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Beyond Incarceration: Identification Of Post-Incarceration Strategies For Successful Reintegration, Sharon D. Walker Mar 2024

Beyond Incarceration: Identification Of Post-Incarceration Strategies For Successful Reintegration, Sharon D. Walker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem that was addressed in this study was the high rate of recidivism among released offenders in the United States. Recidivism results in the rearrest of up to 650,000 offenders within 3 years of release. Reentry barriers are a primary cause of recidivism across the United States, as released offenders struggle to reintegrate into their communities. Policymakers and researchers have not focused on non-recidivating ex-convicts who designed, implemented, and maintained strategies for successful living. Rather than identifying obstacles ex-convicts face, which have been long recognized, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to investigate and identify post-incarceration strategies for …


Offender Reintegration In Nevada: A Longitudinal Study Focusing On Transitional Challenges, Reentry Capital, And Recidivism, Carolyn S. Willis Aug 2023

Offender Reintegration In Nevada: A Longitudinal Study Focusing On Transitional Challenges, Reentry Capital, And Recidivism, Carolyn S. Willis

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Offender reintegration (reentry) depends on offender motivation, public policies, community efforts, and resources provided through government and nonprofit sectors. As individuals are released from incarceration and reintegrate into the community, they are often dependent on resources provided by different service providers and the community. The role of the community is crucial as resources are oftentimes not accessible. Lack of employment and housing, mental health issues, substance abuse, and the inability to reestablish personal relationships diminish the prospects of successful reintegration and increase the chances of reincarceration. Reentry capital delivered through community-based programs addresses the transitional issues justice-impacted individuals encounter post-incarceration. …


Faith-Based Addiction Treatment Programs And The Drug Courts, Christopher J. Boosey Sep 2022

Faith-Based Addiction Treatment Programs And The Drug Courts, Christopher J. Boosey

Liberty University Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy

Addiction treatment programs are a major part of the Drug Courts system as under this system, addiction treatment and rehabilitation are used in an attempt to address the root causes of crime with the intent to reducing recidivism rates. Trends in research are beginning to show that faith-based addiction treatment programs are more effective than comparable secular programs. However, there are constitutional issues that prevent these programs being awarded by the drug courts without a comparable, secular alternative. This essay reviews relevant research on the comparable efficacy of faith-based and secular addiction programs and the constitutional issues related to the …


Restorative Justice And Recidivism In Formerly Incarcerated Women, Alfeia B. Devaughn-Goodwin Jan 2022

Restorative Justice And Recidivism In Formerly Incarcerated Women, Alfeia B. Devaughn-Goodwin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study explored the experiences of nonviolent women offenders over the age of 50 of all ethnicities who were formerly incarcerated and their involvement with restorative justice and recidivism from a public policy perspective. Although there was prior research on reentry of ex-offenders, the problem was that few studies focused on the barriers and success factors of reentry services for older female ex-offenders 50 years or older. The purpose of the study was to explore restorative justice and recidivism in formerly incarcerated women who were nonviolent offenders in an East Coast state with a focus on the barriers and success …


Correctional Education And Response To Prison Reentry Of African American Men, Robert Reddick Jan 2022

Correctional Education And Response To Prison Reentry Of African American Men, Robert Reddick

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is limited knowledge of how correctional education programs prepare rural African American men for reentry into society after incarceration. The purpose of this study was to learn how young, rural African American men between the ages of 20 to 30 years perceived their experiences of technical correctional education programs and how such programs aided in reducing recidivism during their reentry process from incarceration. This qualitative study was guided by the institutional theory which purported that correctional education should be based on the population served and not on mirroring other institutions. Using a qualitative phenomenological design, data were collected from …


Black Males Incarcerated And The Effect Upon Children Left Behind, Cathy Marie Crutchfield Jan 2022

Black Males Incarcerated And The Effect Upon Children Left Behind, Cathy Marie Crutchfield

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Black men in the United States have been disproportionately removed from the lives of their families by means of incarceration for generations. Aggressive drug laws, racist policing strategies, and sentence disparities are contributing factors. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to examine how formerly incarcerated Black males perceived their incarceration affected the children they left behind while incarcerated. The research sample consisted of six former offenders. Each participant was at least eighteen years of age, Black, a parent at the time of incarceration, and a resident of Guilford County, NC, at the time of the offense. Each participant …


