Hope as a Predictor of Reincarceration Among Mutual-Help Recovery Residents

Abstract

Given the rates of reincarceration in the United States, it is important to understand criminal justice risk and protective factors. Hope is a potentially important factor with two components—agency (goal-directed determination) and pathways (planning to meet goals; Snyder et al., 1991). We conducted a secondary data analysis (n = 45) of a longitudinal survey of mutual-help recovery home residents. As hypothesized, greater global hope and agency significantly predicted lower odds for reincarceration, and lower levels of pathways was not predictive. We relate these findings to hope theory and potential community applications.