Levels Of Recidivism Research Articles

"Musíte makat a poslouchat, no": Vězení, potlačování autonomie a responsibilizace u vězněných a propuštěných osob v ČR

This article discusses the prisonisation effect and the consequent responsibilisation of persons in and released from prison in the Czech Republic. Drawing on data from several research projects focused on the social circumstances of persons released from prison, the employability of imprisoned persons, and penitentiary and post-penitentiary care (94 semi-structured interviews and four focus groups conducted with people released from prison, and with social workers, prison staff, and other experts in the field), it is argued in the article that the high levels of recidivism and the overall marginal position of people after they are released from prison in the Czech Republic are the result of the prisonisation effect, which is strongly reproduced in prisons and is not alleviated after a person is released back into society. Thus, people released from prison are not used to making independent decisions and exercising initiative, and ultimately they fail to cope with the post-release social and institutional demands, whereby they end up being marginalised and/or returning to prison.

Transfer and retention of oculomotor alignment rehabilitation training.

Ocular alignment defects such as strabismus affect around 5% of people and are associated with binocular vision impairments. Current nonsurgical treatments are controversial and have high levels of recidivism. In this study, we developed a rehabilitation method for ocular alignment training and examined the rate of learning, transfer to untrained alignments, and retention over time. Ocular alignment was controlled with a real-time dichoptic feedback paradigm where a static fixation target and white gaze-contingent ring were presented to the dominant eye and a black gaze-contingent ring with no fixation target was presented to the nondominant eye. Observers were required to move their eyes to center the rings on the target, with real-time feedback provided by the size of the rings. Offsetting the ring of the nondominant temporal or nasal visual field required convergent or divergent ocular deviation, respectively, to center the ring on the fixation target. Learning was quantified as the time taken to achieve target deviation of 2° (easy, E) or 4° (hard, H) for convergence (CE, CH) or divergence (DE, DH) over 40 trials. Thirty-two normally sighted observers completed two training sequences separated by one week. Subjects were randomly assigned to a training sequence: CE-CH-DE, CH-CE-DE, DE-DH-CE, or DH-DE-CE. The results showed that training was retained over the course of approximately one week across all conditions. Training on an easy deviation angle transferred to untrained hard angles within convergence or divergence but not between these directions. We conclude that oculomotor alignment can be rapidly trained, retained, and transferred with a feedback-based dichoptic paradigm. Feedback-based oculomotor training may therefore provide a noninvasive method for the rehabilitation of ocular alignment defects.

Конфликты ценностей в правотворчестве: политико-правовая природа и эффективность охранных ордеров как инструмента профилактики семейно-бытового насилия

The paper asserts the existence of a long-term political and legal conflict over the adoption of the law on the prevention of family and domestic violence in Russia. It is argued that this conflict reflects a discrepancy in values related to the limits of state intervention in the lives of citizens in order to ensure security. The protective order is currently considered to be a key object of conflict in the field of domestic violence law-making and criminal law policy. Analysis of the attitudes of the parties of this conflict towards this measure reveals that the initiators of the law are in the position of prioritizing the right to security and state protection for victims, while their opponents give priority to the value of the right to privacy. Based on a review of the literature on the political and legal nature of protection orders, their legislative regulation, as well as their validity, it is concluded that this measure is aimed to be coercive while its application is not accompanied by due process guarantees. Protective orders belong to the category of coercive preventive measures, the widespread use of which as solutions for crime control is of concern to lawyers and criminologists. A significant number of studies on the effectiveness of protective orders do not allow us to conclude unequivocally that this tool reduces the level of recidivism and provides needed protection to the victim. A protective order has a potential to enhance conflict and, in some instances, can lead to an escalation of violence. It is suggested that one of the possible solutions for the resolution of the ongoing law-making conflict is the option of abandoning the protective orders as a staple for preventing family conflicts and domestic violence. The reported study was funded by RFBR (project № 19–111–50667 «Expansion» «Protective order as an instrument of domestic violence prevention: legal nature and effectiveness»).

