discuss a series of moral dilemmas in the Kohlbergian tradition, as well as provide a vehicle by which the authors could assess the level of moral judgment employed by the group members. Based on this experience, it was determined that the participants' moral judgments essentially reflected Stage 2 thinking, the stage often referred to as Instrumental Relativism. Furthermore, the analysis showed that a significant correlation existed between the inmates'stage of moral development and recorded institutional infractions, a general measure of institutional adjustment. The present essay summarizes observations related to the nature of these moral judgments made by the inmate participants and speculates on the interrelationship of these judgments to past criminality and institutional adjustment.