Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Using prosecutors' files of cases involving drug production charges opened between April 1, 1998 and March 31, 2003, recidivism rates among persons convicted of producing cannabis or synthetic illicit substances (such as methamphetamine and ecstasy) will be examined. Recidivism for subsequent drug, violent and other offences will be emphasized. In addition, this research will speak to how demographics, production site characteristics and criminal history related to offender recidivism in Canadian drug production cases.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: This study examines the recidivism covariates of 610 inmates who were confined in a supermax unit in 2004, and have since been released from prison. Follow up data were collected for each inmate in order to assess the recidivism covariates of those who re-engaged in crime after their release from prison. The follow-up time in the community was an average of five years (66 months) for each sampled inmate from the date of release from prison after 2004. The review period ended on August 31, 2011.The findings suggest that when compared to ex-supermax inmates who did not recidivate, those that did were younger, more likely to be serving time for a drug offense, and had a history of prior incarcerations and disciplinary infractions while incarcerated. Time to recidivate, however, was significantly predicted by whether the ex-inmate was a gang member, sentence length, and a prior history of drug and alcohol abuse. The implications of this research are further analyzed in the paper.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Health research has established that there exist significant and consistent racial disparities in health outcomes, access to health care, and scope and quality of healthcare. An unresolved question is whether there are different pathways between health and recidivism for white versus black ex-prisoners. Using all four waves of the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI) data, we assess if the effects of health status and healthcare needs on recidivism are different for black versus white serious and violent ex-offenders. The study’s findings and their implications will be discussed.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Sex offenses are among the crimes that provoke serious public concern. The federal response to the problem of sex offending has resulted in an exponential increase in the number of sex offenders on federal post-conviction supervision; however, relatively few studies have explored whether and how well the actuarial risk instrument currently used by federal probation officers – the federal Post Conviction Risk Assessment instrument – accurately predicts reoffending behavior among the federal sex offender population. This study provided an exploration of the PCRA’s capacity to effectively predict subsequent recidivism activity for convicted federal sex offenders. Results show that the PCRA accurately predicts recidivistic behavior involving the commission of any felony or misdemeanor offenses, violent offenses, and probation revocations for this population; however, the PCRA’s predicative capacities deteriorate when the instrument is used to assess the likelihood of sexual recidivism. The paper concludes by discussing policy and research implications

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Abstract: Over 50% of all firms in the U.S. employ methods of assessing an applicant's riskiness through a criminal history record check (Holzer, Raphael, & Stoll, 2004), thus generating public concern about the exclusion of individuals with records from the employment market (Rodriguez & Emsellem, 2011). Also contributing to this issue is that individuals with criminal histories often lack the hard and soft skills that employers find desirable (which may be because of, or simply associated with, prior incarceration) thereby further restricting their realistic employment opportunities. For these, and other manifold reasons, individuals with records tend to pursue two primary employment markets: 1) low-skill and low-education jobs or, 2) illegal forms of employment (e.g., drug sales, selling stolen items). The current study concerns the first pattern and examines the degree to which the overall "health" of the low-skill and low-education labor market influences recidivism patterns among parolees released from New Jersey correctional institutions from 1992 to 2012. We capitalize on movement of parolees from and to "healthy" (or "healthier") markets to identify the effect of local labor market conditions on the likelihood of recidivism. Results and policy implications will be discussed.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Few evaluations of prison drug treatment have used strong inference designs (i.e., designs that include measurement of the theoretical mechanisms hypothesized to cause a change in outcome and proof that changes in these mechanisms are associated with changes in outcomes). Using a randomized experimental design, this paper examined relationships between changes in inmates’ responses to drug treatment and post-release reincarceration. Subjects at SCI-Chester, a 1215-bed medium security state correctional facility, were randomly assigned to a 12-month Therapeutic Community program (n = 347) or a 12-month Outpatient (n = 385) program. Inmates completed the TCU Resident Evaluation of Self and Treatment (REST) and counselors completed the Counselor Rating of Client (CRC) form at three intervals: 1 month, 6 months, and 12 months following admission. Subscales included measures of inmate motivation, psychosocial characteristics (e.g., hostility, risk taking), perceptions of treatment (e.g., trust and rapport), and ratings of program structure. Using GLM repeated measures and logistic regression techniques, we examined changes in inmate responses to treatment over time and the impact of in-treatment changes upon reincarceration. Significant improvements in response to both types of treatment were found, but in-treatment changes only weakly predicted reincarceration. Implications for treatment theory and policy are discussed.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This study evaluates the specific deterrence hypothesis in a sample of over 1,500 incarcerated juvenile offenders. Specifically, it examines the relationship between length of time incarcerated and recidivism while controlling for risk level. Previous research has found that incarceration is associated with an increase in recidivism (Lemke, Lowenkamp, & Smith, 2006; Smith, Goggin, & Gendreau, 2002; Spohn & Holleran, 2002). This study also examines whether or not the effects of incarceration differ with respect to risk level and offense type. This study contributes to the growing literature on the harmful effects of incarceration and the lack of support for the specific deterrence hypothesis. This study has important policy implications given the dramatic increase in incarceration rates in the United States.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: The prospect of economic development in post-conflict democratization can generate incentives that increase the risk of a return to civil war. In many such cases, elite competition over access to these future rents and the persistence of a wartime ethos into the peacetime context generate incentives for actors to undermine the tenuous legitimacy of the new institutions created after the conflict. This theory provides a contrast with several studies that show a correlation between economic development and a decrease in the risk of civil war, highlighting a growing problem in the field of development studies – the linguistic confusion between development-as-noun (successful development) and development-as-verb (the process and programs of development). In order to mitigate the destabilizing effects of a nascent program of economic development, post-conflict societies must find ways to enhance the legitimacy of their new institutions and control or reduce the incentives that seek to undermine their legitimacy.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Many low-level offenders spend substantial portions of their lives in the revolving door of local jails. This cyclic recidivism can drain fiscal resources, deplete the morale of those charged with caring for these chronic offenders, and generate a dismal existence for individuals who are perpetually reincarcerated. One method of combating recidivism at the local jail level is the re-entry program. Re-entry is a system of post-jail aftercare designed to facilitate the transition from jail back into the community. Re-entry consists of multifaceted treatment modalities to address ex-offenders’ mental illnesses, substance abuse disorders, employment impediments, etc. The purpose is to prevent recidivism and make the post-jail transition successful. The current study is a quantitative analysis of a community re-entry program. The model analyzes the effect of post-jail caseworkers, substance abuse treatment, mental health treatment, and other programs on ex-offenders’ recidivism. Results are presented and policy implications discussed.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Parolees are likely to recidivate because they have risk factors that predispose them to crimes (e.g., youth, broken family), and their incarceration weakened such protective factors as health and family relations. This study examines another risk factor for parolees, the economic resources present in neighborhoods in which they reside post-release. Neighborhood poverty has been shown to encourage crime and increase levels of social disorganization, yet there is little consensus on the definition of poverty. This study examines three different types of poverty – absolute poverty, relative deprivation, and diffusion – and their relation to recidivism rates and individual parolee’s recidivism throughout Metropolitan Atlanta.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: The New Jersey Department of Corrections maintains a unique position in that it is fundamentally adversarial- it simultaneously offers both punishment and rehabilitation to its offenders. By mere virtue of its existence, the NJDOC provides visible punishment to its offenders. To date, the commitment to rehabilitative programs has been somewhat more nebulous and imperceptible. In an effort to combat this invisibility and remain consistent with its dedication to improving the quality of life in New Jersey, the New Jersey Department of Corrections has made a noteworthy commitment to educating its offenders. The New Jersey Department of Correction recently conducted an outcome analysis of inmates who participated in the General Educational Development program (GED) and a matched sample of inmates who did not participate in the GED program. The goal of this project was to answer the often debated and highly controversial question, “Does correctional education have an impact on rates of recidivism?” Eleven predictors of recidivism were identified through literature reviews, and both groups of the 300 included inmates were hand-matched on these variables. This study found that New Jersey inmates who participated and graduated from the GED program during the years 1999 and 2000 demonstrated significantly lower levels of re-offending than inmates who did not participate in the GED program during the same time period. The decreased level of re-offending was consistent across re-arrest rates, re-conviction rates and re-incarceration rates.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: There is a general consensus among researchers and policy makers that drug use is in linked in some manner to criminal behavior and recidivism. Researchers have shown that individuals who tested positive for drugs are more likely to be rearrested (DeJong & Wish, 2000; Smith & Polsenberg, 1992). Research specific to probationers has also identified drug use as an important determinant of negative probation outcomes (Olson, Alderden, & Lurigio, 2003; Olson & Lurigio, 2000; Sims & Jones, 1997). Moreover, researchers have noted both the prevalence of drug use among criminal offenders, and the dearth of resources allocated for drug treatment. What is not known from this research is how treatment may alter probation outcomes. Using data from the 2000 Illinois Probation Outcome Study, this analysis will compare both the probation outcomes of drug offenders with non-drug offenders and explore the possible mitigating effects of treatment participation on recidivism.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Few studies have empirically validated the assertion that female and male sex offenders are vastly different. Therefore, utilizing a matched sample of 780 female and male sex offenders in a northern state, the current study explored differences and similarities of recidivism patterns and risk factors for the two offender groups. Results suggested that male sex offenders were significantly more likely than female sex offenders to be re-arrested for both sexual and non-sexual offenses. However, limited differences in terms of risk factors between female and male sex offenders were found.

Publication Type: Poster
Abstract: Prior research about how deserving offenders are of punishment has generally focused on the attitudes of the public. Although some research exists regarding prisoner perceptions of fairness in criminal justice (Alpert & Hicks, 1977; Zhang, Messner, & Lu, 1999), limited research exists on juvenile offender perceptions of commensurability (i.e.proportionality) (Giordano, 1976; Krohn & Stratton, 1980).

This research examines how perceptions of commensurability among incarcerated juveniles affect behavior upon release. Do juveniles in Florida’s Faith and Community-Based Delinquency Treatment Initiative who perceive that their punishment was undeserved offend at higher levels upon release than juveniles who perceive fairness in punishment?

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This paper adds to the growing body of research that examines the relationship between programs and treatment received by offenders while incarcerated and reoffending after released. More specifically, this research uses three measures of recidivism along with institutional misconduct in evaluating various correctional programs in the largest prison system in the United States. Survival analyses along with other statistical techniques are utilized to evaluate programs which focus on educational, vocational, and life-skills training. To date no formal evaluation of Texas prison programs has been undertaken. Policy implications and suggestions for future research will also be discussed.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This paper will provide an overview of the extant literature on the use of the Level of Supervision Inventory-Revised LSI-R with female offenders. Additionally, the predictive validity of the LSI-R on a sample of female probationers and parolees will be discussed.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Through its history, the juvenile justice system has evolved from a treatment and rehabilitative orientation to one that has increasingly become more punitive. We are seeing more juveniles being transferred into the adult criminal justice system. Of the juveniles remaining in the juvenile justice system, almost 110,000 were in a residential placement facility in 2003, and during the same year, 62 percent of juveniles leaving a residential facility for the community were reported having at least one prior placement with 23 percent reporting a prior placement for a crime different from the current offense. Reentry back into the community is an essential step in the juvenile justice system. This paper will use data collected from juveniles that have been placed in residential facilities by the Philadelphia Family Courts and will examine factors that contribute to recidivism. The following research questions are being explored: (1) Does attachment, whether to the family or school, predict recidivism among juvenile delinquents? And (2) Does attachment differentially affect juveniles in different levels of risk classifications?

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Creative responses to reentry have become the focus of criminological, political, and policy inquiries as the need to diminish recidivism rates has become tantamount to the maintenance of communities, families, and the criminal justice system. This study systematically reviews the effectiveness of faith-based community organizations (FBOs) in reducing recidivism rates of ex-offenders through reentry programming. A review of the evaluative literature on faith-based reentry programs, a background into the emergence of federal funding for faith-based initiatives as well as a discussion of the pertinent criminological theory on the relationship between crime, delinquency, reentry and religion/faith are presented. This study finds that despite widespread political and social support for faith-based organizations and their programmatic reentry efforts, there is a dearth of rigorous evaluative literature on the effect that faith-based programs have on reducing crime, delinquency, and rates of recidivism. However, this study does conclude that, based on theoretical and environmental scans of programs and related literature, faith-based initiatives in reentry, especially those with mentoring components, are worth a leap of faith for criminologists, and merit further research. Policy implications for further study are discussed.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: In recent years, there has been a heightened focus amongst policy makers, the media and the public at large on the social threat of sexual offenders, especially for those who commit such crimes against children. This has resulted in legislation to enhance punishments for sex offenders at both the state and federal level, placing these offenders on electronic monitoring, and even civil commitment after the completion of their court imposed sentence. However, due to the intra-family nature of many sex crimes, especially against children, and the resulting lack of cooperation by the victim and witnesses, the desires by the judiciary to impose more severe sentences are commonly not realized. This research addresses the question, derived from deterrence theory, of whether the tougher sentencing of offenders convicted of lewd and lascivious acts against a child under the age of 16 results in a decrease in the likelihood of recidivism. A cohort of 10,576 of these types of child sex offenders sentenced in Florida between 1994 and 2003 are examined to determine if differences in recidivism probabilities occur between the graduated sanctions of probation, community control, local jail, and prison. The policy and theoretical implications of the findings are discussed.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Contrary to early ideas that “nothing works” when treating juvenile offenders, treatment within the juvenile justice system appears to result in greater recidivism reduction than treatment in the adult correctional system. With many states modifying their policies to keep more youth in the juvenile court jurisdiction, effective treatments for use in custodial settings are increasingly needed. This paper will review empirically supported characteristics of treatments for reducing recidivism and will suggest methods of targeting criminogenic needs in treatment. Key treatment implementation issues and ways in which established treatments can be modified for use in juvenile justice settings will be reviewed.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Offenders with mental illness (OMIs) present unique risks (e.g., treatment noncompliance) and needs (e.g., homelessness) to criminal justice officials. Three studies have demonstrated that OMIs are more likely than non-disordered offenders to fail on community supervision (Dauphinot, 1996; Eno Louden et al., in press; Porporino & Motiuk, 2005). By systematically screening a large sample of probationers (N=2934) for mental illness, this study examines the extent to which (a) mental disorder places probationers at risk for probation revocation, and (b) failure is related to lower system tolerance of OMIs (technical violations) or greater OMI risk (new offenses), compared to nondisordered offenders.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: This paper discusses the outcomes, implications, and complications of the first documented attempt at conducting comparative international recidivism research from a forensic psychological perspective. National crime statistics relating to recidivism rates for offenders released from prison from 17 countries were analyzed. There were large cross-national differences in recidivism rates. A number of socio-structural factors – reflecting the quality of health care, education, criminal justice, and other social services, as well as economic productivity – were evaluated as potential correlates of recidivism rates, delineating some apparent correlates. Limitations of data concerning national recidivism rates are discussed and suggestions for future research are provided.