Assessing the Impact of Restrictive Housing on Inmate Post-Release Criminal Behavior

The placement of inmates in restrictive housing (RH) units has become a staple of corrections policy in recent years. Despite its increased use, research on its continued effects is relatively rare when compared to the breadth of general correctional research. This study contributes to the literature by examining the effect placement in restrictive housing has on offender recidivism post prison release. Subjects include approximately 4000 inmates matched through Propensity Score Matching (PSM) techniques and followed 36 months post-release. The findings reveal that inmates placed in restrictive housing had elevated levels of recidivism and proportionally more new commitments for all crime types than those not placed in restrictive housing. Restrictive housing subjects also displayed shorter time to rearrest than non-RH individuals. The theoretical and policy implications of these findings are discussed.

Testing Agnew’s General Strain Theory Among Incarcerated Women in the Republic of North Macedonia

AbstractWhat is the purpose of our study? Being written on a social–psychological level, general strain theory (GST) has been tested among adolescent populations. However, what has been very rarely analysed is the response to strain by different types of offenders and diverse populations. This study is even more valuable if we mention that until the beginning of our research, GST or any other criminological theory had not been tested on any population in the Republic of North Macedonia. Why study an incarcerated population? This population has neglected needs, inhumane living conditions, overcrowded penitentiary institutions, high levels of recidivism and poor use of alternative measures. The experience of incarcerated women is generally less known compared with those of incarcerated men; they have a low level of participation in the total number of crimes in the country, and there is a lack of criminological research on female criminality in general. The data collected focused on the influence of strain and negative emotions on the level of criminality. The results should help us to answer whether strain leads to negative emotions; then does strain influence female criminality and its level; and do negative emotions intermediate in between strain and the level of criminality?

‘Unfit for reform or punishment’: mental disorder and discipline in Liverpool Borough Prison in the late nineteenth century

ABSTRACTThis article examines how Liverpool Borough Prison, opened in 1855 as one of the largest local prisons in England to adopt the separate system, categorized and dealt with mental distress and disorder amongst its prison population in the late nineteenth century. High prison committal rates in Liverpool, alongside high levels of recidivism, especially among female prisoners, led to severe overcrowding and encouraged a harsh disciplinary regime. Exacerbated by the poor physical and mental condition of the prisoners, this produced a challenging environment for maintaining the separate system of confinement and prisoners’ mental well-being. While official figures for the rates of mental disorder in local prisons are not readily available, Liverpool Prison’s diverse and under-exploited archives and official reports indicate that insanity caused prison officials and visiting justices great concern, and many prisoners were declared unfit for the rigours of prison discipline. Our article explores the implications of the ever more punitive, deterrent and physically taxing penal policy implemented in the late nineteenth century on the minds of prisoners. Despite the heavy toll on prisoners’ mental well-being, such cases were often retained by prison medical officers reluctant to acknowledge the failure of the prison to deter, reform and redeem.

ABOUT THE PROBLEM OF GUARANTEING OF THE RIGHTS OF PERSONS, DISCLAIMED PUNISHMENT AS A DEPRIVATION OF FREEDOM OR EXEMPTED FROM IT

The article deals with the problems of guaranteeing the rights of persons who served their sentences in the form of deprivation of liberty and who were released from it. The formation of normative base of the Russian state policy of resocialization of persons who served their sentence and were released from serving it has been studied. It is proved that one of the main reasons for the high level of recidivism is the absence of legislatively guaranteed social and rehabilitation assistance to persons who have served their sentence and were released from it. The goals to reduce the recidivism of crimes, stated in the Concept of LongTerm Social and Economic Development of the Russian Federation for the period until 2020, are not achieved. The conclusion is made about the expediency of taking into account international experience in the sphere of resocialization of convicts to imprisonment. The main attention is paid to the provisions of the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (1955) regarding the social care of prisoners after release. Examples of practices in the treatment of prisoners presented at the 12th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice are given. The absence of a qualitative settlement of relations in connection with the resocialization of persons who have served a criminal sentence and have been released from it in modern Russian criminal policy has been confirmed. The necessity of developing a road map for resocialization and real inclusion in civil society of persons who have served a criminal sentence and who have been released from it has been substantiated.

