Development of safe place scale of prisoners for male and psychological functions of safe place in society

Abstract

Safe place in society for ex-inmates plays an important role in preventing their reoffending. The purpose of this study is to develop the Safe Place Scale of Prisoners for Male (SPSP-M) , and to examine the psychological functions of safe place peculiar to inmates. Our preliminary survey constructed the 50-item scale based on the semi-structural interview. The scale was completed by 310 male prisoners. Factor analysis revealed the 40-item scale and 7 domains of SPSP-M: perceived acceptance, mental stability, self-efficacy, connectedness, freewheeling lifestyle, reflective consciousness and places that non-gravitate toward crime, and satisfaction of basic need. The SPSP-M also showed satisfactory reliability and validity. Prisoners’ age and number of imprisonments were also associated with the SPSP-M. The SPSP-M could be useful to arrange prisoners’ environment in free society and to contribute to reintegration of them into the society.