When Prisoners Come Home: Parole and Prisoner Reentry

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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.

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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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Journal Article•DOI•

Does a Rising Tide Lift All Boats? Labor Market Changes and Their Effects on the Recidivism of Released Prisoners

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Daniel P. Mears, Xia Wang, William D. Bales¹•Institutions (1)

Florida State University¹

10 Jul 2014-Justice Quarterly

TL;DR: The authors examined the effect of changes in labor market conditions on the recidivism of ex-prisoners and found that recidivitis among black and white ex-convicts is differentially affected by changes in labour market conditions in areas to which they return.

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Abstract: The dramatic growth in incarceration nationally has increased attention to the factors that influence recidivism among ex-prisoners. Accordingly, scholars have called for research that identifies factors, such as employment opportunities, that may influence reentry experiences. Few studies, however, have examined how changes in labor market conditions affect ex-prisoner offending. Drawing on prior scholarship, this study examines the effect of such changes on the recidivism of ex-prisoners and, in particular, how the recidivism among blacks and whites may be differentially affected by changes in labor market conditions in the areas to which they return. The analyses indicate that, among black male ex-prisoners, labor market declines increase violent recidivism. They also indicate that, among white male ex-prisoners, the effects are more tenuous, influence only property recidivism, and are moderated by prior labor market conditions and criminal history. Implications of the study are discussed.

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33 citations

Cites background from "When Prisoners Come Home: Parole an..."

...Although progress has been made, much remains unknown (Clear, 2007; Lattimore et al., 2010; Nagin et al., 2009; Petersilia, 2003; Travis & Visher, 2005)....
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Journal Article•DOI•

Active Supervision and Its Impact Upon Parolee Recidivism Rates

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Michael Ostermann

13 Jan 2013-Crime & Delinquency

TL;DR: It is demonstrated that parole boards can be successful at isolating those under their active supervision from reengaging in criminal activities when compared with those who are not supervised post-release, but that parole does not have long-lasting rehabilitative effects.

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Abstract: Studies that compare recidivism rates between parolees and unconditionally released inmates typically attach these statuses upon release, and then follow these groups until they either fail or meet the censor date. However, this method of identifying former inmates as parolees does not comport with how parolees are conceptualized by the agencies that supervise them. Parole boards identify parolees as released inmates whom they actively supervise. This study explores the relative impact of this strategy of attaching the parole status compared with the traditional strategy used throughout the recidivism literature. I use 3 years of postrelease data from all prisoners released from 2005 to 2007 in a highly populated state on the East Coast (N = 29,299). My findings indicate that after 3 years, parolees are predicted to recidivate at a 1% lower rate compared with unconditionally released inmates when the time of active supervision is not considered. However, parolees who are assigned supervision terms of at l...

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33 citations

Cites background from "When Prisoners Come Home: Parole an..."

...parole, recidivism, corrections, community supervision, discharge Hundreds of thousands of people are released from our prisons every year and attempt to reintegrate into society (Petersilia, 2003; Travis, 2005)....
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...…system, discretionary parole was mainly viewed as a mechanism to allow inmates the opportunity to be released from the punitive portion of their sentence if they showed promise that they were able to be rehabilitated and demonstrated a willingness to conform to society’s rules (Petersilia, 2003)....
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...In its early stages in the American criminal justice system, discretionary parole was mainly viewed as a mechanism to allow inmates the opportunity to be released from the punitive portion of their sentence if they showed promise that they were able to be rehabilitated and demonstrated a willingness to conform to society’s rules (Petersilia, 2003)....
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...…discretionary parole release came under attack because it began to be viewed as too lenient, the decision-making practices did not have enough oversight, and there was little scientific evidence that parole release and subsequent supervision decreased postrelease offending (Petersilia, 2003)....
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...However, in the late 1970s, discretionary parole release came under attack because it began to be viewed as too lenient, the decision-making practices did not have enough oversight, and there was little scientific evidence that parole release and subsequent supervision decreased postrelease offending (Petersilia, 2003)....
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Journal Article•DOI•

“Me and the Law is Not Friends”: How Former Prisoners Make Sense of Reentry

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Lucia Trimbur¹•Institutions (1)

John Jay College of Criminal Justice¹

18 Jun 2009-Qualitative Sociology

TL;DR: The authors examine how former prisoners of color conceptualize their political, social, and economic futures and how these conceptualizations relate to the racialized social structural obstacles encountered upon reentry and decisions to reengage criminal labor.

