Objective: The aim of the research study was to analyze relations between development of mental reactive disorders together with unacceptable defense mechanisms as a reaction to imprisonment, and process of resocialization at selected group of offenders (treatment programme). The goal was to investigate if incarceration has causal negative influence at changes in motivation structure of offenders, which are contra productive against their resocialization.
Material and methods: The research study was realized in total 53 respondents, men in age from 18 to 26, which have been during following periods in imprisonment. They were repetitively investigated by medical and psychological methods.
Firstly during one week after got on prison, then after six weeks a six month of imprisonment. For the investigation of psychical problems and defence mechanisms structured interview was conducted and custom modifications of inventories of Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and differential inventory of stress and stressor Life Checklist-Revised (LSC-R) were used.
To detect changes in motivation Risk Sophistication Treatment Inventory (RSTI) was employed. To detect statistically significant differences Tuckeys HCD test with materiality threshold α -0.05 (for multiple comparison) was applied.
Results: Statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) in the case of psychical problems and unacceptable defense mechanisms within imprisonment were found. The same are results in case of treatment amenability in the beginning period of imprisonment.
Conclusion: Imprisonment involves many stressful situations and its environment is very specific. The motivation structure of offenders is very often changed, unfortunately by identifying with criminal conduct.
This change is against goals of resocialization process contra productive.