Parole Re-Incarceration: What Social Factors Affect Re-Incarceration for a Technical Violation or New Crime?

• In Event: Examining Recidivism and Improving Reentry

Abstract

Objectives: A major obstacle to ending mass incarceration is the ‘revolving door’ of re-incarceration through the back-end sentencing of technical parole violations (Travis 2007). In this study we examine the effects of living arrangements, family social support, employment, and neighborhood conditions on the likelihood of being re-incarcerated for a technical violation or a new crime while on parole.
Data/Methods: Using data from the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI), we employ multinomial mixed-effects models to test several hypotheses. Our sample consists of men and women recently released from prison for serious and violent offenses (n = 1,097).
Results: We find that employment only reduces the likelihood of re-incarceration for a new crime, but family instrumental support reduces the likelihood for both technical violations and new crimes. Negative perceptions of neighborhood conditions increase the likelihood of re-incarceration for both technical violations and new crimes.
Conclusion/Implications: Our results show that re-incarceration for a technical violation is associated with material social bonds such as family instrumental support and perceptions of neighborhood conditions. Future research should further explore the types of social bonds that help reduce technical violations and social policies that focus on developing these social bonds.

Authors

• Mitchell Gresham, Minot State University

• Stephen Demuth, Bowling Green State University