There is very little literature on racial characteristics of prisoners. What literature is available seems to be historical and theoretical rather than empirical. The proportion of blacks in the prison population was 15 times greater than that of the Utah population. The proportion of Chicanos was three times greater in the prison than in the state population. The present correlational study compared 668 Caucasian, 103 Chicano, and 73 black inmates on 47 variables considered relevant to the prison setting. Religious differences were prominent as were differences in scores on standard intelligence tests. Chicanos tended to be more assaultive. Blacks posed less escape risk, and fewer blacks used alcohol. Blacks scored as better adjusted on Bipolar Psychological Inventory Scales relating to feelings of personal inadequacy. Other differences were found.
Intellectual disability and the prison setting