Publication Type: Poster
Abstract: This study examined the predictive validity of risk measures (STATIC-99, MnSOST-R, PAI) and offender characteristics in a sample of 1928 offenders released after being evaluated for possible civil commitment as SVPs. No measure was a strong predictor of recidivism. Risk measures performed somewhat better among offenders who were not released under mandatory supervision, as opposed to those who were. Cox regression analyses indicated that no risk measure provided incremental validity over another measure for predicting recidivism, and that the most effective risk measures (STATIC-99) was not a significant predictor of recidivism once offender background characteristics were entered into the model.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: According to Agnew’s (1992) general strain theory (GST), exposure to many stressors (strains) within a short time span increases an individual’s risk for criminal behavior. Further, the impact of strains may be conditioned by cognitive and social coping resources, such as self-esteem, mastery, and religiosity, which enable an individual to deal with strains in a noncriminal manner. This study applies the tenets of GST to explain recidivism among a sample of recently released prisoners. This population tends to encounter many social challenges upon release from prison, and prior research has shown that they have a high risk for recidivism. This analysis employs data from the Urban Institute’s Returning Home study, a comprehensive, longitudinal study that provides information on returning prisoners’ social experiences and subjective perspectives both during incarceration and after release. Using a subsample of 740 males, I examine the effects of a social stressor index, as well as the potential buffering effects for mastery, self-esteem, and religiosity, on recidivism. The findings demonstrate that social stressors have a positive effect on recidivism, and religiosity buffers this effect. Interactions between social stressors and self-esteem and mastery were not significant. Theoretical and policy implications are discussed.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: During the last decennia alternative sanctions to imprisonment have been proposed in most Western countries. Reasons for introducing these alternative sanctions include rising prison populations, increasing costs of imprisoning offenders, high recidivism rates after imprisonment, and to contribute to a more humane administration of criminal justice. This study uses longitudinal official record data on adult offenders in The Netherlands (N=4,232) to compare the effect of community service on recidivism to that of imprisonment. To account for possible bias due to selection of offenders into these types of sanctions we use a combined method of ‘matching by variable’ and ‘propensity score matching’. Our findings demonstrate that offenders recidivate significantly less after having performed community service compared to after having been imprisoned. This finding holds both on the short- and long-term, for male and female offenders, and for offenders of different age categories. Furthermore, we show that the results are robust for hidden bias using the Rosenbaum bounds method.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: While prior research has identified both ascribed (e.g., age) and achieved (e.g., criminal record) characteristics of individuals that are associated with increased risk of recidivism, few studies have assessed the stability of these predictors of recidivism over time. Using data from the BJS Prisoners Released in 1983 Database along with data from the BJS Prisoners Released in 1994 Database, this presentation evaluates changes in the three-year probability of rearrest for violent, property, and drug offenders released in 1983 in 11 states compared with those released from the same states in 1994. Predictors used in this study include age at release, race, sex, prior criminal history, prior imprisonment, crime type (violent, property, drug), state, and year. The implications of the findings for criminal justice practice and policy are discussed.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Project Greenlight was an innovative, intensive prison-based prerelease program delivered to inmates the eight-week period immediately prior to their release. Using a relatively rigorous mixed research design, evaluators reported significant negative effects associated with the intervention for the 12-month period following release. I reexamine and reassess the Greenlight data using a longer-term followup period (30 months) and constructing risk scales for the study population. Findings indicate that the bulk of the negative effects dissipate for the two main comparison groups, although significant negative effects remain when compared to a third study group. More importantly however, when considering the risk of the study participants, findings appear to be in conflict with certain assumptions about risk and intensive correctional programming. I find positive program effects for the low-risk intervention participants, but strong negative program effects for those scored as high-risk. I consider the differences in results between the three study groups, attempt to explain the differences, explore the meaning of the findings for correctional interventions, and raise several questions for further study.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: This study adopts a mixed methodology approach to examine factors related to recidivism among Massachusetts Department of Youth Services youth who have been placed in a residential juvenile justice treatment program for a minimum of six months. A sample of eighteen (n=18) youth who remained arrest free in the community after discharge from residential treatment were compared to seventeen (n=17) youth who were re-arrested after residential treatment. All subjects were interviewed with a semi-structured interview, which included seventy-one data points and sixty-one qualitative responses. Findings are congruent with earlier research, indicating that youth with earlier onset delinquency and a greater number of risk factors are more likely to recidivate. The qualitative analysis showed that both youth who reactivate and those that do not consider family involvement important for successful community adjustment. Overall the group that did not recidivate found the treatment programs more helpful, was more able to acknowledge need areas, such as substance abuse, and had less entrenched antisocial behavior as indicated by later onset of criminal behavior and fewer offenses. Findings underscore the importance of interagency collaborations and prevention initiatives to prevent high-risk youth from entering the juvenile justice system, particularly services that are family based.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This study examined relationships between inmate responsivity to drug treatment and post-release reincarceration over a three-year follow-up period. Subjects were inmates participating in a 12-month Therapeutic Community program (n = 347) at SC I Chester, a specialized medium security prison for drug involved male offenders. Inmates completed the TCU Resident Evaluation of Self and Treatment (REST) and counselors completed the Counselor Rating of Client (CRC) form at three intervals: 1 month, 6 months, and 12 months following admission. Subscales included measures of inmate motivation, psychosocial characteristics (e.g., hostility, risk taking), perceptions of treatment (e.g., trust and rapport), and ratings of program structure. Using General Linear Modeling (GLM) and logistic regression techniques, I examined the impact of in-treatment changes upon reincarceration. Significant improvements in response to treatment were found, but only a few types of in-treatment changes significantly predicted reincarceration. Implications for treatment theory and policy are discussed. Results suggest important new directions for research, theory, and practice in offender-based substance abuse treatment.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Our legal system is both ill-suited and ill-prepared to adequately address the needs of at least some of the special classes of offenders with whom it must deal. Foremost among them are offenders who suffer from a serious mental illness. Mental health courts are a relatively new response to the issues that this special population presents. The Superior Court of Fresno County, California has recently introduced a Behavioral Health Court (BHC) in an attempt to address the mental health needs of some of these offenders and to increase public safety. The BHC is a post-conviction, felony offender program that accepts only those offenders with an Axis I diagnosis. Sex offenders, violent felons, and those convicted of drug distribution are ineligible. We were asked by the Superior Court to help them answer a fundamental question: Does the BHC work? BHC participants were compared to similarly mentally ill offenders who either were not admitted or chose not to participate in the BHC. Results of our evaluation will be presented in terms of participant outcome including compliance, diagnosis, hospitalization, improved functioning, and recidivism (among others). Methodological limitations and recommendations to improve the effectiveness of the BHC will be shared.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: This paper describes the efforts of a large, urban school system to balance the social, political and legal functions of a district-wide discipline code with the realities of school-based practices and student needs. Schools and districts often rely on suspensions, though no evidence suggests that suspensions contribute to a reduction in offenses.

Data for this study include school- and student-level demographic characteristics, violent and other crime incident rates, and disciplinary and discharge/dropout data for all students who were suspended between the years of 1998 and 2008 in the district under study. Additionally, we reviewed discipline codes published by several large urban districts. Analytic approaches include comparison of weighted means and the estimation of the survival function using methodology analogous to time-to-arrest studies.

Not surprisingly, the likeliness of being suspended increases dramatically after the first suspension. For students with multiple suspensions over the ten year period, the time between the second and subsequent suspensions is dramatically shorter than the time between the first and second. While the intervention strategies in some discipline codes have some behavioral focus, there are few provisions for members of the school community to address the causes of conflict and create an environment that supports positive behavior.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: This paper will examine the relationship between post-prison recidivism and the static and dynamic characteristics of roughly 30,000 adults released from prison in Illinois during 2007. In addition to the inclusion of traditional static characteristics (age, race, gender, prior criminal history, substance abuse history, etc), the analyses also incorporate measures of institutional adjustment (the extent and nature of the inmate’s disciplinary record while incarcerated), the characteristics of the community the inmate was released to, and the releasees performance on parole (i.e., results of urinalysis tests, ability to obtain employment, and residential stability). These individual- and community-level characteristics will be used to explain patterns in post-release recidivism--overall arrests and specifically for crimes of violence--during the 3-year period following release from prison using different multivariate statistical approaches. The implications for offender risk assessment and recidivism research will be discussed.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: The effect of harsher sanctions on subsequent recidivism is an important policy question in juvenile justice, yet it has received little empirical attention. There are two main issues preventing criminologists from addressing this question with more empirical rigor. First, most existing longitudinal studies do not fully characterize the intricacies of sanctions, for instance type or length, nor do they adequately describe the individual offender’s response to them. Second, selection presents a formidable obstacle; namely, harsher sanctions are likely associated with future recidivism through pre-existing differences between individuals with different levels of sanctions. We address both these shortcomings by incorporating longitudinal data from the Pathways to Desistance study. This rich dataset allows for rigorous control of selection effects by balancing across many background characteristics and accounting for exposure time when modeling later offending. We incorporate recent advances in propensity score methodology, explicitly those which allow the treatment to resemble a dosage. Using this approach, we will estimate a dose-response relationship between length of stay and future recidivism. Our result show that, for intermediate lengths of stay (i.e., 3-13 months), there appears to be little or no marginal benefit for longer length of stay in reducing rate of re-arrest.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: The Sheridan Correctional Center was opened in 2004 by the Illinois Department of Corrections as a fully-dedicated substance abuse treatment prison operating under a Therapeutic Community design. Through the December 2008, more than 3,200 inmates have completed the prison-phase of the program. This paper will examine the long-term impact this program has had on recidivism relative to a comparison group, and also examine how improvements in program operation have enhanced post-release aftercare access and recidivism reductions associated with program participation.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: The development of recidivism risk scales in probation and parole has become increasingly popular over the last several years. Typically risk scales are evaluated using the relative operating characteristic (ROC) curve; however, most evaluations are limited to reporting the area under curve (AUC). Although the AUC is a good summary of the accuracy of a risk scale over the range of possible cut-off scores, it does not completely describe the performance of a risk scale. It is well-known that performance also depends on the base rate and the cut-off score used. When predicting relatively rare events, such as violent felony recidivism, it may be difficult for a risk scale to out-perform the naïve prediction (no one fails), even if the scale has good accuracy as measured by the AUC. We use data from a large outcomes study in probation to illustrate the challenges of predicting relatively rare events and demonstrate the use of alternative verification methods for prognostic models in this context.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: The issue of how to improve reentry outcomes for incarcerated juveniles has long been a concern of both policy makers and practitioners, and has been explored by OJJDP. However, until the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI), there was little opportunity to examine juvenile outcomes across multiple sites. The multi-site evaluation of SVORI included a series of interviews with 337 boys released from custody in 2004 and 2005 in 4 states; these boys were interviewed approximately one month prior to release and then again at 3-, 9-, and 15-months post release. This presentation will begin with descriptive information from the sample about the boys’ reentry experiences, and the primary focus of the presentation will be on recidivism outcomes (including official measures of re-arrest and re-incarceration within the juvenile justice and adult criminal justice systems). The presentation will also explore contextual factors, including self-reported service needs and receipt, family and peer relationships, educational attainment, housing, employment, substance use, and mental health.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This paper describes and discusses recidivism in Hampden County Massachusetts

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: We study all female sex offenders adjudicated in the Netherlands between 1994 and 2006. From analysis of their court files and their rap sheets, we describe these approximately 600 offenders in terms of sampling offences and sanctions. Next, zooming in on the subgroup of convicted hands-on offenders, we describe demographics, family background, personality disorders, victim characteristics, co-offending patterns and criminal careers. We compare a typology derived through cluster analysis with existing typologies for female sex offenders.

Publication Type: Poster
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Recidivism rates and risk factors were examined among 454 juveniles receiving a court clinic mental health evaluation to inform clinicians and judges in determining and understanding risk prevention plans for juveniles with mental health needs. Recidivism rates approached 30% by 12 months with 50% of recidivists being repeat offenders. Recidivist risk factors included prior offenses and externalizing disorders; however, repeat offenders were as equally likely to be status versus criminal offenders and diagnosed with internalizing and externalizing disorders. Thus, risk factors for recidivism and repeat offending may differ for juveniles identified by the court as having severe mental health needs.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This article reviews studies of China’s correctional system and recidivism in approximately the last two decades. Studies on the Chinese correctional system may be grouped into two subfields, one on studies of the correctional system itself (e.g., what is the composition of the system, and how it functions), and the other on studies of prison inmates in other related topics (e.g., their criminal behavior). Studies on China’s recidivism showed a very low recidivism rate, and China’s crime prevention strategies were closely related to its societal structure and social control. Future studies in these two areas need to focus on the most recent changes in the Chinese criminal justice system, and gain more access to Chinese prisons to do empirical testing.

Publication Type: Symposium Paper
Abstract: This presentation will describe the results of two recent meta-analyses of Internet (mostly child pornography) offender samples, the first examining the contact sexual offense histories of Internet offenders and the second examining recidivism rates from follow-up studies of online offenders. The results of these two quantitative reviews suggest that there may be a distinct subgroup of online-only offenders who pose relatively low risk of committing contact sexual offenses in the future. Implications for policy and practice will be discussed.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: We study approximately 350 juvenile sex offenders who were referred for screening for at least one hands-on sex offence in the Netherlands between 1988 and 2003. From analysis of their screening files and their rap sheets, we describe these approximately offenders in terms of sampling offences, demographics, family background, personality disorders, victim characteristics, and co-offending patterns. Next we compare recidivism to a new sex offence for those who received treatment for their sampling sex offence, and those who did not. As treatment was not imposed randomly, we statistically correct for differences in risk factors between the two groups. We end with policy implications and implications for treatment.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: This study extends research on recidivism by examining the phenomenon via a survival mixture modeling approach, which is analogous to trajectory mixture modeling. Using this approach, the authors identified more than one type of recidivism profile in a random sample of inmates released from Florida prisons between January 1998 and June 2001. The research also revealed that certain covariates predicted class membership and operated differently across the groups in predicting the hazard of recidivism, suggesting that a unilateral approach to reducing recidivism risk may be an ineffective strategy. The findings in the context of theory, research, and policy will be discussed.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: As described in the literature there exist a nexus between gangs, guns, and drugs. While several studies have found gang membership to exacerbate criminogenic behavior and increase the rate and immediacy of recidivism, few explain what factors, in association with gang membership, prove to have the most influence. The goal of this study is to understand factors associated with the recidivism of street gang-affiliated offenders under probation supervision. Using data collected from southwestern state, the authors examined characteristics of 225 probationers between the ages of 17 and 31. Probationers were predominantly Hispanic (52%) or African American (36%), not married (96%), and lacked a GED (87 %) or High School degree (77%). Probated offenses varied widely including possession of drugs, robbery, assault, theft, manslaughter, and homicide. Of the 225 probationers 82% were considered high-risk. At the time the data were collected 31% of probationers had committed a new offense and 16% had committed technical violations. Examining the differences between groups, risk (e.g., residency and employment stability, drug abuse, responsivity to treatment, age, criminal history), needs (e.g., education/vocational skills, employment, relationships, mental health, drug dependency) and demographic variables were regressed on the dependent variable, recidivism, to determine if there exist significant relationships.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The adolescent drug problem in America places a huge toll on society and a heavy burden on the criminal justice system. Research regarding the benefits of community-based therapeutic drug communities (TCs) for adolescents has generally shown that TCs reduce substance use and other types of delinquency. Successful outcomes are often differentiated by differences between individuals as well as differences between TC programs. Between-program differences come from many sources including: (a) demographic make-up of treatment program clientele, (b) motivation and readiness for treatment, and (c) level of therapeutic engagement. In statistical terminology, this is referred to as multi-level or nested data. In order to improve outcomes for adolescents in residential TCs, research is needed to understand the effects of these inter-program variations on client-level outcomes. Using data collected as part of the Drug Abuse Treatment Outcomes Studies - Adolescents (DATOS-A), a multi-site prospective study of adolescent drug abuse treatment effectiveness, this study tested both inter-treatment program as well as intra-treatment program predictors of treatment completion, relapse and recidivism. Results provide several key insights into treatment program differences that influence adolescent residential TC outcomes.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Prior studies of recidivism have focused largely on individual level characteristics of offenders to explain recidivism. What has received little attention in previous research are measures reflecting the type of intervention which those individuals were exposed to and its subsequent impact on recidivism rates. While there have been studies which focus on program performance, there has yet to be a systemic analysis which assesses how specific types of interventions affect recidivism. The current research study addresses these deficits. Using data on a sample of juvenile offenders in Florida who were exposed to different interventions in Fiscal Year 2006-07, it is found that youth who attend Moderate-Risk Residential Services and Probation Services have the least probability of being reconvicted one year after successful completion of a program. Additionally, it was found that while selection bias has a significant impact on recidivism at the individual level it has a minimal effect on the primary conclusions.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: In an attempt to reduce the prison population and recidivism, Dutch policy has moved away from the imposition of short prison sentences in favor of suspended prison sentences. The underlying rationale of this shift in policy is that due to the variety of special conditions that can be imposed upon the convicted, the suspended prison sentence can be ‘tailored’ to the offender. Moreover, the threat of revocation of such a suspended sentence in case of non-compliance is believed to be more effective in reducing recidivism than imprisonment. However, little research has been done on the effectiveness of suspended prison sentences in the Netherlands to support this underlying rationale.

The purpose of this presentation is to examine the effect of suspended prison sentences on recidivism rates in the Netherlands. Criminals records of all offenders convicted in 2005 and given a suspended or an unsuspended prison sentence were examined. Using propensity matching we were able to compare the recidivism rates of suspended prison sentences with the recidivism rates of unsuspended prison sentences. In this presentation we try to answer the question whether the recidivism rates of suspended prison sentences imply a Sword of Damocles or a Paper Tiger.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: There has been a great deal of research examining juvenile transfer to adult court. However, there has been less research focusing on the effectiveness of juvenile transfer in reducing recidivism for transferred offenders. Of the research that has been done, most may not have adequately addressed selection bias. The current study investigates the impact of juvenile transfer on subsequent recidivism, using an eight-year follow-up period. The research is based on 308 violent youth legislatively waived to adult court in Pennsylvania. Propensity score matching is used to minimize the impact of selection bias, and sensitivity analysis is performed to determine the effect of hidden bias on the results. The findings indicate that youth processed in juvenile court have a higher recidivism rate than youth processed in adult court. Implications for subsequent research and policy are discussed.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Many jurisdictions are turning to the community court model to help alleviate over burdened criminal courts and overcrowded jails. The Marion County (Indiana) Community Court opened its doors in 2001 and serves as an option to “traditional” court for those qualified arrestees within its catchment area. A quasi-experimental design was used to assess outcomes for a sample of approximately 600 clients referred to the Community Court. Survival analysis techniques examined the proportionality and timing of recidivism among clients three years after court referral and provide some indication of the overall efficacy of the court model. Policy implications, study limitations, and avenues for future research will be also discussed.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: A rich body of scholarship has identified the influence of place on crime, with recent research highlighting a link between neighborhood context and juvenile recidivism. The current study examines the influence of probationer and parolees on the likelihood of juvenile drug recidivism in the city of Philadelphia. Data describing all juvenile offenders appearing within the Philadelphia Family Court is analyzed with data from the Philadelphia Adult Probation and Parole Department. The independent variable is operationalized as the rate of probationer and parolees residing within neighborhood boundaries. Hierarchical models are estimated so that the analysis can simultaneously control for juvenile characteristics and neighborhood context while estimating the impact of probationers and parolees on the likelihood that juvenile offenders will reoffend. Results indicate that the density of probationers and parolees does influence the likelihood that juveniles will recidivate with particular offense types and in particular neighborhoods. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: From a variety of theoretical perspectives housing mobility may be considered a salient risk factor in predicting recidivism outcomes. Regarding sex offenders in particular, housing mobility has been shown to be positively related to the implementation of residency restrictions. The present study is a natural follow-up to this previous research, asking how the relationship between residency restrictions and housing mobility may subsequently impact recidivism outcomes. Data is gleaned from a larger quasi-experimental evaluation of sex offender residency restrictions in a Midwestern state in pursuing this question. Implications for sex offender management practice will be discussed.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Successful reintegration of sexual offenders presents unique challenges to police, community members, policy makers, offenders, and offenders’ family members. Some of these challenges include the public’s perception of sex offenders, belief that sex offender treatment is ineffective, inflated recidivism rates, and publicized stories that highlight particularly rare instances of predatory offenses. One of the primary difficulties of sex offender management is the need to balance “get tough” legislation and community demands with the rights of offenders and the current state of knowledge regarding sex offender risk for recidivism.

