Countering Expect Despair after Release from Prison: A Mind Genomics Cartography from the ‘Outside In’

Abstract

Respondents were introduced to a hypothetical situation of an individual being released from prison. The test stimuli were vignettes comprising information about WHO the released prisoner is, WHAT the person did in prison, WHAT kind of people were in prison with the released individual, and WHAT efforts were made in prison to help the prisoner adjust after release. Respondents projected their impression of the described former prisoners, using an anchored 9-point scale, from 1=feeling hopeful to 9=feeling suicidal. When viewing the scale from the point of view of “Suicide,” two mindsets MS1, responding to lack of preparation for release, and MS2, someone who is middle class with nothing to do in prison, surrounded by drug addicts. When viewing the scale from the point of “Hopefulness,” two other mind-sets MS3, hopeful and in prison daily schedule, MS4, hopeful when took preparatory courses in prison. The experimental design allows creation of a PVI, personal viewpoint identifier, to a