The Impact of Imprisonment on Reoffending: A Meta-Analysis

• In Event: Correctional Policy and Pathways to Prison

Abstract

In the current era of mass incarceration in the United States, more than 2 million offenders remain behind bars on any given day. The continued high rate of imprisonment makes the effects of a prison term on recidivism a salient policy concern. Two models of prison effects exist - one arguing that a custodial versus a noncustodial sanction deters future offending and a second arguing that custodial sanctions expose inmates to criminogenic risk factors that increase future involvement in crime. Using meta-analytic techniques, the current project assesses this debate through a systematic quantitative analysis of extant evaluation studies. The policy implications of these findings are explored.

Authors

• Damon M. Petrich, University of Cincinnati

• Cheryl Lero Jonson, Xavier University

• Francis Cullen, University of Cincinnati