U.S. Prisons And System Reform, Darian Reimels Apr 2021

U.S. Prisons And System Reform, Darian Reimels

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

Prison systems, specifically in the U.S., are a wicked problem. For years prisoners have been treated inhumanely inside and outside of prison, with everyone looking at them with a judgmental eye. This essay aims to point out and bring light to these issues within the prison system. Specifically, it focuses on how inmates are treated during and after serving their sentence, and solitary confinement. To better understand and explain the problems to you, extensive research was done. Articles were read, organizations were researched, and a documentary was watched to gather the information needed to write this essay. The results showed …


California’S Prisoner Rehabilitation Effort: Ex-Lifers’ Perceptions On Achieving Sustainable Social Reintegration, Kimberly L. Martin Jan 2021

California’S Prisoner Rehabilitation Effort: Ex-Lifers’ Perceptions On Achieving Sustainable Social Reintegration, Kimberly L. Martin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Prisoners sentenced to a life term in California’s state prisons are being found suitable for parole at record-high rates. Although macro-level policy guides California’s prisoner rehabilitation process, a specific policy does not exist to guide the rehabilitation of the lifer population. Research shows a compelling relationship between public safety resulting from reduced recidivism and an inmate’s participation in rehabilitative programming during incarceration. There is a gap in the literature about ex-lifers and their ability to achieve sustainable social reintegration upon release from incarceration. Ostrom’s institutional analysis and development framework guided this study’s examination of the gap in literature and the …


Delinquent Behavior And Recidivism Among Juveniles In The Southeastern United States, Anthony Bernard Essix Jr. Jan 2021

Delinquent Behavior And Recidivism Among Juveniles In The Southeastern United States, Anthony Bernard Essix Jr.

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States, juvenile delinquent behavior has continued to rise despite attempts by the legal system and policymakers. Much of the research contributing to the understanding of juvenile delinquency and recidivism has been focused on risk factors believed to push an individual to show signs of delinquency. Limited research has been conducted to explain how policies affect juvenile behaviors. The current study examined risk factors that contribute to juvenile delinquency to determine if a factor may have been overlooked in prior juvenile studies. Based on anomie and strain theory, a qualitative method of general inquiry was used to gain …


Juvenile Probation Officers’ Perspectives On The Success Factors Of Youth Diversion Programs, Kya Tanique Robertson Jan 2021

Juvenile Probation Officers’ Perspectives On The Success Factors Of Youth Diversion Programs, Kya Tanique Robertson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The goal of youth diversion programs includes reducing recidivism while granting opportunities for youth to refocus their paths. Although juvenile probation officers' role is vital to supervised probation in youth diversion programs, the problem is that there is a lack of literature that assesses the success of the factors of mentoring, education, and mental health treatment that directly connect youth with social services. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the perceptions of juvenile probation officers on the success factors of youth diversion programs as they relate to mentoring, education, and mental health treatment. Becker's labeling theory …


Reflective Writing In Prisons: Rehabilitation And The Power Of Stories And Connections, Sandeep Kumar Jun 2020

Reflective Writing In Prisons: Rehabilitation And The Power Of Stories And Connections, Sandeep Kumar

VA Engage Journal

The United States has the highest rate of incarceration in the world. Even though the rate of crime is dropping, incarceration rates remain fairly steady. What’s more, recidivism (i.e., re-offending after conviction for other crimes) is also very high in the US. If offenders continue to offend, even after completing their sentences in a correctional system designed to address their underlying criminal activity, what is the point of having such a system? Can the system be made more accountable and better? Have we considered all the options for criminal reform? This article explores these questions using effective rehabilitation principles to …


Examining The Criminogenic Effect Of Imprisonment On Drug Offender Recidivism, Tiffany Jean Vedder Jan 2020

Examining The Criminogenic Effect Of Imprisonment On Drug Offender Recidivism, Tiffany Jean Vedder

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Studies have found criminogenic consequences of imprisonment when testing the deterrence hypothesis, yet few studies were found that examined the magnitude of post release criminal offenses among the drug offender population. The specific deterrence and criminogenic effects of imprisonment were the theoretical frameworks that guided this study of Harris County, Texas, to determine if incarceration predicted serious reoffending among low-level drug offenders. A Journal of Science and Law (Scilaw) archival dataset based on Harris County court records was used to build the sample. Chi-squared test of association and logistic regression statistics were used to analyze a sample of first-time drug …


Support Services From Prison To Home: Reentry Programs In A Western State, Bridget Burden Jan 2019

