Reentering Women: The Impact of Social Ties on Long-Term Recidivism
Abstract
Criminological theories have long suggested that family relationships influence criminal behavior. Yet, little recidivism research focuses on in-prison social ties. Despite evidence that social ties are more important for women, most research has focused on men. Furthermore, little is known about the effect that in-prison contact has on post-release support and what role this plays in the social ties–recidivism relationship. This study seeks to build on existing research by examining the relationship between female in-prison contact, post-release support, and recidivism. Results suggest that in-prison family contact and post-release family support are protective whereas in-prison non-family contact is a risk factor.
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Biographies
Kelle Barrick, PhD, is a research criminologist in RTI International’s Center for Justice, Safety, and Resilience. Her recent projects have focused on prisoner reentry, desistance, human trafficking, and international criminology. She has published in Criminology, Victims and Offenders, and other criminology journals.
Pamela K. Lattimore, PhD, is Director of RTI’s Center for Justice, Safety, and Resilience. She is a nationally recognized expert on prisoner reentry and was the co-principal investigator of the National Institute of Justice–funded evaluation of the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative. She was chair of the American Society of Criminology Division on Corrections and Sentencing from 2001 to 2003 and named a fellow of the Academy of Experimental Criminology in 2009.
Christy A. Visher, PhD, is a professor at University of Delaware and director of the Center for Drug and Alcohol Studies, a research center within the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice. She has over 25 years of experience in policy research and evaluation on crime and justice issues. At the Urban Institute, she designed and directed Returning Home: The Challenges of Prisoner Reentry, the path-breaking multistate, longitudinal study of 1,500 men and women exiting prison and returning to their families and communities. Her research interests focus on criminal careers, substance abuse, communities and crime, violence, and the evaluation of strategies for crime control and prevention.
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Article first published online: June 11, 2014
Issue published: September 2014
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