| Social learning theory has been applied to a variety of criminal, delinquent and deviant behaviors. This study applies selected measures of Aker's variant of Social Learning Theory to an extant database of offenders released from Missouri State prisons during 1997. Classification information, release and return data on all offenders in the sample were analyzed to determine their status after June 2000. The researcher designed the study to identify predictors of recidivism, based on differential association, differential reinforcement and definitions, three of the four theoretical principles of social learning theory. The logistic regression model selected for the analysis identified four significant predictors of recidivism. Release age, gender, type of crime (violent vs. non-violent) and work status was significant in predicting the log odd ration of an individual returning to a Missouri state prison. While the results suggest that social learning theory provide substantial insight into offender recidivism, social learning theory did not appear to relate to recidivism. These findings provide significant theoretical and policy implications for criminologists and correctional administrators. Similarly, the findings also provide recommendations for future studies on recidivism. |
