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“If I Get Locked Up, I Get Locked Up”: Secondary Control and Adjustment among Juvenile Offenders

This study examined relations between two types of control (primary and secondary) and the psychological and community adjustment of adolescent offenders. Prior to release from confinement, 279 male adolescent offenders were interviewed about their control beliefs and a number of adjustment variables, including emotional/behavior problems, feelings of despair, expectations to avoid recontact with the law, and recognition of costs for reoffending. In addition, probation officers were interviewed regarding the participants’ adjustment to the community 8 weeks following their release and official records were searched for a 6-month period to determine the nature and timing of any reincarcerations. Secondary control was significantly associated with maladjustment for all psychological and behavioral outcomes. When predicting reincarceration, this relationship was qualified by a significant interaction with primary control, such that those who recidivated the soonest had high levels of both primary and secondary control. These data suggest that secondary control beliefs may be maladaptive among adolescent offenders, particularly when perceived primary control is high.