The goals of this presentation are to explore common public perceptions of adult male sexual offenders living in the community and how these beliefs have impacted community notification and legislation; discuss whether current legislation effectively addresses known risk factors; and suggest empirically supported policies for offender reintegration. A growing body of research has explored the unintended consequences of strict sex offender policies and the impact of these policies on offenders’ ability to reintegrate into the community and avoid recidivating, some of which include offender psychological distress, challenges for reintegration (Tewksbury & Lees, 2006), community hysteria and offender harassment (Mercado, Alvarez, & Levenson, 2008), and impact on offenders’ family and friends (Zevitz & Farkas, 2000). Research on offenders’ perception of restrictions reveals that although some offenders express positive attitudes about registration and notification, the majority believe that these polices do not effectively prevent them from potential recidivism (Mercado, Alvarez, & Levenson, 2008). Finally, researchers suggest that there may be more effective ways to manage sex offenders residing in the community.

Findings from this review suggest that an unintended consequence of community notification is increased risk of recidivism, and therefore, current sex offender legislation is not achieving the goal of increased community safety. Implications for public policy include greater reliance on a tier system in order to reduce expenses (Levenson & Cotter, 2005). In addition, parole officers and treatment providers can help determine individual offender risk factors in an attempt to tailor services and prevention efforts. Risk assessment and reintegration planning prior to release from prison should be encouraged and case management should be utilized in the community. Those working with offenders in the community should be aware of the offender’s individual dynamic risk factors in order to identify conditions that may increase risk of recidivism. Finally, lawmakers are encouraged to focus on creating policies than can help offenders reintegrate into society and become effective, contributing citizens (Carter, 2008).

References

Carter, M. M. (2008). Twenty Strategies for Advancing Sex Offender Management in Your Jurisdiction.

Levenson, J. S., & Cotter, L. P. (2005). The Effect of Megan's Law on Sex Offender Reintegration. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 21, 49-66.

Mercado, C. C., Alvarez, S., & Levenson, J. (2008). The impact of specialized sex offender legislation on community reentry. Sexual Abuse: Journal of Research and Treatment, 20, 188-205.

Tewksbury, R., & Lees, M. (2006). Perceptions of sex offender registration: Collateral consequences and community experiences. Sociological Spectrum, 26, 309-334.

Zevitz, R. G., & Farkas, M. A. (2000). The impact of sex-offender community notification on probation/parole in Wisconsin. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 44, 8-21.

Publication Type: Poster
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The present study seeks to evaluate the relationship between completion of intensive outpatient substance abuse treatment programs in the Ohio prison system and the likelihood of recidivism one year after release from prison. Preliminary analyses conducted on 2578 male and female offenders at thirty Ohio institutions released from prison by the end of 2011 find a strong and significant bivariate relationship between discharge status and recidivism rates. Seven percent of offenders who successfully completed the prison-based intensive outpatient program were reincarcerated, compared to nearly 12% of offenders who where unsuccessfully discharged. Multivariate analyses show that being unsuccessfully discharged from an Ohio prison-based substance abuse treatment program significantly increases the odds of recidivism after release, relative to having successfully completed a program. Once offender characteristics are taken into account, the impact of discharge status on recidivism is explained by inmate security level during incarceration. These results show potential for positive effects of Ohio prison-based substance abuse treatment programs among some inmates. Future research must uncover among which groups of offenders treatment discharge status is most strongly associated with reduced recidivism, and whether effects of prison-based treatment hold over longer follow-up periods as more participants are released from prison.

Publication Type: Roundtable Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Recent work evaluating chemical dependency programs in Washington State has been limited to a meta-analysis of national literature that investigate the effectiveness of comparable programs using recidivism as an indicator for success. Washington State Department of Corrections (WADOC) has since then expressed a need to directly analyze the effectiveness of their chemical dependency programs. In this study, I investigate the impact of these programs on recidivism. This study uses administrative data from WADOC that includes all released offenders (N=80,129) from January 1, 2009 through April 20, 2013. Using quasi-experimental methods and survival analysis, I model time to reincarceration for both chemical dependency participants and non-participants to test the impact of treatment for released offenders on recidivism. I also investigate interaction effects from multiple program participation including the housing voucher and work release programs. Preliminary analysis shows that Black and Native Americans have shorter times to recidivism compared to Whites. Furthermore, drug, assault, and sexual offenses also have shorter times to recidivism compared to other offenses. I expect to find that offenders with chemical dependency treatment will experience longer times to recidivism. Finally, I suggest recommendations for further improvement that could have implications for successful reintegration of formerly incarcerated individuals.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Abstract: Over the past several years researchers have extensively examined and evaluated criminal justice programming which seeks to enhance the cognitive thought process of prisoners while reducing recidivism. The majority of these programs have concentrated on male prisoners while at the same time research related to the unique experiences of female prisoners has been lacking within the literature. The current research, utilizing a sample of female prisoners, seeks to discover if participation in a unique type of humanistic cognitive behavioral program, emphasizing mindfulness meditation, implemented in a mid-western minimum security women’s prison can influence recidivism rates. Findings indicate that after three years of release from prison program participant’s recidivate at lower rates than the overall female prisoner population. Research limitations as well as policy implications are discussed.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The relationship between criminal justice sanctions and sex crime recidivism remains largely unexplored. Therefore, using a sample of 8,466 male sex offenders from 13 states in the United States, we focus on the sentence meted out for the sex crime conviction and the length of the resulting incarceration. Sex offenders were grouped into four categories: rapists, sexual assaulters, child molesters, and all sex offenders combined. Recidivism was operationalized as rearrest and reconviction. Findings suggest how recidivism is operationalized matters. When recidivism is measured as rearrest for another sex offense, sentence length and time served are unrelated to sex crime recidivism. On the other hand, when recidivism is operationalized as reconviction for another sex offense, sentence length is positively related to recidivism for rapists, sexual assaulters, child molesters, and all sex offenders combined, while time served is negatively related to recidivism for child molesters and when all sex offenders are combined.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Abstract: While youth are placed in custody every day, there are very few studies that have examined the impact that longer stays have on future recidivism, and moreover, the differential effects that may be experienced based on the demographics of the youth. This study will first examine the impact that length of stay has on a cohort of youth being released from a juvenile correctional facility to determine what impact longer stays have on future incarceration. Second, the study will examine the impact that length of stay has on recidivism conditioned by race, age, and risk. Third, interaction effects will be explored to determine if there are any additive effects based on a combination of factors. In addition to understanding the impact of length of stay on recidivism, theoretical and policy implications will be explored.

Publication Type: Poster
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The study focuses on the impact of halfway houses on recidivism for adult sex offenders relative to parole programs. The study analyzed the recidivism rates in a sample of 283 adult male sexual-offenders placed in halfway houses in Ohio between February 2006 and June 2007, as compared to a matched control group of 283 sexual offenders on parole. Comparison cases were matched on offenders’ level of risk (low, moderate, and high), race (White/non-White), and county. Multiple outcome measures are included, such as: any arrest, any conviction (misdemeanor or felony), any sex offense conviction, and any incarceration. A two-year follow-up timeframe was used. In addition, event history analysis examines the possible causes of the above outcome measures. The implications of the findings for correctional intervention also are explored.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Does one's perception of being treated unfairly by local police vary by race? Does it pattern the likelihood of recidivism? And does residence in a disadvantaged neighborhood account for those patterns? If so, the relationships are consistent with structural and cultural explanations of crime such as the cultural attenuation or legal cynicism models which expect linkages between minority status and residence in disadvantaged neighborhoods in relation to perceived unfairness in dealings with police. Those models further expect those perceptions to be associated with crime outcomes, even in the presence of a conventional normative structure. We address the issues with data derived from 250 structured interviews with a random sample of minimum and medium security prisoners drawn from four Ohio prisons in a series of logistic and event-history models.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The purpose of this study is to examine macro level factors that affect prisoner recidivism among females in the United States. Our dependent variable is the likelihood of recidivism within three years after an inmate is released from prison. Independent variables include individual-level characteristics, such as offense type, race, sex, substance abuse, HIV status, etc., and macro-level characteristics based on the state of incarceration. We view the individual-level variables as controls, with the macro-level characteristics as our independent variables of interest. Our hypotheses test the notion that state policies, such as availability of social services, indigent defense funding mechanism, and degree of reliance on for-profit private correctional facilities, affect the likelihood of recidivism among females. We will rely on data collected by the Department of Justice in 1983, 1994 and 2005 under the auspices of their National Recidivism Study of Released Prisoners series, which tracked prisoners in about a dozen states (11 states in 1983 and 15 states in 1994). Data from 1983 and 1994 are currently available, and the 2005 data are scheduled for release in 2013. Our choice of macro-level variables is informed by three theoretical frameworks—Cohen’s sub-cultural theory, Merton’s strain theory, and critical theory. We hypothesize that resource availability, cultural influences and policy will account for significant variation in the likelihood of recidivism.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Research has shown that, on average, 40% of prisoners recidivate within three years (Pew Center, 2011). Reentry issues, to include civil disability policies, have been suggested to contribute to this level of recidivism (Smith & Hattery, 2010; Trimbur, 2009). Using data from the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections as well as the U.S. Census Bureau, this study examines inmate recidivism in the context of civil disability policies.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The association between child maltreatment and juvenile delinquency is well-established. A number of studies show that youths with maltreatment experience have higher delinquency rates than their peers. Many maltreatment victims receive child welfare services. However, several studies show that child welfare services are associated with higher rates of first time offending and recidivism. Studies report that placement instability in substitute care and staying in congregate placement (e.g. group home) contribute to higher rates of first time offending. Little research has examined whether child welfare system’s response to returning delinquent awards is associated with higher rates of recidivism. Informed by deviant peer influences in congregate care, I hypothesize that placing delinquent cases from family-like settings in congregate care is associated with higher rates of recidivism. I use administrative records from the Los Angeles County Department of Probation and the Department of Children and Family Services. I studied a sample of 5,630 first time violent offenders who were put on probation or dismissed. Thirty-three percent of them recidivated within two years. Using logistic regression, I find that placing delinquent awards in congregate care was associated with higher rates of recidivism. Results highlight potential mechanisms through which child welfare services affect recidivism.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Community re-entry following a spell of incarceration is daunting for all experiencing it but is arguably made even more difficult for persons affected by a serious mental illness. Understanding factors related to recidivism in this population requires that we understand the effects of demographic and criminal history factors alongside factors such as diagnosis and substance abuse history. This paper presents data on the recidivism patterns of some 2200 individuals who as inmates were identified as “open mental health cases.” These individuals, whose community tenure was followed for three years, constitute a cohort of all released inmates with mental health histories released from facilities maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Corrections and from two county houses of corrections, one serving the Boston area and the other Springfield area. This cohort includes persons with a broad spectrum of diagnoses, ranging from anxiety disorders and depression to schizophrenia, and an array of charges associated with their last conviction. How these factors and their interactions affect recidivism is examined here using survival analysis and Cox regression techniques. The findings of this study will hopefully spur the criminology community to pay greater attention to the role of mental illnesses in assessing risk for recidivism.

Publication Type: Poster
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Many correctional programs and policies continue to place offender employment as their central objective. These programs offer offenders the opportunity to obtain their GED and high school diploma, to participate in vocational experiences, and build skills for various jobs. Despite this emphasis on helping offenders obtain jobs so that they desist from criminal lifestyles, little research has been conducted over the past decade regarding the effectiveness of these programs.

The most recent meta-analysis on employment, educational, and vocational programs was conducted in 2005. Despite proliferation of employment and education-focused correctional programming, researchers seem to have lost focus on this imperative topic. This poster will present a literature review on current research of employment programs for offending populations and their outcomes regarding recidivism reduction and attainment of a job. This poster will also examine factors correlated with ex-offender employment success upon release from prison.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Measures of correctional program fidelity routinely include items to assess a variety of staff characteristics and core competencies (see Gendreau, Andrews, & Theriault, 2010; Lowenkamp, Latessa, & Smith, 2006). This study reports results examining the relationship between staff characteristics and treatment effectiveness in a sample of 118 community-based correctional programs. Specifically, this study discusses the importance of staff attitudes toward offender rehabilitation, knowledge about evidence-based practices, and skills related to the delivery of cognitive-behavioral programming. Implications for correctional policy and programming are also considered.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Research on the risk principle confirms that correctional practitioners should differentiate services by offender risk, with higher risk offenders receiving more intense services than lower risk offenders. Research also confirms that these services should be based on a cognitive-behavioral modality. This is because cognitive behavioral interventions have consistently demonstrated a positive impact on recidivism for offenders in the aggregate. At the same time, there is some research to suggest that offenders with certain personality types - most notably, those classified as neurotic - are higher risk for re-offending and may not fare as well as other personality types within cognitive behavioral programs. If this is true, increasing cognitive behavioral dosage for high risk neurotic offenders may have a detrimental impact on recidivism for those offenders. Consequently, this study examines personality type as a moderator of the risk dosage relationship to determine the impact on recidivism.

Publication Type: Poster
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: With sex crimes on the rise, prison overcrowding becoming a very real problem in Texas, and limited sex offender research available, it is critical that resources are allocated effectively. Gottfredson and Hirschi (1990, 2001) are well known for their introduction of the self-control theory, maintaining that parental socialization has a significant impact on a child’s self-control, conclusively until the ages of eight or ten, and that self-control will remain relatively stable throughout life, i.e. stability hypothesis. The theoretical premise for the proposed study relies upon the few previous analyses that challenge the stability hypothesis (Mitchell and Mackenzie, 2006; Hay and Forrest 2006; Burt, Simons and Simons, 2006; Na and Paternoster, 2012) and suggest malleability between collected measures of self-control, that although minimal, still offer exciting development for treatment and prevention researchers and practitioners. By considering both the perimeters and contributions from aforementioned research, the proposed study aims to uncover a correlation between cognitive-behavioral therapy for sex offenders and reduced recidivism through the mediating variable of self-control malleability. Although the final research design is currently under construction, the researcher anticipates application of a true experimental design.
Keywords: self-control, stability hypothesis, malleability, male sex offender, cognitive-behavioral treatment/therapy

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The purpose of the study was to determine whether traumatic brain injury (TBI) or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with an increase in general or violent criminal recidivism among a representative sample of released prisoners. Between April 2009 and April 2010 in-person interviews were conducted on a stratified random sample of individuals incarcerated with the South Carolina Department of Corrections. The prisoners were interviewed by trained field interviewers using computer assisted personal interviewing technology approximately 90 days prior to release. In addition to responding to items from various scales, the respondents were screened for TBI using a version of The Ohio State University TBI Identification Method and were asked whether they had received a current diagnosis of PTSD from a doctor or health care worker. The collected data were merged with arrest data obtained from the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division. The arrest data provided both measures of past criminal involvement, as well as indicators of post-release recidivism as indicated by post-release arrest(s). Results indicate that TBI and PTSD are only associated with violent re-arrests, but not general re-arrests.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Abstract: The use of prison can be justified from a deserts or utilitarian perspective although neither leads to any firm conclusion about the optimal length of prison terms. It is even difficult to reach strong qualitative conclusions to some fundamental questions: Does the probability of recidivism increase or decrease as a prison term increases? Is the relationship linear or non-linear? Questions about the relationship between prison stays and recidivism are difficult to answer because observed and unobserved factors correlated with recidivism are similarly correlated with sentencing practices. Consequently there is an attribution problem: Is recidivism following a lengthy incarceration higher because of the incarceration or is the effect spurious, resulting from the fact that offenders who serve long prison terms tend to be offenders who would be more likely to recidivate regardless of the prison term? Using data from the BJS FJSP, this paper studies the causal relationship of imprisonment and length of stay on the probability of recidivism. The FJSP are especially useful for this purpose because the data set is large and provides detail regarding offenders and their offenses. Furthermore, with recent enhancements to the FJSP, we reliably link presentence reports, prison stays, and terms of supervised release for offenders.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: In this paper, we examine factors associated with recidivism among juvenile delinquents in Florida. Using both quantitative and qualitative data concerning youths who were incapacitated in detention facilities from one county in the state, we focus particular attention on the role of education and employment for juvenile recidivism. Preliminary results suggest that educational attainment while incapacitated is important for lowering the likelihood of recidivism. However, employment (largely in low level and/or service sector jobs) is not associated with the odds of re-offending.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The objective of this research is to analyze why traffic laws related to speed limits and drunk driving, with their respective sanctions, are not complied with by Spanish drivers and which factors determine compliance by recidivist drivers. To that end a survey has been designed to evaluate the frequency with which both laws are violated as well as other determinants of compliance, such as those associated with the Deterrence approach (real knowledge of the law, perceived certainty, and sanctions received in the past); the Social Influence approach (prescriptive norms and descriptive norms); and the Legitimacy approach (moral judgment, adaptation and valuing of the limits set by the law, and a sense of obligation to obey the law). After the survey was administered to a representative sample of Spanish drivers of both sexes, two regression models were constructed to analyze the weight of each of the evaluated factors to explain and predict compliance with or violation of the laws by recidivist drivers and thereby specify the determinants of traffic recidivism in order to develop effective prevention programs.

