All Support is Not Created Equal: Examining Emotional Family Support and Recidivism

• In Event: Families and Offending

Abstract

As the research examining social support has continued to bourgeon, so has the realization that our understanding of this theoretical concept is not so clear. Introduced by Francis Cullen in 1994, social support has traditionally been examined as a single measure. Cullen, however, posits that there are numerous forms of social support that can be provided by different actors. Little research has sought to examine these different forms of social support and their relationship with recidivating. The extant literature generally hypothesizes social support as having an inverse/positive relationship with crime. Studies have shown, however, that not all social support provides an inverse relationship with recidivism, and instead, some forms of support may actually increase an individual’s likelihood to recidivating. Using data from the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative, this study examines both positive and negative emotional family support and the effect they have on the likelihood that formerly incarcerated individuals will recidivate. Results reveal that while positive emotional family support does indeed have an inverse relationship with recidivating, negative emotional family support has a more salient and direct relationship with recidivating. Additional findings are explored, along with implications for criminological theory, correctional programming, and criminal justice policy.

Author

• Marcus-Antonio Galeste, Arizona State University