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Abstract: This article examines how former prisoners of color conceptualize their political, social, and economic futures and how these conceptualizations relate to the racialized social structural obstacles encountered upon reentry and decisions to re-engage criminal labor. I find that, presented with similar post-prison challenges, excarcerated men take several approaches when reentering society. I argue that the differences among their approaches lie in their varying interpretations of how they can act as individuals against and within their social structural limitations. Their decisions to rejoin or forfeit participation in criminal economies are thus shaped by experiences confronting the limitations of material conditions but also emerge from their critiques of racialized structures.

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33 citations

Cites background from "When Prisoners Come Home: Parole an..."

...Solomon et al. (2005) and Petersilia (2004, 2003) study patterns of recidivism and postrelease supervision, exploring the relationships among technical violations, new offenses, and parole practices....
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...Given that 95% of the men and women incarcerated in jails and prisons are released at some point ( Petersilia 2003 ), prisoner reentry has become an important part of criminal justice studies....
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...Producing a phenomenon that scholars now refer to as mass incarceration, black and Latino men were sentenced for more crimes and to longer periods of time in prison than ever before 3 (Mauer 1999a, 1999b; Petersilia 2003 )....
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...Jacobson (2005) and Horn (2001) offer new models of community supervision that can better facilitate successful reentry while Petersilia (2003) , among others, chronicles the history of parole and advances “what works” in prisoner reintegration....
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...... abolished, for the most part, rehabilitation, and fixated instead on an array of new penalties and policies, such as three-strike rules, truth-insentencing laws, victim impact statements, sentencing guidelines, and “zero tolerance.” The emerging crime complex instituted longer sentences than ever before and expanded the number of nonviolent acts considered criminal, which inflated the prison population, even as crime rates dropped ( Petersilia ......
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Journal Article•DOI•

Social Bonds and Change During Incarceration Testing a Missing Link in the Reentry Research

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Michael Rocque¹, David M. Bierie², Doris Layton MacKenzie³•Institutions (3)

Northeastern University¹, Federal Bureau of Prisons², Pennsylvania State University³

01 Aug 2011-International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology

TL;DR: Data from an experiment in which offenders were randomly assigned to incarceration at one of two prisons polarized across a number of structural characteristics that research suggests affect social bonds showed that the boot camp improved prosocial beliefs, but few differences emerged in terms of commitment and attachment.

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Abstract: Research examining prisoner reentry has demonstrated negative impacts of incarceration on social bonds. However, this research is limited in two ways. First, it generally examines outcomes after release, paying less attention to processes occurring in prison. Second, this work tends to examine "incarceration" as a whole, regarding prisons as homogenous. This study uses data from an experiment in which offenders were randomly assigned to incarceration at one of two prisons polarized across a number of structural characteristics that research suggests affect social bonds (a traditional prison vs. a correctional boot camp). Groups were compared with respect to commitment, belief, attachment, and in terms of changes among their relationships during incarceration. The data showed that the boot camp improved prosocial beliefs, but few differences emerged in terms of commitment and attachment. Similarly, the data showed few differences in attachment regardless of the prosocial or antisocial orientation of the inmate's friends or family.

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33 citations

Cites background from "When Prisoners Come Home: Parole an..."

