Social Support and Chinese Female Offenders' Prison Adjustment

Abstract

In this article, we investigate the relationship between Chinese female offenders’ prison adjustment and their perception of social support using both quantitative and qualitative methods. We find that social support has positive effects on female offenders’ prison adjustment and that demographic factors are not significantly related to their prison adjustment or perception of social support. Of three types of social support providers (family, friends, and significant others), offenders welcomed support from the family the most, followed by significant others (including prison officers and social volunteers). Support from friends (mainly fellow prisoners) is comparatively less important in the lives of Chinese female offenders.