Publication Type: Poster
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: There is increasing need to understand and improve rates of recidivism in all fields associated with the Criminal Justice system. For this project, recidivism is defined as a new arrest after the date of release from probation. This research aims to analyze and interpret the influence that education and employment has on probationer recidivism. Results of bivariate analyses conducted found that, as education increases the likelihood to recidivate decreases. Also, those who remained employed throughout their probation term were the least likely to recidivate. Finally, if the probationer were to lose employment while on probation, it increased the chance of recidivism drastically. The results impart a better understanding of probationers and recidivism. The research revealed the importance education and employment could have on lowering recidivism rates. The findings of this analysis have important implications for local probation practices.

Publication Type: Poster
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: In the past decade, Iowa juvenile recidivism rates have increased substantially especially for the population attempting to reenter their communities from out-of-home placements. As a result, Iowa has taken significant steps to improve their juvenile justice system by implementing new practices and improved strategies. Iowa has instituted a reentry plan to reduce the likelihood of juvenile recidivism by developing new aftercare services, evolving existing programs, and targeting the population of the most serious, high-risk juvenile offenders. Iowa’s reentry approach details a four-pronged effort, that is, proper risk/needs assessment based on a validated assessment tool, utilization of evidence-based practices, inter-agency and service to service communication, and fostering developmental and psychological growth for the adolescent. This poster presentation will focus on the current restructuring of the Iowa Juvenile Justice System by examining the rationale for reform, the desired goals and outcomes, and the comprehensive implementation process.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The current study examines treatment services received by youth on probation in the Maricopa County, Arizona. The project focuses on three primary issues: 1) the factors associated with receiving treatment services while on probation, 2) the factors associated with receiving treatment services through different funding streams, and 3) whether treatment services and specific characteristics of treatment services, particularly the funding source, influence recidivism outcomes of youth. To answer these questions the research used data obtained from the Maricopa County Juvenile Probation Department from July 2012 thru August 2014. Multivariate regression, along with statistical techniques to control for selection bias, were used to identify the factors associated with receiving treatment services, the factors associated with the funding source of treatment services, and the effect of treatment services on recidivism. The findings from the current highlight the disparities in access to services in the juvenile justice system, the characteristics of youth and the type of treatment service received influence the funding source, and the effectiveness of the treatment services. Using propensity score matching, the current dissertation found that treatment services were effective in reducing recidivism. Implications for policy and research are discussed in light of these findings.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Abstract: This paper presents findings from an extensive study of one state’s institutional programs. The study was comprised of two components: an outcome evaluation comparing inmates who participated in programming to those who did not participate in programming and a process evaluation concerning the quality of key treatment programs and all educational programs. Included in the study are data collected through site visits to 28 prisons and data collected on 105,000 offenders admitted to prison between 2008 and 2012. Approximately 45,000 of these offenders participated in reentry approved programs. Reentry approved programs include traditional treatment programs (e.g., Thinking for a Change), substance abuse programs, and a wide array of education programs (i.e., basic education, secondary education, vocational/career technical education, postsecondary education). The quality of these programs was measured during the site visits using variations of the Evidence-Based Correctional Program Checklist (CPC). The study will be explained, the effects of reentry approved program participation on recidivism using propensity score matching (PSM) will be discussed, and avenues for future research will be presented.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Juvenile crime is a serious issue in the United States. Although secure confinement of juvenile offenders has been described as dangerous and possibly even iatrogenic, few studies have directly examined the link between juvenile secure confinement and recidivism. In the investigation, recidivism includes involvement in delinquency within one year, following juvenile court intervention, including release from secure confinement. Using official data from Montana’s Juvenile Court Accountability and Tracking System (n=2,897), this study adds to the literature. The findings are based on propensity score matching. Concerning ethical issues surrounding the experimental assignment of any form of treatment, propensity score matching is an excellent technique, as it approximates the conditions of a controlled experiment. Treatment can include any form of intentional intervention, in this case, placement in secure confinement. The findings will inform practice, policy and future research in this highly relevant area of juvenile justice.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The presentation will relate to an intensive probation and parole supervision program (“ISP”) implemented by the probation services in Munich (Germany). This program is intended to prevent recidivism of juvenile and adolescent intensive and multiple offenders who have been noticed because of frequent or particularly violent crimes. Since 2012, the program has been evaluated by the Max Planck Institute for Foreign and International Criminal Law using a quasi-experimental triangulation design. The paper will address the results of this evaluation, focusing on the question whether ISP has a significant effect on recidivism of young intensive offenders compared to standard care during probation, other measures or execution of prison sentences.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Although there has been a proliferation in research which examines community-based factors related to crime and violence, criminologists have largely ignored the influence of social ecology on recidivism until recently. Existing studies suggest that individual-level attributes, while important to understanding recidivism, only represent a portion of the story. An interrelated body of literature has examined the impact of youth mobility (moving out of impoverished neighborhoods) on a various life outcomes suggesting that “moving up” may improve the developmental trajectories of youth living in disadvantaged areas. Previous research, however, fails to recognize the importance of changes in neighborhood context more generally, and that youth of all social and economic backgrounds, especially those involved in the juvenile justice system, may move to new neighborhoods, ultimately impacting their future delinquency. This project contributes to the literature by examining the influence of youth mobility on reoffending for a sample of previously referred youth in the state of Florida. We seek to determine whether moving to a more affluent or disadvantaged neighborhood may serve as a protective or criminogenic factor in diverting youthful offenders from further involvement with the criminal justice system using a quasi-experimental research design.

Publication Type: Poster
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: An exploratory study was undertaken to determine if recidivism rates could be explained by the convergence of prison setting (public vs private), prison expenditure per prisoner and quality of programming in prisons for offenders released from prisons in England and Wales, following a sentence of 12 months or less, during 2012. This population received no support upon release from prison and therefore the impact of prisons could be measured independently. A series of independent sample t-tests determined no statistically significant differences in costs per prisoner or quality of programming in private and public prisons. However, a statistically significant difference in recidivism rates was found between private and public prisons, with private prisons having higher reoffending rates (t(62.64) = 3.32, p = 0.002). Further, a k-means cluster analysis showed that public prisons are generally outperforming private prisons on all the variables examined although not to a statistically significant extent.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Employment is considered a key factor in facilitating successful reentry and desistance. Ban the box, a policy which removes the check box that asks about criminal history from job applications and delays the criminal history inquiry during the hiring process, aims to improve employment prospects for those with criminal records. In this paper, we evaluate the impact of ban the box in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which went into effect in 2011, on both employment and recidivism outcomes among those who are released from state prison.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The released, including parolees, often have difficulties adjusting to the stressors that accompany their new life (Shrinkfield & Graffam, 2009; Bahr et al., 2010). This population encounters stressors specific to their experiences, including trouble finding housing, maintaining stable employment, and avoiding substance use (Bahr et al., 2010; Travis, 2005). Because of these stressors, parolees have trouble successfully completing their parole. Some estimate that two thirds of parolees are rearrested within three years of release and around half are sent back to prison (Langan & Levin, 2002).
Drawing on social psychology’s stress process, we aim to understand whether an individual’s self-concept, specifically self-efficacy, affects their ability to cope with various stressors that he may encounter during their reentry process. We hypothesize that individuals with higher levels of self-efficacy will be less likely to recidivate than those with lower levels, even if they experience housing and employment difficulties following their release from prison. Additionally, we want to examine whether there are racial/ethnic differences in these processes. Different racial/ethnic groups experience discrimination at varying levels so we hypothesize that self-efficacy may not be as important to minorities because they experience much higher levels of stress during reentry than whites.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Abstract: Over the last several decades our understanding of criminal reoffending has advanced considerably. Scholars interested in recidivism have identified a number of risk factors for reoffending that can inform our efforts to determine “what works” in reducing future criminal behavior. Scholars interested in desistance have identified a number of theoretical processes that can explain the continuation (and cessation) of deviant behavior over the life course. With a few exceptions, these lines of research have largely proceeded forward independently, and our understanding of reoffending is incomplete when one approach is valued over the other. The purpose of the current work, therefore, is to consider each of these approaches in combination to determine if (and how) our understanding of reoffending may change based on the approach taken. Specifically, we use data from the Pathways to Desistance Study to examine reoffending from a risk factor, recidivism-oriented analysis as well as a theoretically-based, desistance-oriented analysis. Our broader purpose is to encourage a more comprehensive understanding of reoffending that acknowledges the merits of each approach.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: This presentation is based on qualitative research involving the impact of the punitive juvenile justice policies and harsh environment of the juvenile jail on recidivism. Arresting youths for minor offenses, or other offenses better equipped for alternatives to incarceration programs, and exposing youths to the prison-like setting of the juvenile jail prepare youths for increased involvement in crime rather than prepare them for success later in life. Previous scholarship asserts background factors serve as the primary cause of recidivism, such as age, poverty, family background, and history of substance abuse. Although extensive statistical research has been conducted on defining these background qualities of “delinquent” youths, this work introduces an emerging perspective identifying a new variable that explains the susceptibility of recidivism. This research shows exposure to juvenile jail and the social degradation ceremony of the criminal justice system increases the chances of youth transgression, looking specifically at Wisconsin’s La Crosse County, which has an arrest rate of 88.3 per 1,000 juveniles. Research involving focus groups provides insights on how exposure to the prison-like juvenile justice system impacts juvenile recidivism. Finally, this work explores the underlying issues behind the penal organization of juvenile facilities, and offers alternatives to improve recidivism rates.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Abstract: Over 600,000 prisoners are released from U.S. prisons each year, and roughly one-half of these individuals are back in prison within just three years. If the path to desistance from crime largely requires knifing-off from past situations and establishing a new set of routine activities, then returning to one’s old environment and routines may drastically limit an ex-prisoner’s already dismal chances of desisting from crime. This study tests these ideas by examining how forced residential migration caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 affected the likelihood of reincarceration among a sample of ex-prisoners originally from New Orleans. Property damage from the hurricane induced some ex-prisoners to move to new neighborhoods who otherwise would have moved back to their former neighborhoods. Findings will be presented from estimation of the effect of residential change on the 8-year recidivism rate, along with qualitative evidence on the mechanisms explaining the relationship between residential change and criminal desistance.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Participation in correctional treatment programs is expected to reduce the likelihood of recidivism (MacKenzie, 2006; Mitchell et al., 2012; Taxman et al., 2014). The present study evaluates one and three year recidivism outcomes for two cohorts of released offenders from a Massachusetts state correctional facility. We explore the effect of participation in intensive treatment programming on the re-arraignment, re-conviction, and re-incarceration rates of the sampled offenders, considering risk assessment and other program participation in each model. While program participation did not directly affect institutional misconduct during incarceration, we examine if it has lasting effects for offender behavior post-release.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The United States Sentencing Commission (USSC) recently published Recidivism Among Federal Offenders: A Comprehensive Overview. This study is part of an on-going, comprehensive multi-year study of recidivism among federal offenders documenting the extent of recidivism among federal offenders who are citizens. This research greatly expands on previous USSC recidivism study cohorts, constituting over 30,000 valid cases. After a brief recapitulation of the recent report, the presentation will focus on recidivism of repeat offenders released from prison using an eight-year follow-up period. These Career Offenders were sentenced under USSG § 4B1.1, the career offender guideline. Each individual was convicted of felony crime of violence or felony controlled substance offense, and had at least two prior felony convictions for one or both of these offenses. The particular focus of this analysis will be on the nature of each offenders’ prior crimes, and the impact of distinct pathways (drug trafficking or violence) on the recidivism outcomes.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: An emerging body of research finds a strong empirical relationship between prison misconduct and recidivism, while broader theoretical work observes that in-prison experiences are important for the reentry process. Recent scholarly examinations of the impact of prison contextual factors are limited by a reliance on secondary data sources. We employ a multi-methodological approach that includes field notes and observational data from intensive site visits at male state prisons in Ohio. Controlling for individual-level characteristics including dynamic risk and prison misconduct, we analyze the impact of a various prison-level factors on recidivism for a cohort of released prisoners. Some of these prison contextual factors that capture recent incarceration experiences include environmental deprivation, staffing characteristics, and various situational context measures (i.e., physical layout, surveillance, concentrations of gangs and youthful offenders). Findings are considered in terms of their implications for reentry planning.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Research on risk/needs assessment tools in corrections has provided more evidence in the past few decades supporting the use of actuarial tools for predicting an individual’s likelihood of recidivating. These actuarial tools rely on a variety of risk factors to help predict an individual’s likelihood of reoffending. Additional research on assessment tools has also explored how well these tools predict reoffending among specific populations and offense types. Yet, very minimal research has investigated whether or not white-collar offenders have the same risk factors. This study strives to fill that gap by identifying risk factors that predict recidivism among a sample of white-collar offenders on probation.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Abstract: Desistance refers to the slowing down, de-escalation, or cessation of offending. For two centuries it has been observed by criminologists as a natural human process for the majority of those who break the law but the field of research on sexual aggression has only recently begun to investigate this phenomenon. The widespread and persistent belief that sex offenders are destined to reoffend (Göbbels, et al., 2012; Harris & Cudmore, 2015; Laws & Ward, 2011; Willis, Levenson & Ward, 2010) has aided the development of an entire industry which is now consumed with the assessment of risk and the prediction of recidivism. To that end, a slew of legislation now exists that aims to control and manage the post-custody behaviors (not to mention the literal, day-to-day, physical movement) of (mostly) men convicted of sexual offenses (especially against children) (Harris, 2015).
The present study utilizes a large sample of men incarcerated or civilly committed for sexual offenses and released to the street in the 1990s. It is the first to explore the narrative differences (revealed during in-depth life history interviews) between the 11 men who reoffended sexually and are back in custody and the 60 men who continue to live offense-free lives in the community. The main focus is on understanding the specific experiences and local life circumstances that shaped each participant’s release and reentry. The personal and offense characteristics of the participants are described and compared, and qualitative content analysis is employed to explore and explain their differential life narratives of redemption and recidivism.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Abstract: Examinations of neighborhood context on parolee recidivism have largely focused on urban communities. Yet, a large number of ex-offenders return to rural or suburban settings with little research understanding how reentry and recidivism works in these areas. Many of the ecological contexts currently linked to recidivism, like concentrated disadvantage, may not be relevant in a rural environment. This study explicitly examines differences in recidivism between parolees released into urban neighborhoods compared to those returning to rural neighborhoods. Using a unique longitudinal dataset on parolees from Ohio capturing post-incarceration residences and recidivism between 2000 and 2009, we test whether neighborhood factors such as poverty and unemployment similarly predict recidivism across rural and urban contexts. The findings from this study sheds light on an understudied topic of rural recidivism and release, and provides guidance for understanding how reentry, resources and community interventions may work in rural settings.

Publication Type: Roundtable Paper
Abstract: Many countries have adopted electronic monitoring (EM) as an alternative sanction for various reasons, e.g., in order to reduce incarceration while maintaining public safety or to reduce recidivism. Especially with regard to the effects of EM on recidivism, however, the empirical evidence is very scarce worldwide. In this roundtable session, we present empirical data from three studies conducted in three different countries, the USA, France, and Germany. Based on the various and heterogeneous results, we will discuss which areas of application of EM may be associated with a recidivism reducing outcome and which may be not. It is discussed whether and to what extent rehabilitation and deterrence are important factors in reducing long-term recidivism, and whether EM can be a cost-effective alternative to short prison sentences.

