An examination of the effect of imprisonment on recidivism

Abstract

The current study examines the effect of incarceration and other variables significantly relevant to sentencing decisions on the likelihood of recidivism for drug and property offenders. The results indicate that incarceration does not deter offenders. Examination of the other independent variables indicates that age and marital status significantly reduces odds of recidivism. When examining levels of severity of recidivism, drug offenders, females, and older offenders are less likely to engage in more serious acts of recidivism. Split models reveal that probation/parole status differently affected likelihood of recidivism and being a drug offender differently affected severity of recidivism.