Racial Differences in a test of Reintegrative Shaming Theory among inmates

• In Event: Empirical Testing of Restorative Justice Theory

Abstract

This secondary analysis represents a cross-sectional quantitative test of Reintegrative Shaming Theory (Braithwaite 1989) on inmates in the Mississippi Department of Corrections. The sample consists of 726 questionnaires split evenly between male and female respondents.

Split model (Race-AA and Whites) nested logistic regression analysis includes measures central to Braithwaite’s theory (1989) as well as modifications that address the particular experiences of inmates including the frequency and communication with family, participation in prison programming, and moral conscience.

Results indicate that self reported past-shame, reintegration, and moral consciousness predict projected criminality and projected shame for both white men and women but not for African Americans. The current analysis confirm support for the basic assumptions of Reintegrative Shaming Theory (Braithwaite 1989) among white inmates only. The implications of the research expand the literature to test this theory on a sample of serious offenders.

Author

• Scott Alden Mathers, Eastern Washington University