Book•
When Prisoners Come Home: Parole and Prisoner Reentry
01 Jan 2003-
TL;DR: In this paper, a profile of returning prisoners is presented, along with a discussion of the changing nature of Parole Supervision and Services, and the role of the victim's role in prisoner reentry.
Abstract: Preface 1. Introduction and Overview 2. Who's Coming Home? A Profile of Returning Prisoners 3. The Origins and Evolution of Modern Parole 4. The Changing Nature of Parole Supervision and Services 5. How We Help: Preparing Inmates for Release 6. How We Hinder: Legal and Practical Barriers to Reintegration 7. Revolving Door Justice: Inmate Release and Recidivism 8. The Victim's Role in Prisoner Reentry 9. What to Do? Reforming Parole and Reentry Practices 10. Conclusions: When Punitive Policies Backfire Afterword
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TL;DR: This paper examined whether a cohort of offenders released to the community in Kentucky either under parole supervision or at the expiration of their sentences are more likely to be reincarcerated within a 5-year period.
Abstract: Recent years have seen increasing concerns about the importance of offender reentry and how to best facilitate ex-offenders remaining crimefree. Common responses have been to enhance punitiveness, and to decrease resources and support services for ex-offenders. Results have been consistently high levels of recidivism, and consequently increasingly punitive responses. The present study examines whether a cohort of offenders released to the community in Kentucky either under parole supervision or at the expiration of their sentences are more likely to be reincarcerated within a 5-year period. The participants of each cohort were constructed into two groups using propensity score matching to control for differences between them.
19 citations
Cites background from "When Prisoners Come Home: Parole an..."
...They have high rates of homelessness and find it difficult to find shelter (see also Baer et al., 2006; Marbley & Ferguson, 2005; Petersilia, 2003; J. Travis, 2005; Wodahl, 2006)....
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28 Jul 2018
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the impact of various custody experiences and transformations on short and longer-term offending outcomes for a sample of incarcerated male and female youth (n = 1.217).
Abstract: Despite the asserted importance of community reentry as part of the pathway to desistance, there is relatively little empirical research examining the role of custody experiences and a young person’s personal transformation while incarcerated. With the increasing emphasis on service delivery within Canadian facilities, it is possible that some aspects of custody help facilitate desistance, but research has yet to clarify which specific aspects are important. Guided by rational choice, life course, and cognitive transformation perspectives on desistance, the current study addressed this question by examining the impact of various custody experiences and transformations on short- and longer-term offending outcomes for a sample of incarcerated male and female youth (n = 217). The reliable change index was used to examine changes in self-identity between admission to custody and the weeks prior to release. Short- versus longer-term offending outcomes were influenced by different custody experiences and the importance of identity change varied across these different outcomes. Incarceration as a transformative experience during a key transition period in the life course is discussed, with specific attention to rehabilitatinon-focused custody environments.
19 citations
Dissertation•
01 Nov 2015
TL;DR: The role of CoSA in the reintegration of convicted sex offenders into the community is examined in this article, where the authors examine how the volunteers work with Core Members to reduce stigmatisation, what temptations are experienced by Core Members and how they self-control.
Abstract: The reintegration of convicted sex offenders has become a major social and political issue. Current approaches by the criminal justice system have traditionally sought containment of risk over reintegrative aspects. Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA) hereafter CoSA or 'Circles’ is a voluntary organisation which seeks to support the safe reintegration of convicted sex offenders. This PhD thesis examines the role of CoSA in the reintegration of convicted sex offenders into the community.
CoSA is a voluntary initiative which uses 4-6 trained volunteers to work with a convicted sex offender in a ‘Circle’. They provide support to the sex offender - or Core Member - by assisting with practical skills, advice and work to reduce stigma. Accountability is provided by the volunteers questioning and challenging the Core Member about thinking patterns or by passing information related to a risk of harm to the police or probation service.
In total, 30 Core Members were interviewed to examine their perceptions and experiences of participating in Circles of Support and Accountability as well as their experiences of living life as a convicted sex offender. Interviews were conducted using the appreciative inquiry approach and were supplemented with questionnaire data and administrative data from CoSA.
To better examine the role of CoSA this thesis focuses on how the volunteers work with Core Members to reduce stigmatisation, what temptations are experienced by Core Members and how they self-control. The thesis examines how webs of control are created by the police and probation services as well as CoSA and how they are experienced by Core Members. The role of these agencies is further explored through the lens of change, specifically how Core Members change and where they attribute the cause of change.
CoSA provided substantial aid to Core Members who were seeking to distance themselves from their conviction. The Circle was found to support Core Members to overcome some of their perceptions of stigma, assist and facilitate in providing a degree of control in Core Members lives and promote positive changes to support Core Members to achieve a greater distance from their offending lifestyle.
19 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that the structure of boot camp prisons is problematic in terms of the way in which it is used to instill and reinforce hypermasculine behaviors that have been found to be highly correlated with criminal behavior.
Abstract: A number of studies have tested the effectiveness of boot camp prisons in reducing recidivism and results indicate that they have not been as successful as originally anticipated. While no two programs are comparable in terms of programming and treatment, most programs utilize a hypermasculine paramilitary prison structure to deter, punish, and rehabilitate. We argue that this structure is problematic in terms of the way in which it is used to instill and reinforce hypermasculine behaviors that have been found to be highly correlated with criminal behavior. After introducing the prison as a gendered organization and discussing the relationship of masculinity and crime, we review studies of boot camp prisons and relate these findings to specific masculine attributes of the boot camp to show how the organizational design may be ineffective in producing desired correctional outcomes.
19 citations
TL;DR: In February 2006, a group of over 50 former fighters were released from Freetown's central prison after over six years' incarceration as discussed by the authors, and the authors trace the ways they handled the move from one for...
Abstract: In February 2006 a group of over 50 former fighters were released from Freetown’s central prison after over six years’ incarceration. This article traces the ways they handled the move from one for...
19 citations
Cites background from "When Prisoners Come Home: Parole an..."
...(Petersilia, 2003: 105) The group came together every Saturday, meeting in a school, once an arms depot, no more than a long stone’s throw from the prison....
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...…except to suggest that such experiences may actually exacerbate crime contributing to anger, bitterness and the development of criminal values (Petersilia, 2003: 225).4 Prisoner re-entry is defined as ‘all activities and programming conducted to prepare ex-convicts to return safely to the…...
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...…or social difficulties both during imprisonment and on release is not a novel one (Cohen and Taylor, 1972; McEvoy, 2001; Grounds and Jamieson, 2003; Petersilia, 2003; Grounds, 2004; Liebling and Maruna, 2005; Crawley and Sparks, 2006; Haney, 2006; Thompson, 2008), though there is a dearth of…...
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...…crime contributing to anger, bitterness and the development of criminal values (Petersilia, 2003: 225).4 Prisoner re-entry is defined as ‘all activities and programming conducted to prepare ex-convicts to return safely to the community and to live as law-abiding citizens’ (Petersilia, 2003: 3)....
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