Importation and deprivation theories are typically offered to explain the process by which inmates adjust to prison environments. Nearly all prior empirical tests of these theories have exclusively relied on samples of male inmates. Using self-report and official data from 247 male and female inmates confined to correctional institutions in a southeastern state, this study makes an important contribution to the correctional literature by examining whether theoretical predictors of infraction behavior are similar for males and females. Consistent with prior research, findings from zero-inflated Poisson regression models indicate that measures of both importation and deprivation theories significantly influence misconduct behavior. Findings, however, indicate that predictors of institutional misconduct are different for males and females. These findings support the development of gender-specific correctional programming that considers distinct needs of men versus women, with specific emphasis on programs that respond to the unique circumstances of female offenders.

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Steep delay discounting is characterized by a preference for small immediate outcomes relative to larger delayed outcomes and is predictive of drug abuse, risky sexual behaviors, and other maladaptive behaviors. Nancy M. Petry was a pioneer in delay discounting research who demonstrated that people discount delayed monetary gains less steeply than they discount substances with abuse liability. Subsequent research found steep discounting for not only drugs, but other nonmonetary outcomes such as food, sex, and health. In this systematic review, we evaluate the hypotheses proposed to explain differences in discounting as a function of the type of outcome and explore the trait-and state-like nature of delay discounting. We found overwhelming evidence for the state-like quality of delay discounting: Consistent with Petry and others' work, nonmonetary outcomes are discounted more steeply than monetary outcomes. We propose two hypotheses that together may account for this effect: Decreasing Future Preference and Decreasing Future Worth. We also found clear evidence that delay discounting has trait-like qualities: People who steeply discount monetary outcomes steeply discount nonmonetary outcomes as well. The implication is that changing delay discounting for one outcome could change discounting for other outcomes.

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