People or Places: Examining the Role of Community Risk(s) on Reoffending During Reentry

• In Event: Advancing Social Disorganization Theory In Crime and Punishment Research

Abstract

The story of the U.S.’s carceral experiment has become all too familiar and now serves as a well-known cautionary tale. While recent estimates show declining incarceration rates, the number now reintegrating back into society reflect rates when they were among their highest. With the varied challenges and barriers facing those undergoing reentry, research has tried isolating the conditions associated with reentry failure. This work predominantly assesses and points to individual-level risk factors that correlate with higher levels of reoffending. Consequently, recidivism has overwhelmingly been interpreted as a function of the individual. Empirical evidence, however, suggests that research may be over-relying on individual-level factors to explain recidivism upon release. Net the effect of actuarial risks at the individual-level, relatively little is known about how community-based risks influence recidivism. To address this oversight, this paper examines how community-level risks influence reoffending during reentry. Specifically, it investigates the extent to which community risks interact with individual factors and condition the likelihood of post-release reoffending, overtime.

Author

• John Brent, Eastern Kentucky University