Are Changes in Pre-prison and Post-prison Social Networks Related to Increased Chances of Recidivism?

• In Event: Incarceration, Social Capital, and Community Re-Entry

Abstract

Imprisonment is argued to have unfavorable consequences for existing social ties of detainees (e.g., loss of ties, decreased quality of relationships, etc.). Moreover, research suggests that ex-prisoners’ social ties are of key importance for successful reintegration into society, which is, in turn, associated with recidivism rates. This paper extends previous research is this area by looking at changes in prisoners out-of-prison social networks during incarceration (post-prison networks versus pre-prison networks) and how these changes are related to recidivism. More specifically, we test 1) if prisoner’s social networks change during incarceration in terms of social integration (e.g., network size, contact frequency, number of lost ties) and the content of the social networks (e.g., criminality and drug use of networks members, number of family members, etc.) and 2) whether these changes in social networks are related to recidivism. Self-reported ego-centric network data are used, collected as part of the Dutch Prison Project, a nationwide longitudinal study among male inmates in The Netherlands, combined with registered recidivism data. This paper increases our understanding of what impact imprisonment can have on the social ties of prisoners, and what consequences these changes possibly have for reentry in society.

Authors

• Hanneke Palmen, Leiden University

• Derek Kreager, Pennsylvania State University

• Sara Wakefield, Rutgers University

• Anja Dirkzwager, Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement

• Paul Nieuwbeerta, Leiden University