A portrait of failure among prisoners' reentry in Taiwan: A quasi-experimental perspective

• In Event: Poster Session

Abstract

Over the past decade, Taiwan has released an average of 35,000 prisoners every year. According to Taiwan's Ministry of Justice, the number of recidivists has risen steadily over the past five years. A five-year follow-up investigation conducted by the MOJ found that 56.1% of prisoners released in 2013 are recidivists. Meanwhile, the Taiwanese Agency of Corrections’ statistics in 2020 reveals that the ratio between recidivists and first-time offenders was 8:2, indicating that many prisoners have been unable to reintegrate into society after release. This study aims to determine criminological theories that explain why ex-prisoners desist from or continue committing crimes after release. Using data collected from 10 Taiwanese prisons in 2022, this study was based on a quasi-experimental design and divided 1020 inmates into two groups: first-time offenders (510 inmates as a control group) and re-offenders (510 inmates as an experimental group). This study would like to compare if there are differences between the two groups in the aspects of employment, marriage, family ties, deviant peers, and life barriers, among which significant variables can be identified as the risk factors among those recidivists. Overall, Correctional and probation departments will be provided with policy recommendations based on the results.

Authors

• Montelle Marius Maradona Felix, Central Police University, ROC Taiwan

• Yung-Lien Lai, Central Police University

• Yalin Yang, Central Police University, ROC Taiwan