The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of parenting training on the acquisition of parenting skills and its impact on self-esteem of incarcerated mothers. The program under study is the "Mothers Inside Loving Kids" (M.I.L.K.) program, which is a holistic training/visitation program designed for incarcerated mothers.Study participants included 40 volunteer incarcerated mothers at the Virginia Correctional Center for women. The treatment group consisted of 20 participants who were already involved in the "M.I.L.K." program. The comparison group was made up of 20 mothers who were on the waiting list for the program due to the lack of space. All participants were administered a battery of pre-tests and post-tests. Instruments utilized for the study included the Adult-Adolescent Parenting Inventory (AAPI), the Nurturing Quiz, the Index of Self Esteem (ISE), and a participant satisfaction survey.Bivariate analyses were used to test the difference between pre-test and post-test mean scores. Both parametric and non-parametric tests were conducted to determine if change scores revealed significant differences. Using independent t-tests to determine if there were significant differences between treatment and comparison groups on change scores, no significant differences were noted. However, in reviewing the direction of change scores for the two groups, the treatment group did show changes in the desired direction in four areas. Specifically, positive directional change occurred on the "Lack of Empathy for the Child" sub-scale, the "Belief in Corporal Punishment" sub-scale, the "Reversing Family Roles" sub-scale, and on the "Nurturing Quiz."Using the Wilcoxon non-parametric test, one measure revealed statistically significant differences between pre-test and post-test scores. Specifically, participants in the treatment group revealed significantly higher scores on the "Nurturing Quiz" at post-testing from pre-testing (z = -2.81, p = .005). This indicates an overall increase in knowledge about positive child management techniques. No significant pre-test to post-test differences were noted in any of the remaining areas under study. However, positive directional change scores were noted in the three different areas of "Inappropriate Expectations of the Child", "Nurturing", and "Self-Esteem."Overall, the findings suggest that the M.I.L.K. Program training positively impacts parenting techniques. Self-esteem appears more difficult to impact.

Text in Afrikaans / Vrouemisdaad is 'n komplekse sosiale verskynsel. 'n Aspek van vrouemisdaad wat in die onderhawige proef skrif ondersoek word, is om aan die hand van bestaande teoriee te probeer verklaar waarom vroue soveel minder misdaad as mans pleeg. Ten einde antwoorde op die vraag te vind, is 'n kwantitatiewe ondersoek na die gemeenskap se houding rakende die vrouemisdadiger en 'n kwalitatiewe ontleding van die beskikbare literatuur gedoen. 'n Intensiewe verkennende studie van die beskikbare literatuur het getoon dat die gemeenskap, navorsers en akademici bepaalde persepsies huldig oor die vrouemisdadiger wat nie altyd met die werklike beeld strook nie. Alhoewel die getalle van vrouemisdadigers deur die jare toegeneem het, het die tipe misdade wat vroue pleeg weinig verander en die omvang van vrouemisdaad proporsioneel tot die bevolking dieselfde gebly. Geen enkele teorie of benadering op sigself bied 'n algemene verklaring vir die verskynsel van vrouemisdaad nie; dit kan hoogstens as gedeeltelike verklaring dien. 'n Algemene verklaringsmodel vir vrouemisdaad is egter opgestel wat terselfdertyd as samevatting van die geselekteerde teoriee dien. Met behulp van die argivale metode is 'n profiel van die gekommitteerde vrouemisdadiger saamgestel om 'n basiese kennissisteem van die vrouemisdadiger daar te stel. Statisties beduidende verbande is gevind tussen die karakteristieke van die blanke gekommitteerde vrouemisdadiger se huwelikstaat, aantal kinders en bedrog. Die kwantitatiewe ondersoek bestaan uit die ontleding van 516 respondente se persepsies oor die vrouemisdadiger. Uit die resultate van verskeie statistiese tegnieke blyk dit dat die ondersoekgroep, wat blanke respondente van vier voorstede uit struktuurstreekplansel 22 van Pretoria verteenwoordig, bepaalde persepsies en opvattings aangaande die vrouemisdadiger het. Die persepsiemeting het aan die lig gebring dat daar verskille in persepsies bestaan oor die vrouemisdadiger en vrouemisdaad in die blanke gemeenskap bestaan. Hierdie persepsies stem nie ooreen met die beeld wat blyk uit die onderhawige navorsing nie. Statisties beduidende verskille in persepsies tussen manlike en vroulike respondente van die ondersoekgroep is ook gevind. Daar bestaan verder statisties beduidende verskille tussen respondente van verskillende voorstede, onderwyspeile, taalgroepe, en ouderdomsgroepe. / It can be said that female crime is a complex phenomenon. An aspect of female crime that is investigated in this thesis is to explain, with reference to existing theories, why women commit fewer crimes than men. In an attempt to answer this question, a quantitative investigation regarding the attitude of society towards the female criminal as well as a qualitative study of the available literature, was conducted. An intensive exploratory study on female crime indicated that and academics have a certain of the available the community, perception of literature researchers the female criminal which does not always correspond with the facts. Although the number of female criminals has increased through the years the extent of female crime, proportionally to the population size, has remained constant, and the type of crime committed by women has remained relatively unchanged. It seems clear that no single theory or approach can explain female crime, it can at best give a partial explanation. An integrated explanation model for female crime has been compiled which simultaneously serves as a