Support Services From Prison To Home: Reentry Programs In A Western State, Bridget Burden

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

People released from incarceration are not equipped to deal with the challenges of transitioning back into society. Previous research on reentry suggests that correctional institutions may fail to adequately prepare inmates to transition to community life at the time of release, and little research addresses the perspectives of incarcerated people who have experienced reentry. Using social justice theory and the institutional analysis and development framework as guides, the purpose of this ethnographic study of reentry programs in a western state was to (a) determine how well they meet the needs of ex-offenders receiving reentry services, (b) identify best practices if …


Recidivism And Prison Overcrowding Due To Denial Of Legal Representation In Botswana, Sidney Pilane Jan 2019

Recidivism And Prison Overcrowding Due To Denial Of Legal Representation In Botswana, Sidney Pilane

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Botswana has been experiencing high rates of recidivism and prison overcrowding, but the causes of these problems have not been explored. Thus, this qualitative study was conducted to investigate whether the denial of legal representation to criminal defendants tried in the customary courts is one of the causes of high rates of recidivism, prison overcrowding, or both. The main research question addressed a possible relationship between these factors and the denial of legal representation, and the study was guided by the punctuated equilibrium theory and the policy feedback theory. Data were collected through semi structured interviews with 10 released first …


Recidivism Differences And Measures Of Predictability For Federally Convicted Child Pornographers, Ricardo J. Rodriguez Jan 2019

Recidivism Differences And Measures Of Predictability For Federally Convicted Child Pornographers, Ricardo J. Rodriguez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a gap in research on the effectiveness of mandatory-€minimum sentences on the recidivism rates of federal child pornography offenders, resulting in policy that may be ineffective and costly. Relevant research can further understanding of criminogenic behavior that results in the exploitation of children and aid future policy making decisions. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to better understand the relationship between federal sentencing and federal child pornographer recidivism. Central to this study is the research question of whether there exists a statistically significant difference between the likelihood of recidivism in 2 child pornographer cohorts that receive different …


Effects Of Psychiatric Hospital Closures On Local Jail Administrators, Correctional Staff, And Inmates, Mark Christian Lasko Jan 2019

Effects Of Psychiatric Hospital Closures On Local Jail Administrators, Correctional Staff, And Inmates, Mark Christian Lasko

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A series of psychiatric hospital closures has led to a movement of care for individuals with mental illness from state-run facilities to managed care centers. Many of the individuals who no longer reside in psychiatric hospitals have become ensnared in the criminal justice system. Correctional facilities have an increased burden to care for the needs of the mentally ill, but lack the training and facilities to do so adequately. In this study, the lived experiences of correctional staff who have experienced the process of a hospital closure were examined. Psychiatric rehabilitation and gatekeeper theories served as the theoretical framework for …


Recidivism Differences And Measures Of Predictability For Federally Convicted Child Pornographers, Ricardo J. Rodriguez Jan 2019

Recidivism Differences And Measures Of Predictability For Federally Convicted Child Pornographers, Ricardo J. Rodriguez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a gap in research on the effectiveness of mandatory-minimum sentences on the recidivism rates of federal child pornography offenders, resulting in policy that may be ineffective and costly. Relevant research can further understanding of criminogenic behavior that results in the exploitation of children and aid future policy making decisions. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to better understand the relationship between federal sentencing and federal child pornographer recidivism. Central to this study is the research question of whether there exists a statistically significant difference between the likelihood of recidivism in 2 child pornographer cohorts that receive different …


Perspectives And Post-Release Experiences Of Convicted African American Women Drug Offenders, Janet Fash Jan 2018

Perspectives And Post-Release Experiences Of Convicted African American Women Drug Offenders, Janet Fash

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Prisons in the United States are full to capacity because of the revolving doors created by recidivism. African American women comprise a significant proportion of those who return to prison, yet most studies about women and recidivism focus on the experiences of white women. The communities into which formerly incarcerated African American women are released do not make things easier in terms of the potential for reoffending because of the difficult access to good jobs, safe housing, good health care services, and assistance with child cares services. Using Cullen's social support theory as the foundation, the purpose of this general …


