Parole Violation Imprisonment and Multiple Returns to Prison

• In Event: Parole, Parole Revocation & the Reentry Process

Abstract

In light of prison overcrowding, the practice of imprisoning individuals for violations of community supervision without a new crime conviction has been the subject of much policy debate and research. However, existing studies of prison recidivism often overlook the phenomenon of recurring recidivism among individuals who have already been incarcerated multiple times. Utilizing longitudinal data on California and New York prisoners released in 1998, 1999, and 2000, I examine prison recidivism patterns over 15-year periods. Unsurprisingly, after individuals leave prison for the first time, those who return for a parole revocation tend to do so more quickly than those returning for a new court commitment. However, preliminary findings suggest that when examining patterns of individuals who serve more than two terms in prison, this association is not always so well defined. The interaction between people cycling through prison multiple times and the practice of reimprisonment for parole violations may suggest a need to more closely examine differences in reentry experiences over an individual’s life.

Author

• Emmi Obara, University of Washington