Publication Type: Poster
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Veterans courts are a fairly recent addition to the list of problem solving courts. Thus, there has been very little research on recidivism levels among participants. An evaluation of an urban veterans court was conducted to determine whether participation and successful completion resulted in fewer new criminal charges when compared to prior participation in the court, when compared to unsuccessfully discharged clients, and when compared to those who were referred to the court but were denied or refused. Successfully discharged clients had a 78% decrease in charges filed after participation in the program. Completing the Veterans Court program was significantly related to receiving fewer new charges and new felony charges regardless of age and prior criminal history. Participation in the court did not necessarily lead to significantly fewer new charges. When comparing all program participants to those who were referred but refused or denied there was not a significant difference in the rate of new charges. The implications of these findings for the future of veterans courts is discussed.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: There are many potential benefits of expedited case processing for our criminal court systems in the U.S., including a reduction in court backlogs, fewer instances of pretrial misconduct, decreasing the length of stay for pretrial detainees, and saving valuable time and resources of the criminal justice system. As a result, many courts have implemented policies and programs aimed at expediting case processing for criminal cases. However, there have been few research studies that have examined how this expedited case processing impacts a variety of case outcomes and recidivism rates. In this article, an expedited case processing program implemented in the Superior Courts in Spokane County, WA was examined to determine the impact of shorter case disposition times on sentencing outcomes and recidivism rates for selected felonies and misdemeanors. Propensity score matching was used to compare cases processed through the expedited case processing program to similarly-situated cases disposed of through the traditional court process prior to the implementation of the program. The findings of the study provide important insights about the impact of expedited case processing on the quality of justice being produced by our criminal court systems.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Abstract: Community supervision, primarily in the form of probation, has grown substantially over the past four decades. Yet, this expansion in community supervision and its attendant consequences are understudied. Existing research offers two competing perspectives on the effect of probation: (1) the rehabilitative perspective suggests that probation reforms offenders by treating and deterring criminiogenic behaviors; (2) the net-widening perspective contends that probation is punitive and deepens involvement with the criminal justice system. In this study, we offer an explicit test of these competing hypotheses by examining the effects of being sentenced to jail with probation compared to only jail on recidivism and labor market outcomes. We exploit the random assignment of criminal cases to judges to estimate the effects of probation supervision and probation length using administrative data on all individuals sentenced to a felony in Michigan between 2003 and 2006. Our results indicate that for individuals sentenced to jail, the addition of probation can serve important rehabilitative functions and induce greater labor market participation. This has important implications for inequality because of differential selection into probation as a criminal sanction. We observe that white offenders are more likely to be granted probation in combination with jail compared to nonwhite offenders.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: In 2006 the Adam Walsh Act (AWA) was put into effect, changing the way states manage sex offenders within the community. With the implementation of the AWA, came a new process of sex offender leveling, often referred to as SORNA leveling, which placed offenders in one of three tiers based solely on the seriousness of their offense. Several studies have discovered that SORNA leveling to be ineffective, and suggest the public is best served by the use of risk assessments.

Washington State still utilizes the STATIC-99R risk assessment when determining registration level for sex offenders in the community. In an effort to determine which method is most accurate (SORNA leveling or STATIC-99R) in predicting recidivism, the authors will explore the effectiveness of SORNA leveling and the STATIC-99R by comparing STATIC-99R scores to what would be an offender’s SORNA level (obtained using criminal history records). These scores and levels will then be compared to recidivism data in order to determine which, if either, is more effective in predicting recidivism.

Our presentation will be focused on the results obtained, as well as areas for improvement within the field of sex offender management. Moreover, future directions for Washington State’s policies will be discussed.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The severity of one's substance use disorder has been found to moderate the recidivism though the role of specific criminal thinking styles remains unknown. This study examines this relationship in terms of specific styles of criminal thinking (i.e. Entitlement, Justification, Power Orientation, Cold Heartedness, Criminal Rationalization, and Personal Irresponsibility) among a group of offenders. Using a jail sample (N=505), we assess the relationship between substance use disorders, specific criminal thinking styles, and recidivism in a sample of inmates participating in a drug treatment program (N=302) and inmates in the general population (N=203). Results and policy implications will be discussed.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Recidivism into criminal behavior following a period of incarceration in prison is a fundamental concern for the criminal justice system. Although men still remain the largest percentage of the prison population, women are entering prison at an increasing frequency thus adding to the issue of recidivism. Insufficient research has considered the influence of prison protective and risk factors on recidivism by gender. Using data from a large western state, all male and female recidivist inmates incarcerated from 2009 through 2015 are evaluated for protective (education, programming, community ties) and risk factors (age, race/ethnicity, homelessness, prison conduct, prison sentence length and type) associated with their return to criminal behavior. Similarities and differences in recidivism by gender and the influence of the protective and risk factors are found. Implications for the findings are discussed.

Publication Type: Roundtable
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The inclusion of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals in higher education discourse is largely overlooked. There are many economic, social, and political forces that influence college access, opportunity, and attainment for this population. These distinctions seek to push forward dialogue surrounding their ability to create and sustain a college-going culture.

Publication Type: Paper Presentation
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Several research studies have indicated that stable, permanent housing can play a substantial role in reducing the risk of recidivism by ex-prisoners. However, little is known about how and why stable housing might produce this effect. Drawing on the desistance literature, this paper will examine the potential reasons for this apparent relationship. It will consider the interface between housing, family relationships and employment; concepts of ‘home’; and the potential role of stable housing in creating social capital, a sense of ‘ontological security’, and ultimately, desistance.

Publication Type: Paper Presentation
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The use of actuarial risk assessment instruments is becoming widespread in corrections as a means to efficiently allocate both custody and treatment resources. Although useful in gauging the likelihood of recidivism, critics suggest that these instruments may result in disparate treatment of people of color. The current research uses data developed from the administration of a risk assessment instrument designed for community supervision in Texas in order to examine the relationship between race/ethnicity, risk, and future arrest. Results and implications are discussed.

Publication Type: Paper Presentation
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Scholars have examined whether implementing specialized domestic violence courts affects case processing and recidivism. Further, prior literature has examined the effectiveness of batterers’ intervention programming, a condition of probation that offenders are often required to complete in these specialized courts. Several courts have begun implementing probation review hearings for domestic abuse offenders, hoping to increase offender accountability and decrease recidivism. Little is known, however, whether this particular component does, in fact, “work.” The purpose of this paper is to examine whether defendants sanctioned for non-compliance have less recidivism than those verbally warned. Implications for these specialized courts will be discussed.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: This research project investigates the effectiveness of mentors on rates of re-incarceration for released offenders. The Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI) study, which sought to evaluate factors relating to high-risk offenders outcomes post release, with data collected between 2004 and 2007, was used to evaluate mentor’s effectiveness on reducing recidivism. Social bonding theory suggests that potential mentors may help released offenders navigate through the reentry process and utilize reentry services, thus reducing the risk of recidivism. Previous research has examined the use of mentors in context of reentry programs, but little is known on the effectiveness of mentors themselves. Cox regression analysis was utilized to compare the rate of re-incarceration among released offenders with mentors versus those without mentors, and to assess if the rates varied between mentors of different levels of reported effectiveness.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Studies in the area of effectiveness of rehabilitation programs in prison have generally based their analyses on a comparison of recidivism rates between program participants and nonparticipants. However, this analytical strategy fails to emphasize the variability in the ways that treatment may impact upon specific types of prisoners. This is particularly important in the context of evidence, that individual risk factors associated with criminal behavior may impact outcomes in employment, education and cognitive-behavioral based programs. What remains unknown is whether these risk-related factors “behave” in a similar manner when comparing treated prisoners in specific types of programs to their matched prisoners that received "treatment as usual." This paper presents preliminary findings from an ongoing study of prisoners in the Israeli prison service that includes an analysis that examines the effect of interactions between certain risk factors and prisoners rehabilitation programs on recidivism.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Prisoner reentry is a significant research and policy concern. Data indicate that approximately 700,000 inmates are released each year from prisons, but there are an additional 9 million released from state and county jails. A growing body of research has studied criminogenic factors that might be addressed and adjusted while institutionalized to allow individuals to reenter society in a positive manner. However, there is little research focusing on the reentry of individuals suffering from co-occurring disorders. This research examined the post release recidivism of an experimental study of offenders who had been diagnosed as suffering from varying levels of substance abuse and mental illness, while also observing the usual deficits that affect criminality (i.e. education, employment, vocational skills, marriage, criminal history, etc.). The findings suggest that particular substance abuse profiles, together with particular mental health disorders (PTSD, obsessive/compulsive, and antisocial personality) exhibited significantly higher rates of recidivism, while individuals with major depressive disorder and manic disorder exhibited significantly lower rates. These reentry recidivism findings were observed after controlling for prior criminal history and a variety of demographic factors. These findings suggest certain best practice recommendations.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Abstract: Risk assessment involves predicting who will recidivate, while needs assessment involves predicting who will benefit from certain types of interventions. Because the performance of contemporary risk and needs assessment instruments is typically evaluated by examining how well they predict recidivism, existing research has not demonstrated that current instruments perform well in assessing criminogenic needs. In this study, we explore whether simulated recidivism risk assessment can be used to not only improve how we assess criminogenic needs, but also how we evaluate the performance of needs assessment instruments. Simulated risk assessment entails examining the potential impact of correctional interventions on recidivism risk for individual prisoners. Our dataset is the same one used to develop and validate the Minnesota Screening Tool Assessing Recidivism Risk 2.0 (MnSTARR 2.0), the recidivism risk assessment the Minnesota Department of Corrections has used since November 2017. In addition to containing criminal history, demographic, and institutional measures (e.g., prison misconduct, gang involvement, etc.) on more than 40,000 males and females released from prison, the dataset includes 10 items related to participation in prison programming found to be effective in reducing recidivism. Using a variety of statistical and machine learning algorithms on training and test sets, we estimate baseline prediction models. Next, we estimate models that simulate participation across the 10 interventions. Comparing the differences in predicted probabilities from the baseline and simulation models, we examine whether these differences (i.e., the simulated impact of participating in an intervention) successfully predict desistance. We propose that simulated risk assessment, when combined with traditional needs assessment, may be a promising strategy to help identify the most beneficial interventions for individuals within correctional systems.

Publication Type: Roundtable Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: This article addresses the use of arrests as a measure of recidivism, and argues that the use of such a measure demands more care. Joan Petersilia has offered a checklist of cautionary steps that one should take when writing about recidivism; it includes a requirement that one be explicit about how recidivism is being measured. Yet even if that checklist is followed by social scientists, when legal scholars or the media discuss recidivism, they frequently rely on arrest data, without acknowledging this, much less discussing it. I point out some of the harms of unexamined claims about recidivism that rely on arrest rates. I also make suggestions about how it has happened that the media and legal scholars—including those scholars who would agree that arrests are often made in the absence of criminal guilt—so frequently discuss the vital topic of recidivism in a way that merges “arrests” with “criminal guilt.” I suggest that this merger is a prevalent one, albeit one that may be unconscious and that may be particularly common as regards certain populations. This merger is revealed in this and other areas of criminal legal discourse, and risks blocking efforts at criminal justice reform.

Publication Type: Poster
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: While the number of mental health courts (MHCs) has grown in the United States to over 300, very little is understood about how and if they achieve their goals of reducing the number of adults with mental health disorders in the criminal justice system or breaking the cycle of frequent rearrest, reconviction, and reincarceration. One major concern of MHC research is that of bias during the selection process (i.e., “creaming” or “cherry-picking”). This systematic review examines research on MHCs, their selection criteria, and their reported recidivism outcomes. Multiple databases were searched for studies that reported on mental health court selection criteria and outcome measures related to recidivism. Data were collected from eligible studies using a data extraction form developed by the authors and were analyzed for relationships between selection criteria, graduation rates, and recidivism outcomes. Findings did not indicate a relationship between selection criteria and graduation rate and recidivism, however, graduation from a mental health court was related to a reduction of recidivism. One possible conclusion is that there are factors at work beyond established selection criteria that account for whether someone completes a mental health court program.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The prolific Risk-Need-Responsivity paradigm promotes the matching of services and interventions to individualized criminogenic needs. While this theoretical framework has become common lexicon, the empirical evaluation of service matching, especially that which includes actual dosage of each intervention received is surprisingly sparse. The current study examines the efficacy of matching criminogenic need profiles to interventions received within juvenile justice residential programs while taking into account the actual dosages of each service received (number of contact hours and number of weeks/duration). As such, we hypothesize youth receiving matched services meeting dosage thresholds will evidence lower subsequent recidivism (official arrest) post-release from residential placement among a sample of 1,296 juvenile offenders (58% Black, 14% female). Future directions and policy implications are discussed.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Abstract: This presentation will review how criminal background checks restrict access to the already limited number of jobs available to people with criminal records, describe the existing evidence on the job performance of people with and without criminal records and compare this evidence to existing policies. Research team also explores the impact of barriers to employment on recidivism. Also, presenters will provide a closer look at Urban’s analysis of criminal justice data in the District of Columbia to better understand the population of DC residents with criminal records and present their findings on which vulnerable groups are affected the most. In addition, the presentation will examine analysis of labor market data and examine the prevalence of background requirements among employers in the District of Columbia. Lastly, the implications for future research, policy and practice will be discussed.

Publication Type: Poster
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Serious mental illnesses (SMIs) are persistent disorders and may include an individual experiencing psychotic symptoms. The purpose of this annotated bibliography is to review literature outlining the risk factors for those with SMIs who become involved in the criminal justice system.

For this poster, numerous databases were searched and peer-reviewed, scholarly articles that were published since 2006 and focused on recidivism and offenders with SMIs were reviewed. There are several factors related to re-offending for those with SMIs. In general, they are sentenced to longer terms than re-offenders without SMIs. The legal system also provides inadequate services for incarnated individuals with SMIs. Upon release from prison, they often do not utilize community resources, such as government assistance and mental health services.

These individuals may also have an increased likelihood for recidivism because of co-occurring substance abuse diagnoses. These comorbid diagnoses can lead to noncompliance with taking psychotropic medications and an increased likelihood they may participate in illegal behaviors which can lead to recidivism. In this annotated bibliography, risk factors for those with SMIs who become involved in the criminal justice system will be reviewed and suggestions for preventing further offending provided.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: In the current political climate of the United States, anti-immigrant sentiment has come to the forefront of political discourse. While anti-immigrant rhetoric surrounds issues of unemployment and crime committed by immigrants against natives, prior research has shown that immigrants commit less crime than native born citizens of the United States (Adelman et al., 2016; Hagan, Levi & Dinovitzer 2008). Additionally, the paradoxical increase in the fear of crime during a time when crime rates are decreasing has undoubtedly contributed to anti-immigrant sentiment, explained by xenophobia and group threat theories (Stupi, Chiricos & Gertz, 2016; Hooghe and De Vroome, 2016; Wickes et al., 2013). However, the recent rise in anti-immigrant crimes and increased federal spending on deportation efforts necessitates a more thorough analysis of the connection between immigrants, crime, and recidivism. Utilizing arrest data from Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office in Saint Petersburg, Florida, we examine the arrest patterns of over 41,000 arrestees for 2015. Specifically, we investigate whether non-US-born arrestees are prone to higher rates of criminality than native-born arrestees and if non-US-born arrestees recidivate at a higher rate than native-born arrestees. We discuss implications for policy and future research.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: In a study begun in 2010, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation & Correction began an evaluation of its multi-prison Thinking for a Change Re-entry program. The quasi-experimental design utilized an experimental group and a comparison group drawn from the waiting list for the program. During Phase I both groups were administered psychological tests to measure criminal attitudes and decision-making. The tests were administered before program start (for both groups) and after the program for experimental group members (and about the same time for the comparison group members). Results were favorable for those in the experimental group, with no change for the comparison group members. For Phase II the behavior of the persons in both groups were measured for the next year or until prison release. Members of the experimental group had less misbehavior than did the comparison group. Phase III—the focus of this paper— follows the two groups in the period after release from prison to measure recidivism. Those results will be reported. Further, there are some internal patterns—the kinds of offenders for whom the program seems to offer the most benefit—that will be reported. Policy recommendations will be offered.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Scholarship in corrections has shown that prisoners who experience visitation while incarcerated are less likely to recidivate post-release. Expanding on previous research, this study examines the effects on recidivism of different forms of social bonds between inmates and visitors based on the nature of their relationship. We identify various constellations of singular or multiple visitor relationship types (such as parent, spouse, child, friend, etc.) and quantify their relative effect on recidivism outcomes of re-arrest, re-conviction, and re-imprisonment. The theoretical and policy implications are discussed as well as suggested directions for future research.

