Behind the Wire Fence: Exploring Indigenous Differences in Prisoner Reentry

• In Event: Variation in Conflict, Ties, and Support During Reentry and Recovery

Abstract

Using self-report data from a large cohort of Australian prisoners (n = 1325) combined with administrative data, this study explores whether differences in rates of return to custody between Indigenous and non-Indigenous individuals as well as by gender are mediated by differences between these groups in reentry barriers across four domains: prison life, intrapersonal, economic, and support. Much of the previous prisoner reentry research has been conducted in a piecemeal fashion, constrained by narrowly focused white male only samples, administrative data, and a lack of self-report data. As such, the transition period from prison to the community has largely remained a black box. As such little is known about what affects a prisoner’s transition to the community, what their experiences or needs are during this time, and how these may differ by Indigenous status and gender. The results of this study will address these unknowns.

Author

• Nicole R. Ryan, Griffith Institute Of Criminology