Reasons for Returning to Prison: Sex Offenders as Technical Violators

• In Event: Advances in Sex Offender Policy Research: Re-Entry and Reintegration II

Abstract

Using data from one state, this article examines whether or not sex offenders differ from other offender-types in their reasons and overall likelihood of returning to prison during a five-year follow-up period. The results of the logistic regression analysis indicate that sex offenders were significantly more likely than all other offense-type to return to prison for reasons other than committing a new offense. Specifically, among 20,877 adult male and female offenders released from incarceration, four demographic measures were also significant indicators of an offender having returned to prison for a reason other than a new commitment. With the exception of race, the demographic measures of being female, married, employed at time of release, and having at least one child were those significantly less likely to return to prison for a reason other than committing a new offense. Policy implications, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.

Authors

• Andrew Denney, University of Louisville

• Richard Tewksbury, University of Louisville