Publication Type: Poster
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Over the past decade, reentry courts have emerged across various state and federal jurisdictions in response to renewed focus on providing released offenders with opportunities and incentives to succeed in the community. The basic premise of most reentry courts is marshal the resources of the court, probation, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and community stakeholders to a period of intensive, yet supportive post-incarceration supervision to address both risks and needs of the offender. Extant evaluations of the impact of reentry court programming on recidivism have been decidedly mixed. The current study reports results from a random assignment experimental design evaluation of a single federal jurisdiction examining multiple measures of recidivism.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The most prevalent explanation of criminal behavior tends to center on the role of economic opportunity cost. An important alternative explanation exists, however, and it roots the decision to engage in crime in social, rather than economic factors. Following this argument, recent studies about the reintegration of former combatants have shown the relevance of this social logic. The force of this argument stems from the key role that wartime ties play in the decisions to engage in crime after demobilization. I explore the mechanisms behind this social logic of crime using original administrative and survey data collected in Colombia. I explore the mechanisms by which wartime ties and social connections operate to affect delinquency among former combatants.
I study three ways in which social networks may affect participation in crime. First, social networks could serve as resources, providing an ex-combatant with access to criminal knowledge, skills, and technology. Second, social ties may affect norms. For example, ex-combatants may share social norms that facilitate the diffusion of responsibility for blame-worthy acts. In this framework, factors like loyalty imparts legitimacy to otherwise illegitimate acts. Finally, groups are apt to accentuate respect and protection, key elements in participation in violence. The practice of mutual defense calls upon aspects of interpersonal relations that are likely to facilitate criminality.
To understand the influence of these possible mechanisms I manipulate the relevance of social networks in the survey, and combine the answers with administrative data from the police about arrest and participation in criminal activities.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Two common indicators of the performance of corrections systems are changes in individuals’ risk factors and in post-release recidivism patterns. The Dominican Republic, which has implemented a major “new prison model,” is using new risk assessment tools and is gathering recidivism data for the first time.

This paper compares the official risk assessment scores and recidivism data for Dominican prisoners with prisoners’ self-reported risk factors and re-offending trajectories. It draws on primary data collected in 2017 through a survey, adapted from the Measuring the Quality of Prison Life (Liebling, 2004), of 1100 prisoners from 17 facilities (approximately one-third of whom have prior incarcerations), and semi-structured interviews with thirty current and former prisoners.

The paper argues that the correctional agency’s risk assessment does not capture certain risk factors that prisoners themselves identify as crucial to internal prison dynamics and reentry prospects. Further, the paper shows that official recidivism data is markedly different from self-reported data, due to limitations on post-release tracking and in integrating data across facilities and with the court system. Finally, the analysis finds that variations in self-reported recidivism data are associated with access to family support during confinement and with prisoners’ sense of dignity within the correctional facility.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The Risk, Need, Responsibility (RNR) model of offender risk assessment and treatment is rooted in static and dynamic criminogenic needs. The present paper takes two seemingly disparate threads, RNR and Restorative Justice (RJ), and weaves them together to suggest a revaluation of retributive justice in favor of a restorative model focused on evidence-based treatment. Justice based on retribution requires little (outside of the jury) to no community involvement, largely ignores the victim, and isolates the processes of justice to a closed network of individuals; that network is exclusive of the people with influence on or within the courtroom workgroup. We begin our RNR+RJ tapestry by briefly reviewing the historical context leading up to the present retributive era of Criminal Justice in the U.S. Next, we include a review of the RNR model and a justification for how it should be utilized as an evidence-based treatment option within RJ conferencing procedures. We close with a rationale and framework for implementation of RNR within a RJ framework, a process that reduces rates of recidivism and brings about positive increases in the amount of perceived justice people believe to be handed out by the United States Criminal Justice System.

Publication Type: Poster
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Cognitive-behavioral interventions in correctional settings have received a great deal of research attention in recent years. As interest in evidence-based corrections and “what works” increased, a number of evaluations have demonstrated that cognitive-behavioral treatment interventions can be successfully implemented and can reduce recidivism. However, there is still work to be done in understanding how and why these treatment programs work. Cognitive transformation desistance theories appear particularly well suited to explaining the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral programming, since the skills taught in cognitive-behavioral programs correspond closely with some of the subjective desistance factors highlighted in Maruna’s (2001) work as well as by Giordano and her colleagues (2002). This poster will display the results of a quantitative study that examines the impacts of participation in cognitive-behavioral programs and cognitive transformation on different measures of recidivism, measured several times following release from incarceration.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The placement of “disruptive” and “problematic” inmates in administrative segregation units has become a staple of corrections policy in recent years. Despite the increased use of this sanction, research on its continued effects is relatively rare when compared to the breadth of general correctional research. This study contributes to the literature by examining the effect placement in administrative segregation has on offender recidivism post prison release. Specifically the following research question is explored, do inmates who serve time in administrative segregation have higher rates of prison disciplines and recidivism compared to those who did not? Subjects include approximately 4,000 inmates matched through Propensity Score Matching techniques and followed 36 months post-release. Extensive data includes inmate demographics, prior criminal histories, index offense information, prison treatment and programming, administrative segregation details, release supervision and reoffending information. Statistical techniques utilized to answer the research question include t-tests, regression models and survival analyses. Policy and theoretical implications are also discussed.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Abstract: The past two decades have seen concerted efforts to reduce residential placement of youth. Given the empirical findings that incarceration is associated with greater financial cost and has a null effect on recidivism, many states have reduced the balance of secure placement to community-based sanctions. The state of Ohio has implemented a reinvestment strategy to encourage reduction in confinement and to increase support for community-based alternatives. This has led to a substantial decline in the youth population in residential correctional facilities. While this suggests that the input of the process is as anticipated, the associated effects on youth outcomes must be considered as well. This study examines the effectiveness of such reform at the individual case level, focusing on the match of treatment programs to youth risk/needs and reductions in recidivism—while also accounting for county effects. Using a sample of youths referred to juvenile court and sentenced to different placements (n~918), this study will examine whether the fit between overall risk level, specific needs, and treatment programming has improved as reform efforts have increasingly taken hold. Subsequent effectiveness in reducing reoffending will also be assessed. The results will be discussed in the context of potential primary and secondary impacts of juvenile justice reform initiatives.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Young adults are overrepresented in the New York City criminal justice system. Further, they often encounter a system that does not take into account the growing body of research on brain development. In 2016, in Kings County (Brooklyn, NY) a specialized prosecution unit, dedicated Young Adult Court, and judge were implemented to handle misdemeanor cases specifically for defendants aged 16-24. This paper presents the findings of an impact evaluation of that Court’s work in diverting young people to social services and alternative-to-incarceration programs. The analysis draws on a sample of defendants coming through the court in 2016 (n = 680) to compare re-arrest rates and case outcomes with a matched sample of similar young defendants. Study findings also include an analysis of a defendant survey exploring perceptions of procedural justice (n = 200). Preliminary results show that the majority of defendants felt they were treated with respect in the court (88%) and that the outcome of their case was fair (82%). Further analyses link perceptions of procedural fairness with case outcomes and mandate compliance. Wider implications for system response to the justice-involved young adult population will be discussed.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Abstract: This paper will examine recidivism patterns of individuals released from Illinois prisons who returned to the Chicagoland area, and the influence of both individual- and community-level characteristics on the types of crimes involved in recidivism events. A multi-level analytic approach will be used to analyze information regarding more than 50,000 unique individuals released from prison who returned to the Chicagoland area between 2011 and 2015, and their recidivism patterns. Individual-level variables (i.e., demographic, socio-economic, criminal history and gang affiliation characteristics) and community-level characteristics (i.e., concentrated disadvantage, population density, parolee concentration, and the extent and nature of crime and enforcement activity) will be used to identify the factors that increase the likelihood of new arrests. In addition to an overall measure of recidivism, the analyses will also examine specific types of recidivism practitioners and policy makers are most concerned about, including new arrests for crimes of violence, gun violence, and illegal gun possession. The implications for offender risk assessment and recidivism research will be discussed.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Abstract: Little is known about the relationship between probation lengths and recidivism. While probationers make up the single largest group of people who are involved in the criminal justice system, nearly 3.8 million people in 2015, the impacts of probation are relatively understudied. Are probation terms too long? Can the terms be safely reduced? Using administrative data from state probation agencies linked to law enforcement data, this paper uses statistical analyses to study the links between probation length of stay and public safety.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: For many years, the United States Sentencing Commission has worked with legislative, executive and judicial branches to ensure that cocaine sentencing policy promotes the goals of the Sentencing Reform Act, including avoiding unwarranted sentencing disparity and promoting proportionate sentencing. In 2007, the Commission successfully submitted an amendment to Congress reducing crack cocaine guideline penalties and making the reduction retroactive for inmates sentenced under the previous penalty structure. Subsequently, the Commission conducted an impact evaluation and found that those benefitting from the sentence reduction had no greater recidivism rates than a matched group of crack cocaine offenders released before the sentence reduction took effect. Next, Congress passed the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010, further lowering penalties, and the Commission made this reduction retroactive in 2011 for those still incarcerated under the earlier guideline. The present evaluation discusses the impact of this 2011 retroactive reduction on offender recidivism, again comparing those receiving reductions to a matched comparison group. Again, lower penalties did not result in an increase in recidivism. The presentation illustrates the role of evaluation in informing sentencing policy.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Abstract: Drug courts are in a unique position to assist offenders who are part of the recent opioid crisis, but more research on heroin and other opioid abusers in drug courts is needed. Data were collected from a serial admission cohort of 56 participants to a drug court developed specifically for heroin abusers (i.e. the “Opioid Court”). These data included background, criminal history, program contact, and recidivism indicators coded from court records. Findings at the two-year follow-up showed an increased likelihood of re-arrest while a program participant was related to prior arrests for a drugs and drug paraphernalia and being on psychiatric medication; but, having children or a history of suicide ideation reduced this chance. An increased probability of being re-arrested within one year of drug court discharge was related to higher marijuana use prior to drug court, depression, and psychiatric medication. Anxiety and having children was related to a lower propensity for re-arrest. Re-arrest within two years of discharge was positively associated with prior arrests for disorderly conduct, self-help group participation, and psychiatric medication. The current study presents findings from an analysis of the four-year follow-up data for this sample.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Since 2004, in Spain, the suspension of a prison sentence for IPV offenders without prior convictions obligates to complete a sensitization programme; however, not all judges apply this condition. Using the judge’s decision, we investigate to what extent programmes that seek to foster respect for female partners reduce recidivism. Our principal hypothesis is that the completion of these programmes reduces the commission of new crimes more than a suspension without rules of conduct, since programs have an impact on the attitudes that nourish gender violence.

The study uses a large sample of offenders sentenced for IPV crimes in the courts of Barcelona between January 2010 and December 2014. We have information about the penalty imposed, its execution, and the commission of new crimes until 2017. Our research takes advantage of having both individuals condemned to take a programme and not to do so. By comparing these groups of recidivists matched on their characteristics by using missing-data imputation, we can isolate every effect produced. This allows us to control for selection and experimental effects into the programme associated with offenders' personal characteristics, and to investigate the impact of such programmes on the risks of recidivism using event history techniques of analysis.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: As the research examining social support has continued to bourgeon, so has the realization that our understanding of this theoretical concept is not so clear. Introduced by Francis Cullen in 1994, social support has traditionally been examined as a single measure. Cullen, however, posits that there are numerous forms of social support that can be provided by different actors. Little research has sought to examine these different forms of social support and their relationship with recidivating. The extant literature generally hypothesizes social support as having an inverse/positive relationship with crime. Studies have shown, however, that not all social support provides an inverse relationship with recidivism, and instead, some forms of support may actually increase an individual’s likelihood to recidivating. Using data from the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative, this study examines both positive and negative emotional family support and the effect they have on the likelihood that formerly incarcerated individuals will recidivate. Results reveal that while positive emotional family support does indeed have an inverse relationship with recidivating, negative emotional family support has a more salient and direct relationship with recidivating. Additional findings are explored, along with implications for criminological theory, correctional programming, and criminal justice policy.

Publication Type: Poster
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Because men’s rates of offending are much higher than women’s, female offending is often overlooked by researchers. While there is a substantial body of work on incarceration, there is much less work on community corrections. Of all adults serving time under community corrections, 80% are on probation. Women represent 25% of those on probation, equating to roughly one million women on probation in the United States at a given time. Probation officers have more contact with their probationers than any other criminal justice representative has with offenders of any kind; thus, it is imperative to examine this dynamic relationship to best serve the largest proportion of female offenders in the criminal justice system. This work examines PO-probationer communication styles through Dillard's five types of communication that produce differential recidivism outcomes.

Publication Type: Roundtable Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The objective of this study is to characterize the different criminal profiles of the prison(er) population in Cape Verde, to identify the criminal typologies, recidivism risk factors and intervention / prevention / action needs that contribute to reducing the level of criminal recidivism. The sample is made up of 402 prisoners, with a mean age of 31.16 (SD = 8.568) representing about 25% of the prison(er) population of Cape Verde. The results indicate as main types of crimes such as robbery (33.8%), followed by violent and serious crimes against people - homicide (21.9%) and rape (6.7%). The risk factors for recidivism that inmates present most are related to mental health, alcohol and drug problems, and low levels of education / employability - indicators of vulnerability and social inequality that make it difficult for them to become socially reintegrated. Thus, the need to intervene in these areas during incarceration is concluded as a means of preventing crime reduction and increasing social peace. Intervention measures aimed at effective reintegration of ex-prisoners in the community are the preferred strategy to prevent their recurrence.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: This study draws on the MCS, a unique dataset in California that links individuals across criminal justice systems, to assess recidivism outcomes for felony offenders over a period of policy reform. We examine how rearrest and reconviction rates have changed for individuals released over the four years following California’s Public Safety Realignment. In an environment of declining incarceration levels, and after controlling for demographic and criminal history characteristics, we find evidence of reductions in recidivism. In particular, we find substantial reductions in overall and felony reconviction rates for those released from prison or jail sentences. We discuss the challenges associated with measuring recidivism and discuss the potential drivers of these changes, including both changes in individual offender behavior and changes in criminal justice system responses to that behavior.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Researchers have confirmed that marriage or having a significant other is one of the important correlates of criminal behavior, suggesting that a person in a romantic relationship has a reduced likelihood of involvement in crime. Others contend that simply being in a relationship is not associated with reductions in criminal engagement, rather quality and stability of a relationship predict desistance from crime. The current study extends prior works by testing the longitudinal effect of romantic relationship quality and stability on recidivism drawing measures from triangular theory of love. We relied on longitudinal data of a released inmate sample from the LoneStar (Study of Offender Trajectories, Association, and Reentry). The data were collected three times, including 1 week before release, 1 month, and 9 month after release. Using the three waves of the data, we examined how longitudinal patterns of relationship quality overtime predict successful reentry outcome. Theoretical and policy implications are discussed.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: In this paper, I use a novel dataset to contribute to the theory of felony labeling. Theoretically, previous research suggests that felons re-offend due to the psychological and structural burdens of their stigmatized social label. Further, various “collateral consequences” of labeling have been extensively empirically documented. However, labeling theory has never directly measured the weight that police and prosecutors themselves give to a felony record. In this paper, then, I aim to distinguish the impact of law enforcement perception from previous structural and psychological accounts of felon recidivism. To this end, I analyze sealed felony arrest and prosecution records. In Illinois, sealed felony records are invisible on background checks conducted by prospective employers, landlords, and similar civilian actors. That said, sealed records remain visible from the perspective of law enforcement actors. Thus, sealed felony records can be used to measure the mechanism underlying increased felon recidivism. In my pending analyses, I use event history models to compare the recidivism rates of successfully sealed felony records (treatment group) to matched, eligible but unsealed records (control group). This strategy allows the first measure of the impact of law enforcement perceptions of a felony label on subsequent recidivism rates.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: In recent decades, sex offenders have become the target of the most far reaching and novel crime legislation in the U.S. One key innovation has been registration which require that convicted sex offenders provide valid contact information to authorities and information on sex offenders is to be made public. Research has also raised questions regarding the accuracy of the information that appears on registries. Tewksbury (2002) found that 11% of sex offenders in one urban county had no address listed on the state registry, 11% listed an address for a commercial establishment, and 5% listed an address that did not actually exist.

The purpose of this study is to determine the completeness of the information on the Maryland Sex Offender Registry used to assess for future occurrences of sex offender recidivism. Using a sample of currently registered sex offenders convicted of a sexual offense in the State of Maryland, the current study examined rates of recidivism and violent sexual crimes against women using the MSOR. The goal of this study was to determine the validity of the MSOR.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Abstract: Multiple DUI offenders continue to be a threat to both public safety and public health. Research has found that these offenders have significant clinical problems including alcoholism and other serious mental health disorders. DUI courts have proliferated over the past several years as a specialty court based on the drug court model, but evaluation evidence remains mixed on the effectiveness of these programs. Some studies suggest DUI courts reduce recidivism while others do not find this effect. Previously, we presented 4-year recidivism findings from a rigorous quasi-experimental study that compared an intent-to-treat sample of DUI court participants to a “wait list” comparison group. This study updates and extends these findings for the same two groups of repeat DUI offenders during the seven years following their conviction for their 3rd DUI. Discussion focuses on the policy relevance of the study’s findings.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Abstract: A large body of research has focused on identifying and targeting dynamic factors and the impact on re-offending behavior, particularly how youth entering the juvenile justice system may present with multiple needs. However, most prior literature has not fully examined how needs cluster together within groups of youths to form distinct need profiles. Furthermore, the heterogenous set of needs in justice-involved youth has rarely been separated into gender-specific subgroups. Thus, the current study examines whether there are gender-specific subgroups based on dynamic risk factors and whether these groups differ across recidivism. Items that represent dynamic risk factors were taken from the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice Positive Achievement Change Tool (PACT) and used to identify distinct gender-specific subgroups of juvenile offenders among a statewide population of adjudicated youth. The results have important implications for understanding: (1) the existence of distinct need profiles among males and females, (2) differences in recidivism outcomes within gender-specific need profiles, and (3) the effectiveness of prevention and intervention efforts within a statewide juvenile justice system.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Recidivist drunk drivers are a serious problem for the management of road safety around the world. Detecting those who are at greater risk is of high interest to make driving on public roads safer.