Pretrial Detention And Bail, Megan Stevenson, Sandra G. Mayson Mar 2017

Pretrial Detention And Bail, Megan Stevenson, Sandra G. Mayson

All Faculty Scholarship

Our current pretrial system imposes high costs on both the people who are detained pretrial and the taxpayers who foot the bill. These costs have prompted a surge of bail reform around the country. Reformers seek to reduce pretrial detention rates, as well as racial and socioeconomic disparities in the pretrial system, while simultaneously improving appearance rates and reducing pretrial crime. The current state of pretrial practice suggests that there is ample room for improvement. Bail hearings are often cursory, with no defense counsel present. Money-bail practices lead to high rates of detention even among misdemeanor defendants and those who …


Impact Of Employment Barriers On Individuals With Criminal Records : An Econometric Evaluation Of Criminal Background Checks In New York, Garima Siwach Jan 2017

Impact Of Employment Barriers On Individuals With Criminal Records : An Econometric Evaluation Of Criminal Background Checks In New York, Garima Siwach

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Individuals with criminal records face significant barriers to employment, -- a concern which has become stronger in an era of widespread criminal background checks. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has recently drawn attention to the need to balance employers' concerns about the potential risk of hiring such individuals, with increasing employment opportunities for individuals with criminal records, particularly if they are low risk. Despite a large number of individuals with criminal records in the United States working age population, there has been no research to demonstrate the implications of such background checks used for employment determination. This dissertation consists …


Attitudes Of Returning Citizens In Government-Managed Post-Release Programming, Zachary D'Jon Weaver Jan 2015

Attitudes Of Returning Citizens In Government-Managed Post-Release Programming, Zachary D'Jon Weaver

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nearly 700,000 prisoners return to communities annually, and approximately two-thirds are rearrested within 3 years of release. The cyclic pattern of recidivism presents risks to both returning offenders and the communities that accept them. Reentry research tends to include the voice and experiences of juveniles, community members, and service providers, and narrowly focuses on the socioeconomic conditions of adult ex-offender populations pre- and post-release. Few researchers have explored the attitudes of those returning citizens or the perceived impact on treatment success, as related to employment-based, post-release reintegration programs. This study investigated the attitudes of 32 participants of Project Empowerment, the …


Former Mentors' Perceptions Of The Faith-Based Approach To Reducing Recidivism Implemented By The Marinette-Menominee Jail Outreach, Inc., James Langteau Oct 2014

Former Mentors' Perceptions Of The Faith-Based Approach To Reducing Recidivism Implemented By The Marinette-Menominee Jail Outreach, Inc., James Langteau

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative, hermeneutic phenomenological study was to examine the impact of a faith-based approach to reduce recidivism. The theoretical frameworks guiding this study included the belief system and self-efficacy theories. Participants consisted of a convenience sample of 21 former mentors of the Marinette-Menominee Jail Outreach. The setting was a Christian non-profit organization serving the Marinette and Menominee County Jails located in rural northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Semistructured interviews, surveys, and a focus group provided data to illuminate common themes. Data analysis included highlighting significant statements from volunteer mentors who engaged offenders to effect …


The Fatherhood Factor: The Impact Of The Father-Child Relationship On The Social, Interpersonal, And Recidivism Risk Factors Of Previously Incarcerated Men, Larissa A. Maley Aug 2014

The Fatherhood Factor: The Impact Of The Father-Child Relationship On The Social, Interpersonal, And Recidivism Risk Factors Of Previously Incarcerated Men, Larissa A. Maley

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Of the men who return home from prison, nearly 7 out of 10 will be re-arrested and sent back within 3 years of their release (Travis, Solomon, & Waul, 2001). This trend has large- scale implications, not just for individuals, but for their families and communities as well. Clearly, understanding the factors that contribute to a man’s success or failure in staying out of prison is extremely important in constructing policy and programs to assist these at-risk individuals and communities. Of the few studies that have explored the lives of previously incarcerated men, some have found fatherhood to be a …


Punishment Without End, Douglas N. Evans Jul 2014

Punishment Without End, Douglas N. Evans

Publications and Research

Criminal justice punishments are an investment that societies make to protect the safety and order of communities. Following decades of rising prison populations, however, U.S. policymakers are beginning to wonder if they have invested too much in punishment. Policies adopted in previous decades now incarcerate large numbers of Americans and impose considerable costs on states. Mass incarceration policies are costly and potentially iatrogenic—i.e., they may transform offenders into repeat offenders. Public officials and citizens alike often assume that known offenders pose a permanent risk of future offending. This belief entangles millions of offenders in the justice system for life, with …


Factor Structure And Construct Validity Of The Psychopathic Personality Inventory In A Forensic Sample, Valerie M. Gonsalves, Julia E. Mclawsen, Matthew T. Huss, Mario J. Scalora Jan 2013