PRACTICE OF ASSIGNING A CRIMINAL OFFENSE FOR PERSONS WHO HAVE REPEATEDLY COMMITTED CRIMES TO ENSURE RESOCIALIZATION

The article deals with the problem of interrelation between the criminal sentence and resocialization of convicts. Data concerning the number of people returning to crime as well as people convicted on the judgement of guilt considering their prior convictions is analyzed with the view of identifying a way of influencing the level of recidivism through punishment assignment practice. The author justifies the idea of criminal punishment efficiency increase and criminal record improvement through ensuring a real opportunity for the convict to form a new social status after sentence completion. Resocialization as a complex multi-stage process should be launched at the stage of determining the type and amount of punishment for the guilty by the court. The analysis of penalties imposed on people with unexpunged or outstanding convictions enables the author to arrive at the conclusion about the necessity of setting the judges a special task of ensuring resocialization in order to achieve the goals of criminal punishment.

The association between imported factors and prisoners' mental health: Implications for adaptation and intervention

In the United Kingdom (UK) the prison population has increased by around one third since the turn of the millennium amid growing concern over the correctional mission of prisons, the number of prisoners exhibiting mental health difficulties and high levels of recidivism. This study aims to explore the relationship between ‘imported’ (pre-prison) factors and prisoner mental health status.Prisoners (N = 756) from two UK prisons completed an established measure of mental health (General Health Questionnaire: GHQ-12) and a bespoke survey on pre-prison characteristics and experiences (for example, dispositions, childhood abuse, substance misuse, learning difficulties and employment).Prevalence of mental health difficulties was high, with 40.3% reaching the ‘caseness’ threshold. Binary logistic regression and odds ratio analyses were used to explore the ability of imported factors to predict mental health ‘caseness’ and the direction of influence. Collectively, the imported factors correctly predicted the caseness category of 76.5% of participants (p < .001). Pre-prison dispositions proved to be strong predictors of caseness as did childhood sexual abuse and learning difficulties at school. We found the direction of influence of three imported factors differed from all others: unemployment, prior experience of prison and a history of substance misuse. These three factors are associated with a lower rate of mental health caseness. It is of concern that, on release, these same factors are likely to militate against re-integration into society.Imported factors can serve as powerful predictors of ‘within-prison’ mental health status, but practitioners need to be cognisant of the relative importance and direction of influence of factors, as evidenced by these findings.

One More for the Books: A Program Review of Delinquent Rehabilitation.

The current study analyzes the effectiveness of a treatment program aimed at reducing juvenile recidivism by offering various pro-social services. Results from this non-theoretical evaluation are consistent with the theoretically derived “risk” and “needs” principles. Findings from various logistic regression models showed that high-risk juveniles (parolees) exposed to the treatment demonstrated significantly lower levels of recidivism than did low-risk juveniles (probationers). Practical and real-world guidelines for future rehabilitative program evaluations are discussed so as to inform future research. Additionally, pragmatic policy implications concerning juvenile rehabilitation are described.

Factores dinámicos en el comportamiento de delincuentes juveniles con perfil de ajuste social. Un estudio de reincidencia

The aim of this paper is to assess the risk of recidivism by analysing the impact of dynamic factors on adolescents in conflict with the law (ACLs). To this end we evaluate the social adjustment of a sample of 157 ACLs, using the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth tool (SAVRY) along with other qualitative analysis techniques to triangulate the empirical process. The extensive structure of relationships and occasional links that these ACLs have with formal and informal learning and employment networks point to a good level of adjustment in the future and a low level of recidivism. However, the risk of recidivism is increased by their limited ability to solve problems and their impulsiveness in dealing with difficulties. A special area of interest lies in the relationships and influences that ACLs form with their surroundings in order to avoid or indulge in high-risk practices. These have an effect on their everyday activities and can determine their level of social adjustment.

Case planning and recidivism of high risk and violent adult probationers

This research examined the relationship between case planning indicators and recidivism for a sample of medium and high risk Canadian probationers sampled from two separate probation offices operating under the same policies and standards. A scale that measured completeness of case planning based on an evidence-based, outcome-focused case planning model called Community Safety Planning, revealed significant differences in case planning completeness between the samples with the probation office reporting higher levels of completeness demonstrating significantly lower levels of recidivism. This effect was also observed when investigating the entire sample; high-risk probationers with more complete case plans had 52 per cent less recidivism than high-risk probationers with less complete case plans. The nature of communication between probation and police services on an individual case basis was also examined in an effort to better understand how these partnerships are currently functioning, and whether there is opportunity to improve the strategic nature of the communication to achieve the common goal of community safety. Implications for best practices in case management with offender populations are offered.