summary of selected theories. By means of the archival research method a profile of the female prisoner was compiled, to be used as a basis for the researcher's scientific knowledge of this phenomenon. Statistically significant relations were found to exist between the characteristics of the white female prisoner's marital status, number of children and fraud. The quantitative investigation consisted of an analysis of the responses of 516 respondents on an attitude scale. The results of various statistical techniques show that the research group, which represents respondents fr6m four suburbs from structure plan cell 22 of Pretoria, reveals certain attitudes and beliefs about the female criminal. This attitude measurement indicated that differences in perceptions regarding the female in the white community do criminal and female exist. Furthermore crime these perceptions do not correlate on the female criminal in with the information gathered this research. Statistically significant differences in attitude were found between male and female respondents, respondents from the different suburbs, with different qualifications, of different language groups, and of different age groups. / Sociology / D. Lit. et Phil. (Kriminologie)

Text in Afrikaans / Vrouemisdaad is 'n komplekse sosiale verskynsel. 'n Aspek van vrouemisdaad wat in die onderhawige proef skrif ondersoek word, is om aan die hand van bestaande teoriee te probeer verklaar waarom vroue soveel minder misdaad as mans pleeg. Ten einde antwoorde op die vraag te vind, is 'n kwantitatiewe ondersoek na die gemeenskap se houding rakende die vrouemisdadiger en 'n kwalitatiewe ontleding van die beskikbare literatuur gedoen. 'n Intensiewe verkennende studie van die beskikbare literatuur het getoon dat die gemeenskap, navorsers en akademici bepaalde persepsies huldig oor die vrouemisdadiger wat nie altyd met die werklike beeld strook nie. Alhoewel die getalle van vrouemisdadigers deur die jare toegeneem het, het die tipe misdade wat vroue pleeg weinig verander en die omvang van vrouemisdaad proporsioneel tot die bevolking dieselfde gebly. Geen enkele teorie of benadering op sigself bied 'n algemene verklaring vir die verskynsel van vrouemisdaad nie; dit kan hoogstens as gedeeltelike verklaring dien. 'n Algemene verklaringsmodel vir vrouemisdaad is egter opgestel wat terselfdertyd as samevatting van die geselekteerde teoriee dien. Met behulp van die argivale metode is 'n profiel van die gekommitteerde vrouemisdadiger saamgestel om 'n basiese kennissisteem van die vrouemisdadiger daar te stel. Statisties beduidende verbande is gevind tussen die karakteristieke van die blanke gekommitteerde vrouemisdadiger se huwelikstaat, aantal kinders en bedrog. Die kwantitatiewe ondersoek bestaan uit die ontleding van 516 respondente se persepsies oor die vrouemisdadiger. Uit die resultate van verskeie statistiese tegnieke blyk dit dat die ondersoekgroep, wat blanke respondente van vier voorstede uit struktuurstreekplansel 22 van Pretoria verteenwoordig, bepaalde persepsies en opvattings aangaande die vrouemisdadiger het. Die persepsiemeting het aan die lig gebring dat daar verskille in persepsies bestaan oor die vrouemisdadiger en vrouemisdaad in die blanke gemeenskap bestaan. Hierdie persepsies stem nie ooreen met die beeld wat blyk uit die onderhawige navorsing nie. Statisties beduidende verskille in persepsies tussen manlike en vroulike respondente van die ondersoekgroep is ook gevind. Daar bestaan verder statisties beduidende verskille tussen respondente van verskillende voorstede, onderwyspeile, taalgroepe, en ouderdomsgroepe. / It can be said that female crime is a complex phenomenon. An aspect of female crime that is investigated in this thesis is to explain, with reference to existing theories, why women commit fewer crimes than men. In an attempt to answer this question, a quantitative investigation regarding the attitude of society towards the female criminal as well as a qualitative study of the available literature, was conducted. An intensive exploratory study on female crime indicated that and academics have a certain of the available the community, perception of literature researchers the female criminal which does not always correspond with the facts. Although the number of female criminals has increased through the years the extent of female crime, proportionally to the population size, has remained constant, and the type of crime committed by women has remained relatively unchanged. It seems clear that no single theory or approach can explain female crime, it can at best give a partial explanation. An integrated explanation model for female crime has been compiled which simultaneously serves as a summary of selected theories. By means of the archival research method a profile of the female prisoner was compiled, to be used as a basis for the researcher's scientific knowledge of this phenomenon. Statistically significant relations were found to exist between the characteristics of the white female prisoner's marital status, number of children and fraud. The quantitative investigation consisted of an analysis of the responses of 516 respondents on an attitude scale. The results of various statistical techniques show that the research group, which represents respondents fr6m four suburbs from structure plan cell 22 of Pretoria, reveals certain attitudes and beliefs about the female criminal. This attitude measurement indicated that differences in perceptions regarding the female in the white community do criminal and female exist. Furthermore crime these perceptions do not correlate on the female criminal in with the information gathered this research. Statistically significant differences in attitude were found between male and female respondents, respondents from the different suburbs, with different qualifications, of different language groups, and of different age groups. / Sociology / D. Lit. et Phil. (Kriminologie)