Rural Jail Reentry: Perceptions of Offender Challenges

• In Event: Jails and Prisoner Reentry

Abstract

Reentry research has increased and become more prominent due to the work of Joan Petersilia (2003) and Jeremy Travis (2005). Much of the research addresses employment, housing, mental health, and substance abuse issues associated with returning prison inmates. These difficulties, coupled with the challenges of a short-term, transient population, further hinder jail offenders’ successful integration. The current study surveyed county-level parole officers to examine their perceptions of reentry problems in rural settings in one state and compared differences between rural and urban parole officers. The author discusses implications of officer perceptions and their relationship to current reentry policies.

Author

• Kyle C. Ward, Indiana University of Pennsylvania