Abstract:
The main objective of this piece of research was to determine the re-socialization prospects of convicted individuals for theft, as well as the differences and the difficulties regarding the re-socializing function of the punishment. The hypotheses made were: A) Theft convicts think that re-socialization is possible depending on the will or predisposition of each offender, and consider work, education and family as important factors; B) Drugs are a negative factor for there-socialization process. A random sample of 20 convicts from the Penitentiary Service of the Province of San Luis was used. The analyses were conducted using the Natural Semantic Networks technique. The results suggest that family and work are concepts mainly associated to re-socialization, while education (study) and religion appear as secondary factors.