Factor Structure And Construct Validity Of The Psychopathic Personality Inventory In A Forensic Sample, Valerie M. Gonsalves, Julia E. Mclawsen, Matthew T. Huss, Mario J. Scalora

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

A wealth of research has underscored the strong relationship between PCL-R scores and recidivism. However, mounting criticism cites the PCL-R's cumbersome administration procedures and failure to adequately measure core features associated with the construct of psychopathy (Skeem, Polaschek, Patrick, & Lilienfeld, 2011). In light of these concerns, this study examined the PPI and the PPI-R, which were designed to measure core personality features associated with psychopathy (Lilienfeld & Andrews, 1996; Lilienfeld & Widows, 2005). Study one examined the PPI relative to the PCL-R and examined its factor structure. The instruments shared few significant correlations and neither the PCL-R nor the …


Juvenile Delinquency: An Investigation Of Risk Factors And Solutions., Lauren Cardoso Aug 2012

Juvenile Delinquency: An Investigation Of Risk Factors And Solutions., Lauren Cardoso

Pell Scholars and Senior Theses

This article proposes that educational and community based programs can help juveniles stay away from crime and prevent recidivism. A presentation of federal and state statistics, along with an analysis of the risk factors for delinquency, will be provided in order to illustrate the important areas that should be addressed in successful programs. Testimonies, including personal interviews with those who have experience working at the RI Training School, DCYF, Boys' Town, Child and Family Services will be shared as evidence of the research found. Finally, recommendations based on the findings will be proposed.


Pioneers Of Youth Justice Reform: Achieving System Change Using Resolution, Reinvestment, And Realignment Strategies, Douglas N. Evans Jun 2012

Pioneers Of Youth Justice Reform: Achieving System Change Using Resolution, Reinvestment, And Realignment Strategies, Douglas N. Evans

Publications and Research

In the past three decades, state and local governments implemented various reform strategies to reduce the youth justice system’s reliance on confinement facilities and serve as many youths as possible in their own homes or at least in their own communities when removal from the home is warranted. The various reform strategies may be conceptualized as relying on three distinct but interrelated mechanisms: resolution, reinvestment, and realignment (Butts and Evans 2011). Resolution refers to the use of managerial authority and administrative directives to influence system change; reinvestment entails using financial incentives to encourage system change, and realignment employs organizational and …


Resolution, Reinvestment, And Realignment: Three Strategies For Changing Juvenile Justice, Jeffrey A. Butts, Douglas N. Evans Sep 2011

Resolution, Reinvestment, And Realignment: Three Strategies For Changing Juvenile Justice, Jeffrey A. Butts, Douglas N. Evans

Publications and Research

In recent decades, legislators and administrators have created innovative policies to reduce the demand for expensive state confinement and to supervise as many young offenders as possible in their own communities. This report reviews the history and development of these strategies and portrays their methods as following one of three models: resolution, reinvestment, and realignment.


Residence Restriction Legislation, Sex Crime Rates, And The Spatial Distribution Of Sex Offender Residences, Kelly M. Socia Jan 2011

Residence Restriction Legislation, Sex Crime Rates, And The Spatial Distribution Of Sex Offender Residences, Kelly M. Socia

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Residence restrictions are one of the most recent, and most controversial, public policies seeking to protect community members from registered sex offenders (RSOs) reentering society following incarceration. Residence restriction policies prohibit RSOs from living within a given distance of certain places where children might gather (e.g., schools, daycares, parks, and playgrounds). In doing so, the expectation is that RSOs will have a harder time finding and approaching young children whom they can sexually assault, thus driving sexual recidivism rates down. These policies, first passed in 1995 at the state level and in 2005 at the county and local level, have …


Ex-Offender Populations In Milwaukee County, John Pawasarat Jan 2009

Ex-Offender Populations In Milwaukee County, John Pawasarat

ETI Publications

Released prisoners are among the most difficult labor force populations to serve and least likely to be successfully engaged in sustained employment due to persistent legal problems, low education attainment levels, high recidivism rates, and driver’s license suspension and revocation restrictions. The stigma of being an ex-inmate and the limitations this places on those released and expected to become gainfully employed are compounded further by legal sanctions placed on many adults who have spent time in correctional facilities. A total of 42,046 Milwaukee County working age adults have been in the DOC system, including men and women presently incarcerated in …