The Effectiveness of Parole Supervision: Use of Propensity Score Matching to Analyze Reincarceration Rates in Kentucky

Recent years have seen increasing concerns about the importance of offender reentry and how to best facilitate ex-offenders remaining crimefree. Common responses have been to enhance punitiveness, and to decrease resources and support services for ex-offenders. Results have been consistently high levels of recidivism, and consequently increasingly punitive responses. The present study examines whether a cohort of offenders released to the community in Kentucky either under parole supervision or at the expiration of their sentences are more likely to be reincarcerated within a 5-year period. The participants of each cohort were constructed into two groups using propensity score matching to control for differences between them.

As atuais formas de penalização para os crimes sexuais violentos e sua (in)eficácia frente aos indivíduos com transtorno de personalidade antissocial

Crimes sexuais violentos são uma realidade em qualquer sociedade, contudo, certos crimes tendem a promover maior impacto devido a sua violência e crueldade. Tais características, podem ser ligadas diretamente aos criminosos com transtorno de personalidade antissocial e, em especial, aos que incidem nos crimes inicialmente mencionados, formulando uma classe de agressor que necessita de mais estudos para ser melhor compreendida. Essa classe de agressor apresenta, ainda, altos níveis de reincidência, demonstrando uma maior dificuldade em alcançar as finalidades da pena objetivadas pelo Brasil. Frente à problemática, o direito comparado expandiu suas formas de penalização, contudo nem todas essas formas diferenciadas de penalização podem ser instituídas em território brasileiro, pois vão de encontro a pactos internacionais assinados pelo Brasil, assim como vão contra certas determinações de sua Constituição Federal. Destarte, tal atitude demonstra a preocupação social com tais criminosos, e tal crime em particular, e a necessidade de uma melhor compreensão acerca dessa espécie de transgressor.

Teenage Citizens: The Political Theories of the Young

greater access to the lives of individuals of the same gender or race and ethnicity, Fader strives to provide insight into young males in a context that sounds vastly different from her own standpoint. It is the reflexivity of sharing her personal story and comparing it with the young men that develops this researcher distance into a strength. The conversation moves into the important direction of outlining how the white social world compares to the lives of these young black men and how life chances are altered by the color line from an early age. Fader’s book has an important story to tell because it should be acknowledged that someone who lives and works in these white spaces can often play a larger role initiating a discussion for policy change and suggestions for improvement. Change requires people on the other side of the ‘‘hidden Philadelphia’’ to understand why reform schools alone cannot produce lower levels of recidivism. The critique of ‘‘criminal thinking errors’’ is powerful as well as outlining the broad array of challenges these young men encounter when reintegrating into the community. The stories of the 15 youth who contributed to this project, especially the voices of ‘‘Sincere’’ and ‘‘James,’’ allow readers to grapple with important issues that require a much-needed continued dialogue. For these reasons, I believe Fader’s book provides an important addition to the literature.

Male Perpetrators of Domestic Violence: How Should We Hold Them to Account?

AbstractDomestic violence is now widely acknowledged as being a significant social, health and legal issue. At both a national and transnational level governments have sought to develop strategies built upon prevention, support for victims and holding perpetrators to account through criminal justice sanctions. However, the current paradigm that informs the policy response to most perpetrators of domestic violence has failed to deliver the outcomes required, in terms of a reduction in levels of recidivism or the improved safety of women and children. It is argued that holding men to account through external controls has failed and that interventions should support men to take responsibility for their own behaviour.