...…organization (Clear, Rose, & Ryder, 2001; Petersilia, 2003), labor markets (Bushway, Stool, & Weiman, 2007), children of incarcerated parents (Petersilia, 2003), marriage prospects (Lopoo & Western, 2005), and a slew of negative impacts on other institutions (see Travis & Visher, 2005;…...
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...…work addressing several issues, including the potential harm of incarceration to communities and social organization (Clear, Rose, & Ryder, 2001; Petersilia, 2003), labor markets (Bushway, Stool, & Weiman, 2007), children of incarcerated parents (Petersilia, 2003), marriage prospects (Lopoo &…...
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...…and control allowed to inmates (Dilulio, 1987; MacKenzie, Wilson, Armstrong, & Gover, 2001; Sykes, 1958), type and quality of programming available (Petersilia 2003), staff procedures or culture (Bottoms, 1999; Franke, Bierie, & MacKenzie, 2010), and access to visits or telephones, as well as…...
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...Yet much literature suggests that prisons may vary in myriad ways related to social bonds, including freedom and control allowed to inmates (Dilulio, 1987; MacKenzie, Wilson, Armstrong, & Gover, 2001; Sykes, 1958), type and quality of programming available (Petersilia 2003), staff procedures or culture (Bottoms, 1999; Franke, Bierie, & MacKenzie, 2010), and access to visits or telephones, as well as other characteristics (Liebling, 2006; Maruna & Toch, 2005)....
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...For example, Petersilia (2003) suggests that bonds and social capital of inmates may be damaged if they are housed far from family (i.e., inhibiting visits) and by policies that limit phone calls (e.g., exceptional expenses, limited minutes allowed, failure to provide an adequate number of phones)....
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Journal Article•DOI•

The Influence of Parole Officers’ Attitudes on Supervision Practices

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Benjamin Steiner, Lawrence F. Travis¹, Matthew D. Makarios², Taylor Brickley³•Institutions (3)

University at Albany, SUNY¹, University of Wisconsin-Madison², University of South Carolina³

22 Jan 2011-Justice Quarterly

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the relationship between officers' attitudes towards supervision and their supervisory responses to offender behavior and found that officers' attitude had no effect on their rate of issuing community-based sanctions, but officers who held more authoritative attitudes were more likely to pursue revocation hearing.

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Abstract: The supervision of offenders conditionally released into communities is one of the primary functions of parole officers Scholars have hypothesized that officers’ attitudes towards supervision may influence their job performance Yet there are few studies which have examined the influence of parole officers’ attitudes on their actual supervision practices, and studies of the attitude–behavior relationship among other justice system actors have revealed mixed findings This study involved an examination of the relationship between officers’ attitudes towards supervision and their supervisory responses to offender behavior Findings revealed that officers’ attitudes influence their intended behaviors However, results of the analyses of the potential relationship between officers’ attitudes and their actual behaviors were mixed Officers’ attitudes had no effect on their rate of issuing community-based sanctions, but officers who held more authoritative attitudes were more likely to pursue revocation hearin

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33 citations

Cites background from "When Prisoners Come Home: Parole an..."

...…such as those offenders classified as high risk or offenders who officers perceive as high risk may also be more likely to impose sanctions because these types of offenders are predicted to (and often do) engage in more violation behaviors that stimulate a response (Petersilia, 2003; Simon, 1993)....
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...Similarly, system actors who are less experienced may be more aggressive in their application of formal control because newly hired individuals often embrace the more enforcement oriented functions of their job (Petersilia, 2003; Steffensmeier & Hebert, 1999; Terrill & Mastrofski, 2002)....
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...The location in which the offenders on officers’ caseloads reside may also be relevant (Olson, Weisheit, & Ellsworth, 2001; Petersilia, 2003)....
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...for successful offender reentry and public safety (Glaser, 1969; Petersilia, 2003; Simon, 1993; Travis & Visher, 2005)....
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...http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07418825.2010.539246 2 STEINER ET AL. for successful offender reentry and public safety (Glaser, 1969; Petersilia, 2003; Simon, 1993; Travis & Visher, 2005)....
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When Prisoners Come Home: Parole and Prisoner Reentry

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Cites background from "When Prisoners Come Home: Parole an..."

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Cites background from "When Prisoners Come Home: Parole an..."

Cites background from "When Prisoners Come Home: Parole an..."

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