The Local Police or Murcia (Spain) launched a pilot project in 2104 to detect dangerous drivers, creating a method to assess their level of risk of recidivism and thereby propose the most appropriate criminal measures for that subject.

Since then, more than sixty criminological expert reports have been prepared, in which the general profile of the recidivist or dangerous driver is displayed. It also detects those drivers who, having committed a very serious violation, there is no risk, or it is too low to be repeated.

To his end, a data collection form was created for individual, socio-labor and specific data, which are collected during the detention period and are subsequently completed with other complementary variables. An individualized criterion is obtained on the level of risk of the subject. From there, the most appropriate legal consequences are proposed.

In the preliminary results it has been found that the positive prediction reaches a high percentage. At the present, the method has been extended to other Spanish Communities.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Ideal correctional interventions for women are delivered in a gender-responsive manner. This means that gender matters and that multiple problems common to female offenders (i.e., substance abuse, physical and sexual abuse, intimate relationships, mental-health issues) are addressed by holistic treatment. While many have explained the necessary components of gender-responsive treatment for female offenders, few researchers have conducted outcome evaluations of programs considered to be ideal. This paper examined recidivism outcomes for 327 women who exited the Women-at-Risk (WAR) Program from June of 2003 to June of 2006. The Program is a community-based alternative to incarceration; it utilizes a holistic approach to the treatment of female offenders. Results from multivariate analyses showed that WAR graduates were less likely to be re-arrested, re-convicted, and re-incarcerated than participants who did not successfully complete the Program. Participants with histories of substance abuse and domestic violence were more likely to recidivate.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: No one believes that all the parolees are fully rehabilitated and will not commit a crime again. No one believes that the treatment programs provided by correctional systems are effective enough to hinder future crimes. Reviewing Texas parole guidelines and other elements that affect recidivism will give us a more detailed look at the reliability of the guidelines and effectiveness. In this paper, I will analyze the reliability of Texas parole guideline by using the variables that 1) Texas Parole Guidelines adopt, 2) Texas Parole Guidelines do not adopt. If possible, the endeavor to find real causes of recidivism will be made in the paper.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Popular beliefs about drug offenders seem to focus on two perceptions. One is that a significant portion of the incarcerated population is serving sentences related to drug abuse and drug trafficking and secondly, that this group has higher than average rates of recidivism. Examining both of these issues using an extensive data set on a large sample of parolees from California, the concept of drug offender is broken down by use and sale and then by type of drug. While preliminary results seem to indicate that the second perception may be anecdotally-based or stems from select samples of special need offenders (i.e. the mentally ill, females, gang members), further analysis explores and clarifies the relationships.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: The Georgia Department of Corrections was awarded a Life Skills grant in September 2003 by the U.S. Department of Education. The purpose of the grant was to evaluate the effectiveness of Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT) on inmates residing in six Georgia transitional centers. The 3-year project plan included both a process and outcome evaluation. The project was also expanded to include a fourth year outcome evaluation, and a life course trajectory component on 300 randomly selected intervention and control group participants (expected final project completion is November 2007). The first three years of the project include an examination of the re-arrest rates of nearly 1,000 released inmates who either received MRT, or qualified for programming but were placed in a randomly assigned control group. The author will present the outcome evaluation findings, including an examination of the impact of program step completion on recidivism. Discussion will also include the researcher’s “best practice” recommendations, based upon the culmination of the 3-year process evaluation.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This presentation will address preliminary results from research designed to investigate the impact of incarceration environments on young offender recidivism in California. Broadly, it examines the impact of incarcerating like-aged young offenders in an adult prison versus a state-run juvenile correctional facility. More specifically, this study will identify the particular characteristics of incarceration environments and the individual that significantly impact recidivism. This research samples three simultaneously existing groups of young offenders in California: 1) 16-25 year old offenders convicted in juvenile court and sentenced to the California Youth Authority, 2) 16-25 year old offenders convicted in criminal court and sentenced to the California Youth Authority, and 3) 16-25 year old offenders convicted in criminal court and sentenced to the California Department of Corrections. Exposure (accounting for institutional movement) to objective measures of environmental factors in concert with pre-incarceration characteristics of the offender will be used to predict recidivism.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Theoretical and empirical research suggests that social bonds, including ties to family and friends, can reduce the likelihood of offending. Yet, almost no research has examined one of the primary mechanisms through which prisoners maintain or develop a social bond to their families, friends, and communities-visitation. Given the 600,000 or more inmates released annually from state and federal prisons and that roughly two-thirds will be rearrested within three years, insight is needed into factors that reduce recidivism. Visitation represents one potentially strong buffer against reoffending, suggesting the need for research on which inmates get visited and whether visitation influences post-release behavior. Our study examines visitation patterns among Florida prisoners, and explores factors that predict visitation as well as the effect of visitation on recidivism.

Publication Type: Poster
Abstract: This evaluation utilizes a randomized control trial to assess PREP, a new program that targets newly released offenders into the San Diego area from local jails and state prisons. The program provides cost-free sober living housing, employment training, and a host of other services, including mental health counseling and referrals to drug and alcohol treatment/counseling. The program was presented to inmates while they were incarcerated; interested inmates who were screened for eligibility were randomly assigned into PREP or the control group based on their release date. Over a two year period, 175 offenders were placed into PREP. Recidivism data (arrest, conviction and incarceration data) is compared for both groups for a two-year period beginning in January 2004. Pre and post test scores for PREP participants on a battery of assessments covering mental health, drug use, and social-psychological variables were also collected. Results will be discussed in the poster.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This paper revisits a study of 18,000 inmates released in 1992 (Anderson, 1995). Using Kaplan-Meier survival techniques to estimate time to re-arrest, and descriptive analyses to explore ex-inmate differences, this study examines the relationship between prisoner education programs and the likelihood of recidivism. Risk diminishes incrementally with level of education received while incarcerated; prisoners receiving some college training have a lower risk of recidivating in the first six months post release compared to other inmates. These data support calls for continuing post-secondary education programs in prisons to improve an inmate’s chances of staying out of prison after they are released

Publication Type: Poster
Abstract: A large body of literature has been dedicated to understanding re-offending after release from prison – a phenomenon known as recidivism. Such research is critical both to understanding the determinants of crime and optimizing the correctional system. A meta-analysis was conducted using 49 published studies on actuarial predictors of both violent and non-violent recidivism in men and women. The current analysis resulted in 65 effect sizes comparing violent recidivists and non-recidivists, and 60 effect sizes between comparing recidivists with non-violent recidivists. Several variables (drug/alcohol use, age, and marriage) were predictive of recidivism in general. Gender differences were also observed. In men, increased violent criminal history was associated with increased violent recidivism. In women, a younger age at first offence and longer sentences were predictive of violent re-offending. Despite limited data on women, unique predictors of recidivism were observed in each gender..

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: In the wake of significant increases in the prevalence and severity of juvenile crime, various prior research found that recidivism among juveniles is excessively high, despite efforts at rehabilitation. Most studies which tested juvenile recidivism focused on intervention to reduce chronic offenders. Further, some studies tested that personality or psychological factors are key elements of recidivism. However, onset of crime and juvenile criminal career cannot be explained without observing multifaceted broader social contexts, such as interactions with family, peer, and community. For example, according to prior juvenile recidivism research, juvenile who had a prior criminal record are more likely to recidivate than those whom didn’t have any record. In addition, other study found that juvenile who have abused or neglected from their parents or step-parents report extremely high rates of recidivism. Therefore, the purpose of the present study is to investigate how several family/peer interactions, and other social context influence to juvenile recidivism. This holistic understanding of juvenile recidivism might be used to improve efforts at rehabilitation of juvenile offenders, educate parents and youth of any adverse effects. In addition, it might be used to influence policies of wider level of interventions.

Publication Type: Poster
Abstract: Partakers is a faith-based, non-profit organization whose vision is to advance restorative justice, rehabilitation and the healing transformation of both prisoners and society. Its mission is to reduce prisoner recidivism through education and civic engagement. Its principal program is College Behind Bars, an academic mentoring initiative delivered by faith-based communities at four prisons in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ prison system. Working in concert with the Boston University Prison Education Program, Partakers’ volunteers are paired with inmates to help support them academically and offer encouragement, advice and spiritual grounding as they move through courses to qualify for the Boston University program and then matriculate toward their baccalaureate degrees.

The program’s goal is to bring prisoners to a place of solid academic advancement so that, as statistics verify, they will have an easier time re-entering their communities after release and be far less likely to return to prison. Partakers has also evidenced how, from significantly different socio-economic life experiences, prisoners and volunteers come to appreciate and learn from each other. But it is the transformation and healing that each evidences of the other that is most profound and that frames much of the program’s success.

The intent of this presentation is to capture how College Behind Bars brings Partakers to a place where it has been able to champion its achievements and leverage them into advocacy-based actions to promote Department of Correction program enhancements to further advance rehabilitation.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: The current study examines rates of reoffending for an estimated 1,500 inmates one year after their release from prison. We compared the recidivism of inmates who earned the General Educational Development (GED) certificate while in prison with those who unsuccessfully attempted a degree, those who did not attempt a degree, and prisoners who achieved a high school diploma before incarceration. The preliminary results of the multivariate analyses indicate that inmates who earned a GED while incarcerated had a substantially lower rate of recidivism.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This study examines the effects of social skills training on a group of first-time adjudicated male offenders from the juvenile justice system. Three types of groups were used to evaluate the effects of such programs on behavioral change. These groups included youth who received: 1) social skills training with parents or guardians; 2) social skills training without parents’ or guardians’; 3) no skills training. Differences in the scales and subscales scores from the standardized test entitled the Jesness Inventory were evaluated and analyzed in conjunction with the type of offenses (status, misdemeanor, and felony) for the three groups. This exploratory study yielded some suggestions for further research and program modifications without providing evidence for or against such programming.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Forty-two (42) states and the District of Columbia have legislation authorizing the use of ignition interlocks. Although widely studied, the effectiveness of interlock programs in reducing alcohol-impaired driving among DUI/DWI offenders has yet to be answered. One study, a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of an ignition interlock license restriction program in Maryland, especially advances the knowledge in this field as it evaluates the overall program effectiveness and not just the efficacy of the device. The RCT design has the scientific integrity necessary to infer results to the general population of offenders and limits various sources of bias. The Maryland program has three general components thought to be essential for a successful program: the interlock device itself; use of a conditional interlock license restriction which means that drivers are approved for license reinstatement on the condition that they operate only vehicles equipped with an interlock; and close monitoring of participants for program compliance. This program led to a 60% reduction in alcohol-related traffic recidivism among program participants during the one-year RCT. Few if any states have implemented an ignition interlock license restriction program similar to the successful one evaluated in Maryland. States have especially balked at the expense of monitoring participants. It is not clear if such modified interlock programs are effective in reducing alcohol-related traffic recidivism or have other secondary effects. The current study reviews the characteristics of the Maryland ignition interlock license restriction program and highlights those factors thought to be requisite to a successful program.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: The effects that formal legal controls i.e., arrest and prosecution, and informal controls related to stakes in conformity i.e., employment and marriage, have on recidivism is of interest to criminologists and policy analysts. Findings from domestic violence arrest studies indicate that interactions between one form of legal control, arrest, and stakes in conformity factors are far greater predictors of domestic violence recidivism than either in isolation. However, these studies do not ascertain the relationships between recidivism, stakes in conformity and another form of legal control, prosecution.
Using a sample of domestic violence cases drawn from the New York City Criminal Justice Agency database, we examine the effects that prosecution and informal social controls related to stakes in conformity have on subsequent domestic violence arrests. In addition to contributing to the current research on recidivism, the results from this research has important implications for the efficacy of mandatory prosecution for domestic violence.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of vocational and educational programs on recidivism. A meta-analysis was performed that examined quantitative evaluations of the effects of vocational and educational programs on recidivism. The evaluations were limited to studies published in English and that were performed in the United States. Recidivism measures included re-arrests, technical violations, reconvictions and re-incarcerations. In general, vocational and educational program participants were found to recidivate at a lower rate than non-participants.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Persons with severe mental illness all too commonly become “frequent flyers” in jails and prisons across the United States, and given the robust relationship between mental illness, substance abuse and repeat incarcerations (Mateyoke-Scrivner, Webster, Hiller, Staton, and Leukefeld 2003; Borum, Swanson, Swartz, and Hiday 1997; Steadman et al, 1998; Swartz et al., 1999), we choose to examine the issue more closely by comparing severely mentally impaired inmates and a randomized sample of non-mentally ill inmates on measures of re-incarcerations; substance abuse; time spent in punitive segregation; and loss of meritorious good time. Medical histories and the state prison database serve as the two sources for data collection, which occurred between November 2006 and July 2007. We find repeat incarcerations among male inmates (n=124are significantly higher for the mentally ill; although no clear differences emerge among our small sample of female inmates (n=30). Our research concurs with prior studies that show almost three-quarters of incarcerated adults have serious mental illnesses that co-occur with substantial histories of substance abuse (Abram and Teplin 1991; Abram, Teplin, and McClelland 2003; DHHS 2002; Broner et al, 2003; Drake, Mercer-McFadden, Mueser, McHugo, and Bond 1998; Charles, Abram, McClelland and Teplin 2003; Edens, Peters and Hills 1997; Peters, Kearns, Murrin, and Dolente 1992; RachBeisel, Scott, and Dixon 1999). Specifically, we find that crack/cocaine and alcohol mediate the relationship between mental illness and recidivism. Also our analyses show that mentally-ill female inmates are more likely to spend more time in punitive segregation and lose meritorious good time than both male and female inmates.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: The goal of this study is to test the relative strengths of individual and community variables in predicting recidivism. Previous research shows that individual variables can account to predict recidivism to some degree. However, does the community in which an ex-prisoner lives and works have a measurable effect on the likelihood of recidivism as well? Of particular interest is the interaction between concentrated disadvantage and race. Results show that race strongly predicts recidivism (blacks being much more likely to recidivate than whites). This remains the case in spite of multiple controls accounting for racial differences, and concentrated disadvantage has no effect on recidivism. The study considers what might account for the lingering racial effect, and why the community does not effect the likelihood of recidivism.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Classification tree analysis was utilized in this study to examine whether particular sub-groups of homicide offenders were at an increased risk of recidivism. Additionally, these sub-groups were analyzed for variations in the type of re-offending. Based on previous research, the predictors under consideration included the homicide type along with offender histories and information pertaining to the course of their incarceration. A random sample of 336 homicide offenders who were released during the years 1990 and 2000 from the New Jersey Department of Corrections were identified and followed for a minimum of five years. Recidivism was identified by a triangulated methodology measured by re-arrest, re-conviction, and re-incarceration. Even though none of the 336 homicide offenders recidivated with another homicide, approximately 10% committed new violent offenses, while less than 50% of the sample perpetrated a general re-offense.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: In the late 1990s a model on intensive community-based aftercare has been established by the probation service in the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. This model comprises a statewide system of psychotherapists in private practice as well as a psychotherapeutic outpatient clinic in the city of Stuttgart. This project is now evaluated for the first time, initially by a survey on recidivism rates. A second step will be a longitudinal survey on the social integration of the treated sex offenders.
The results of the relapse study presented here, show that the registered recidivism rates of the treated sex offenders are much lower than expected, this is the case not only with recidivating specific sex offenses but also with general relapse rates. Therefore the results indicate the effectiveness of the institution. The paper will discuss whether there are differences between the two therapeutic models, and what kind of offenders benefits most from what kind of therapy.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Recent delinquency statistics in South Korea depicts juvenile offenders are responsible for highest proportion of criminal arrests during last few decades. In addition, statistics show that many of them are involved in two or more arrest, and dispositions. A number of factors have been associated with recidivate in juveniles. However, there is lack of studies conducting focus on community risk factors is a predictor of recidivism in non-Western settings.
In 2004 the Korean Juvenile Protection and Educational Institution collected a collaborative data from 11 branch institutions with predicting repeat offenses and dispositions. In addition, we added community characteristics by using Korean National Police Agency Crime Rate of 2000, and Korean Census of 2000.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Studies using self-report victim data suggest that women are equally as likely as men to engage in violence against an intimate partner. However, we know little about female domestic violence offenders. Using official police and court data from Bernalillo County, New Mexico for DV incidents occurring in 2002, we examine similarities and differences among the populations of female (N = 716) and male offenders (N = 2998) who are either identified by police as the offender in a DV incident, named as a respondent in a petition for a domestic violence order of protection, or both. In addition to comparing male and female offender populations, we examine the various factors that predict re-offending for both offender groups. Findings suggest that female and male offender populations look somewhat different in terms of prior offending history, prior victimization history, and victim characteristics. Moreover, female offenders are less likely than males to recidivate. At the same time, the predictors of re-offending are similar for both groups.

