How Do We Assess Treatment? Examining Health-related Outcomes through SVORI by Gender

• In Event: Gender & the Shaping of the Reentry Process

Abstract

Research has shown that the stigmatization attached to criminal offending affects an individual’s ability to reintegrate back into society; specifically, with regard to developing social ties, securing employment, and housing. There has been little empirical inquiry into what inmates’ physical health needs are during this process and how the absence of such treatment might affect reentry. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to examine the extent to which access to physical healthcare impacts reentry by gender; particularly in relation to the commonly measured benchmarks of reentry success (i.e. education, employment, and housing). This will be done using data from the 2004-2011 Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI) Multi-site Impact Evaluation. The results of this research will be beneficial in that they will begin to shed light on the importance of inmates’ physical health needs during reentry, and how these needs vary by gender.

Authors

• Mary Hannah Hughes, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

• Molly Smith, University of Arkansas at Little Rock