Accommodating Language Difference: A Collaborative Approach to Justice in the Koori Court of Victoria

The Koori Court pilot program, initiated by the Victorian Government in 2002 following recommendations made by the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (1991), addresses some of the concerns of a number of linguists including Eades 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996a, 1996b, 2000, 2003), Gibbons (1994, 2003), Walsh (1994,1995) and Cooke (1995) regarding the cultural and language disadvantages experienced by Indigenous Australians in the formal court context. This paper will examine ways in which the specific linguistic features that have been identified as problematic for Indigenous Australians in the courtroom context are addressed to some extent through the operation of the Koori Courts, such as alternatives to the question/answer format and recognition of cultural meanings attached to silence. Other associated innovations will be reviewed. Since the introduction of the Koori Courts, under the jurisdiction of the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria, findings indicate an overall increase in the level of awareness of legal professionals involved in this initiative, with a positive response from many of the Indigenous community groups involved in the legal process. New programs and specialist services have also been implemented by many supporting agencies, including partnership programs with Indigenous community groups by both Victoria Police and the courts. Currently there are four adult Koori Courts in operation in Victoria, and a fifth, Australia’s first Children’s Koori Court pilot program, was recently launched in Melbourne to address the high level of recidivism of juvenile offenders. An awareness of cultural and language difference by participants in the court context, through on-going education and training, has resulted in many of the special needs of Indigenous Australians being addressed, leading to a reduction in recidivism and a greater participation of local Indigenous communities in the legal process.

Outcomes From a Duluth Model Batterer Intervention Program at Completion and Long Term Follow-Up

This study examined changes in the beliefs and behaviors of 156 offenders who participated in a Duluth model batterer intervention program. Sixty-seven percent of the participants completed both baseline and post intervention assessments of verbal, emotional, and physical aggression. Archival follow-up data, acquired approximately 9 years after completion of the program, were obtained from public records and were used to compare recidivism among program completers and noncompleters. Program completion was not associated with decreased levels of recidivism, which was defined as any violent crime. The results revealed that over one third of the participants from this batterer intervention program eventually reoffended. This finding is consistent with most existing research in this area, and suggests the need for more effective and coordinated individual, group, and community-wide interventions as well as more randomized controlled trials. Batterers who completed the 24-week program, however, did report decreases in physical and verbal aggression at the postassessment period. Limitations of this local program evaluation project and implications for future batterer intervention research are discussed.

A seletividade do sistema prisional brasileiro e o perfil da população carcerária: um debate oportuno

The debate on crime and public security in Brazil is very wide and surrounded by controversies in public discussions. Regarding the penitentiary system, the studies highlight its fragility and selectivity. Therefore, this paper aims to draw a profile of the incarcerated in the Brazilian states during the period 2005 to 2010, taking into consideration several issues broadly discussed in the literature such as age, educational level of the prisoner, the color, the total fulfillment of the sentence, the level of recidivism, the age group and committed crime. Thereafter, we developed the analysis of correlation and regression between the rate of the prison population and the types of crimes to approach the relationship between the two factors. We conclude that what has occurred in Brazil is the privilege of a &ldquo;repressive&rdquo; action rather than a &ldquo;preventive&rdquo;, which contributes to the increase in prison population without an impact on crime rates.

Typologies, risk and recidivism in partner-violent men with the B-SAFER: a pilot study

The research describes the criminal profile of 100 imprisoned partner-violent men (PVM) in Spain, and the follow-up for an average of 15 months of 40 released cases. The ability of the Brief Spousal Assault Form for the Evaluation of Risk (B-SAFER) to classify offenders according to typologies and to predict recidivism is analyzed. The results show that PVM have low level of specialization (only 45% limit their criminal activity to intimate partner violence (IPV)) and high level of recidivism (47% previously have been in prison, and 41% have prior arrest for IPV). The B-SAFER shows a high capacity to classify according to batterers typologies (accuracy of 79% with a score ≥13) in two groups: non-pathological and antisocial/pathological offenders. After prison release, 17.5% relapsed (15% in IPV), and 66% have done so within the first year. The B-SAFER had a predictive accuracy of 70% (sensitivity 100%). From antisocial/pathological group, 21% have recidivate compared to 12.5% in non-pathological aggressors, with an over-representation of antisocial/pathological subtype among recidivists (71%). The best predictive variables are the justification of violence, age at first imprisonment, and treatment. There is a 9% of recidivism among treated offenders compared to 50% in the untreated group.