Publication Type: Poster
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Risk factors for sexual recidivism among juveniles who have committed sexual offences (JSOs) remain poorly understood. The present study tested a list compiled by Worling and Långström (2003) of “supported”, “promising”, “possible”, and “unlikely” risk factors for sexual recidivism among 169 adolescents in a residential sex offending treatment program. Only opportunities to sexually reoffend predicted recidivism, but several additional factors were associated with sexual aggression during treatment and having previously offended sexually. These results suggest that assessing risk factors may be helpful in the treatment of JSOs, but that further research is needed on predictors of sexual recidivism.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: "Supermax" facilities exist in at least 46 of the 50 states to house the most dangerous inmates. Current research suggests that post-release violent offending is worse among inmates from supermax facilities than those housed in general population. Inmates released directly from supermax to society typically return to a correctional institution within a couple of weeks. The State of Georgia seeks to implement a state-of-the- art program for transitioning inmates from supermax facilities into the general population prior to their release from prison. This study evaluates institutional records in the Georgia Department of Corrections to identify inmates released from supermax confinement directly into the community without participating in a transition program, inmates released on probation, parole, or no form of community supervision, and the impact that these release decisions have on recidivism rates.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: A popular method for determining the effectiveness of inmate treatment programs is by examining recidivism rates among program completers. Difficulties arise when comparing these rates; however, as the measures used to capture recidivism often differ by jurisdiction. To address this problem of inconsistency, the Association of State Correctional Administrators (ASCA) developed standard guidelines that all reporting agencies should follow when measuring recidivism.

This presentation will begin with a description about how Pennsylvania’s Department of Corrections (PADOC) has adopted the ASCA guidelines and the impact that this has had on recidivism rates. Next, the presentation will track recidivism rates among inmates who completed various cognitive-behavioral programs in PADOC. Patterns among inmate demographic characteristics, offense category, and time at risk will be explored. Policy implications will be discussed.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Although a wide variety of research efforts examine predictors of recidivism among incarcerated offenders, no research of which we are aware asks offenders currently incarcerated in prison about their own perceived likelihood of recidivism then examines its association with the perceived punitiveness of prison. Using data collected from a sample of Kentucky prisoners, we attempt to fill that gap by examining the association between exchange rates offered for prison when compared with alternative sanctions and inmates' self-reported likelihood of recidivism. Preliminary results suggest that those respondents who were willing to serve more time in prison to avoid community sanctions were also most likely to report that they would return to prison in the future. This relationship also appears to be affected by other demographic and contextual factors as well. Implications for policy and future research are also discussed.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Beginning in the 1980’s, punishment strategies have shifted to decrease the use of indeterminate policies based on the rehabilitation ideal towards “get tough” policies that emphasize deterministic sentencing which increases the percentage of sentence served. This major shift emanates from the idea that rehabilition has done little to change inmate behavior. While scholars have concluded these policies are a dismal failure, no comparative studies exist which assess the outcomes of indeterminate versus determinate punishments on recidivism. We explore the effectiveness of Florida’s Minimum 85% Time Served Law requiring all offenders sentenced to prison after 1995 to serve a minimum of 85% of their sentence on recidivism. A cohort of 164,553 male inmates released from prison between 1995 and 2005 is analyzed in which 56,920 were sentenced prior to the 85% law and 107,633 after the law. To analyze the effects of the 85% law, propensity score methods were used to balance offenders’ characteristics occurring prior to release from prison. We used 37 balancing variables in an effort to draw causal relationships between the 85% law and the likelihood that offenders will be convicted for a new felony or re-imprisoned. The theoretical and policy implications of the findings are discussed.

Publication Type: Poster
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The administration of justice relies largely upon the discretion of criminal justice professionals when carrying out their responsibilities. In the correctional setting, parole boards are called upon to use discretion to release offenders to the community. Often a factor in the release process is offender participation in treatment and programming. As a result, clinician ratings of offender performance in these programs are often an important factor in release decision making. A three year follow up of male and female offenders mandated to substance abuse treatment were used to explore whether clinician rating of offenders at termination or completion of treatment were predictive of recidivism at one, two and three year post-treatment intervals. There was no relationship found between clinician ratings on agreeability, resistance, relationships or psychological factors and recidivism. We also explored whether static risk factors associated with general recidivism were predictive of recidivism in this sample. Results indicated that objective risk items were more predictive of recidivism than clinician ratings of offenders. The implications for release decision making are discussed.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Using survival analysis this study examines recidivism among three cohorts (N=900) of inmates released in 1994, 2004 and 2007 from a Massachusetts House of Correction. Specifically, we analyze the extent to which risk variables predict recidivism and if program participation/completion mediates this relationship. Risk is calculated in two ways for comparison: by criminal histories drawn from Criminal Offense Record Inquiries (CORI) and by total scores drawn from the Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (LS/CMI). Recidivism is measured by reconviction and reincarceration at one- and three-year windows after release. We compare results with national and other local Massachusetts recidivism studies, and discuss policy implications for risk assessment and prisoner management toward reducing recidivism within this unique correctional population.

Publication Type: Poster
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Currently, a majority of actuarial assessment tools for sexual recidivism contain static risk factors that measure aspects of the offender’s prior criminal history in adulthood. The goal of the current study was to assess the utility of extending static risk factors, by using developmental and criminal career parameters of offending, in the actuarial assessment of risk of violent/sexual recidivism. The current study was based on a sample of 204 sexual aggressors of women incarcerated in the province of Quebec, Canada between April 1994 and June 2000. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather information on the offender’s antisocial history prior to adulthood and police records were used to collect data on the criminal career of these offenders in adulthood. For an average follow-up period of approximately four years, the violent/sexual recidivism rate for the sample was 23.7%. The results provided support for the inclusion of both developmental and criminal career indicators for the prediction of violent/sexual recidivism. More specifically, recidivists were characterized by an early-onset antisocial trajectory and a pattern of escalation of antisocial behavior between childhood and adolescence. The findings suggest considering beyond broad adult criminal history data to include aspects of antisocial development to improve predictive accuracy.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Driving under the influence (DUI) is a serious social problem in the United States. In fact, alcohol-related fatal driving crashes cause around 17,000 deaths each year. Although this is a reduction from previous years, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and many others are working to reduce this number even further. Over the past 30 years, jurisdictions have taken many actions to address this problem, including: Raising the minimum drinking age; lowering illegal thresholds for blood alcohol content; and implementing fines, incarceration, substance abuse treatment, electronic monitoring, and other tactics. Yet, despite these initiatives, a small but persistent group of individuals continue to drive drunk repeatedly. Through funding from NHTSA, the current study investigates the differences between those receiving single and multiple DUIs. Multinomial logistic regression models are used to estimate the predictive power of items from a common risk assessment tool, the LSI-R, and a drug and alcohol screener, ASUS. The findings reveal that these instruments yield little statistical power in identifying differences between single and multiple DUI offenders.

Publication Type: Poster
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Numerous research has consistently reported that actuarial risk instrument is superior to unstructured clinical judgment in predicting recidivism of offenders. The aim of this research is to examine the actuarial and clinical prediction of recidivism in a sample of Japanese juvenile offenders. The sample was comprised of 429 juveniles who had been admitted into four Juvenile Classification Homes—correctional institution designed for conducting pre court-hearing assessment—during June 2004 and September 2008. Actuarial predictor was measured by Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (Hoge & Andrews, 2002) while clinical judgment was measured by placement recommendation by psychologists at Juvenile Classification Homes. It is hypothesized that the combined effects of actuarial and clinical judgment will improve the predictive accuracy of recidivism, compared to solely the actuarial judgment. Possible differences in the criminal justice system and crime trends between Canada and Japan contributing to the results are also discussed.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: P. Ann Dirks-Linhorst, Ph.D., J.D., Associate Professor, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice Studies, P.O. Box 1455, Edwardsville, IL 62026, 618.650.5694, pdirksl@siue.edu
Donald M. Linhorst, Ph.D., MSW, Professor and Director, School of Social Work, Saint Louis University, 3550 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, Missouri, 63018, 314.977.2745, linhorsd@slu.edu

Abstract
Mental health courts have recently emerged as one means to reduce the number of people with mental illness in the criminal justice system. Using a post-test only comparison group design, this study examines rearrest rates for one year post discharge among three groups participating in a suburban municipal mental health court. Compared to defendants who successfully completed the program (N = 345), the rearrest rate of defendants negatively terminated from the mental health court (N = 128) was 2.5 times higher, and defendants who chose not to participate (N = 44) had twice the rearrest rate. This positive result held even when controlling for a range of variables in a multivariate analysis. Factors associated with rearrest are identified among all defendants referred to the mental health court. Implications for future mental health court research and practice will be discussed.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The Montreal’s Youth Center intensive probation program for youth offenders was designed as an alternative for youth offenders who would have normally been referred to a measure of open custody. Youth admitted to this program were high risk offenders (N=99) who manifested receptivity for such in intervention in the community. This study addresses the efficacy of the program in terms of official recidivism and change on the YLS-CMI (Hoge et al., 1995). The results confirm the validity of the evaluation procedures for juvenile delinquents and their referral to the different programs (intensive probation, open custody, regular probation). Coherent with the intensity of the intensive probation program, subjects followed in this treatment were more often the subject of reports identifying failure to comply with dispositions (e.g. breach of probation) of their sentences. At the one-year post-treatment follow-up, the non-recidivism rate of youth placed in intensive probation (76,2%) supports the assumption that this measure can be seen as a valid alternative to open custody (47,4%). A logistic regression equation confirms that the two groups differed in their non-recidivism rate even when the initial characteristics of the youth were controlled. Results in terms of change on the YLS-CMI are exposed and discussed.

Publication Type: Poster
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The context in which criminal justice outcomes occur is an important component in predicting recidivism. A sample of supervised male parolees were followed in the community after an initial risk assessment. Four domains of risk context included Resource Engagement, Social Friendship Presence, Integration of Care, and Social Stability. Using mediation analysis, an initial static risk probability was altered up to 26% by accounting for the risk context. Implications of the present results are noted for explaining criminal justice outcomes, offering intervention strategies, and for further individualizing risk assessments.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: This study is focused on analyzing the way that different operationalizations for a variable affect the results of the research. Specifically, it looks at participation in prison-based educational programs and the impact participation in courses has on recidivism using multiple measures of recidivism. This study goes beyond the analysis of education courses’ impact on offender recidivism; the acknowledgement of the spectrum of recidivism makes this is a vital area to explore. All prisoners released in 1994 from 15 states are examined and their official records tracked for three years after release. Their recidivism was measured in four distinct ways: rearrest, reconviction, reconfinement, and the return to prison. This research predicts that participation in prison-based education courses will result in lower levels of recidivism compared to inmates who did not participate in education programs while incarcerated. Alternate methods of measuring recidivism will reveal different levels of effectiveness of recidivism reduction from participation in education courses.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: This study reports new findings from an evaluation of in-prison substance abuse treatment programs at a specialized drug treatment prison, SCI-Chester in the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. Treatment programs include an intensive, 12-month Therapeutic Community and a 12-month Outpatient program. Graduates of both programs complete a mandatory, 6-month aftercare program. Inmates who met eligibility criteria for Chester were randomly assigned to the TC (n = 347) or Outpatient (n = 384) programs. This randomized, “response-dosage” design compares different levels of treatment. Subject inmates were followed for at least 3 years post-release. Using logistic regression and survival analyses, we compared the relative efficacy of TC and Outpatient treatment on post-release outcomes including drug relapse, rearrest and reincarceration. Predictors included a range of pre-treatment (e.g., drug dependency, need for treatment, and criminal history), during-treatment (e.g., attitudinal and behavioral change, participation in treatment), and post-release (e.g., employment) predictors. While within-subject improvements in response to treatment were found for both groups, prison TC failed to produce significantly greater reductions in recidivism than the much less intensive Outpatient program. Possible reasons for these results are discussed, as well their considerable implications for providing cost effective substance abuse treatment to incarcerated persons.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Prior empirical research suggests that while individuals may adjust their perceptions associated with rational choice calculus after gaining more criminal experience, sanction threat perceptions are generally still only weakly related to individual’s decision to recidivate. Specifically, how punishment, such as placement out of the community, affects perceptions, which in turn influence subsequent recidivism, is an important policy question, which is theoretically ambiguous. Prior studies on the effect of incarceration have found mixed results. The flaw in most of these studies is that they treat the incarceration of an individual as random, which ignores the fact that individuals that have higher recidivism rates are more likely to be placed or incarcerated. This results in an underestimation of the effects of placement. Ideally, one would like to compare how the same individual responds to being arrested and incarcerated versus just being arrested. We accomplish this by using longitudinal data on serious juvenile offenders from the Pathways to Desistance study. This rich dataset allows us to implement a fixed effects approach that can compare the same individual’s recidivism rate after an arrest which resulted in incarceration versus one that did not.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This session will present two studies (study 1: n = 330; study 2: n = 495) investigating whether sex offenders who lived closer to schools or daycare centers are more likely to reoffend sexually than those who lived farther away, while controlling for the influence and interaction of other risk factors. As such, this research examines the role that residential distance from child-oriented venues might play in facilitating or inhibiting sexual recidivism.

Regression models, conjunctive analyses, and non-parametric testing were used to investigate the relationship between proximity and recidivism while controlling for the influence and interaction of known risk factors. Group comparisons were conducted to determine significant differences between recidivists and non-recidivists regarding proximity, demographics, and risk factors. Proximity to schools and daycares explained virtually none of the variation in sexual recidivism. Sex offenders who lived within closer proximity to schools and daycare centers did not reoffend more frequently than those who lived farther away. These data do not justify the widespread enactment of residential restrictions for sexual offenders. The time that police and probation officers spend addressing housing issues is likely to divert law enforcement resources away from behaviors that truly threaten our communities in order to attend to a problem that simply does not exist.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Sex offender recidivism is a subject of significant concern for the public and special interest groups, and has been the focus of record state and federal legislative activity over the past ten to fifteen years. Public concern and legislative activities are based in part on the perception that sex offender’s recidivate at levels considerably higher than those found in the literature. A number of researchers have measured sex offender recidivism and found rates between five and twenty percent in studies based on US populations. Even within the research community there is some discussion about the meaning of recidivism rates. Some researchers point out that the majority of rape victims tend not to report raising the possibility that rates identified by researchers may be artificially low while other researchers point out the results of longitudinal studies identify recidivistic offenders though they may not catch each victimization. This presentation will shed light on these discrepancies, discuss the importance of increasing general awareness of empirically based recidivism rates and conclude with thoughts about how public, private and governmental understanding of recidivism drive current policy and practice.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Dr. Meredith developed the first set of automated risk assessment instruments used in Georgia to guide supervision level assignments for 20,000 parolees. State-operated prison and parole operations databases were linked to conduct extensive recidivism research on 6,000 offenders. After six years of successful field implementation, the next generation of gender-specific risk assessment instruments was implemented in 2010 based on a new study of 38,000 parolees (including 5,000 females). Cox regression survival techniques were used to determine predictors of arrest activity during parole supervision. Adopting techniques from medical research, baseline survival estimates are used to compute individual estimates of risk (which change over the course of supervision with parolee performance). Computer programs are executed daily to access case management data and compute a risk score for each parolee. These programs are gender and case-age specific – accounting mathematically for declining risk as a parolee remains arrest-free over a five year horizon. Risk score are made available to parole officers through on-line reports and emails to inform supervision level assignments. The author will present her survival analysis techniques, gender-specific findings, improvements in data quality over time, and implications for community supervision.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: For centuries, religion has inspired debate regarding the role it might play in advancing a person’s position within society. Proponents of the value of religious involvement in shaping adherents’ behavior have framed it as a mechanism that can provide a fundamental foundation for human conduct and a script for human interaction. In considering these points, what are the implications for those individuals that society has deemed to be unfit to participate as a free and contributing citizen due to their involvement in crime? Can religion possibly offer a vehicle to salvation for incarcerated offenders, not in the philosophical sense, but within the context of inspiring an abandonment of criminal conduct? Research on the topic suggests that religious participation and practice can impact choices, but remains fractured, failing to adequately draw significant correlations between practice and outcomes in terms of a reduction of criminal activity. Regardless, participation in faith-based programming is encouraged in many correctional facilities. This paper will explore the literature on the subject and discuss the results of a survey designed to measure community attitudes and beliefs regarding the impact of prison-based religious involvement and programming upon inmate recidivism.