Likelihood Of Rearrest Research Articles

Reenvisioning Success

The Supervision to Aid Reentry Program (“STAR”) established by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in 2007 has helped hundreds of people reenter society following their release from prison. Evaluations of the program demonstrate that STAR is successful under a traditional measure of success—recidivism—because it significantly reduces the likelihood of probation revocation for participants and the likelihood of rearrest and probation revocation for graduates. Recidivism rates alone, however, fail to accurately measure and, in fact, obscure some of STAR’s true successes. They fail to assess whether participants have progressed toward ceasing criminal conduct, a process known as desistance, and whether participants’ quality of life has improved. Although less quantifiable, it is important to examine whether STAR is a success based on these more holistic measures. Our analysis of STAR includes voices of participants and indicates that STAR advances desistance and improves quality of life by helping participants to strengthen their relationships with family and pro-social institutions, undergo cognitive transformation, and pursue opportunities for financial and educational advancement. STAR’s success demonstrates that reentry courts remain an integral tool in helping returning citizens reintegrate into society.

Exploring Disproportionate Minority Contact in the Juvenile Justice System Over the Year Following First Arrest.

Minority youth are disproportionately represented in the juvenile justice system. Examining how racial disparities relate to biased entry into and continued involvement with the system, while accounting for past and current offending, can provide context about the mechanisms behind overrepresentation. 1,216 adolescents were examined after first arrest to explore associations between race and history of self-reported offending, likelihood of formal processing, and likelihood of rearrest. Black youth committed fewer offenses prior to arrest than White youth, Black and Latino youth were more likely to be formally processed, and Black youth were most likely to be rearrested (even controlling for postbaseline offending), highlighting that minority youth are overrepresented in the juvenile justice system despite similar or lower levels of criminal behavior.

Evading Detection during Adolescence: The Role of Criminal Capital and Psychosocial Factors

Many adolescents engage in crime, but not all youth are caught by law enforcement. Previous work highlights the importance of criminal capital, or assets that help individuals evade police detection. Few studies have extended this work to adolescent offender populations or have considered the contribution of psychosocial and contextual factors to arrest avoidance. The current study uses data from a longitudinal study of first-time adolescent offenders to evaluate the contribution of criminal capital, psychosocial and contextual variables in predicting re-arrest. The results from the longitudinal random effect logit models confirm the contribution of established criminal capital variables in predicting arrest but also highlight the role of psychosocial predictors (future expectations and intelligence). Contextual factors such as parenting and neighborhood disorder had no association with the likelihood of re-arrest. These findings highlight several factors that help youth avoid re-arrest, and may exacerbate continued patterns of illegal behavior.

Jail Versus Probation: A Gender-Specific Test of Differential Effectiveness and Moderators of Sanction Effects

This study uses data from male and female adult offenders sentenced in a large urban county in the United States ( n = 15,727) to examine the relative impact of jail and probation on recidivism. The study also explores how various risk and need factors moderate the effects of a jail sentence on an individual’s likelihood of rearrest. Gender-specific, multivariate logistic regression and survival analyses were conducted including risk and needs assessment data to control for individual risk for recidivism and examine risk as a moderator of sanction effectiveness. Results indicate that individuals sentenced to jail experienced an increased risk for recidivism relative to similarly situated offenders sentenced to probation. In addition, the criminogenic effect of jail was exacerbated for offenders assessed as high risk for recidivism and those with existing treatment needs. Gender-specific analyses revealed a gender-neutral criminogenic effect of jail, and gender differences in terms of moderators of sanction effects.

Returning Home: Reducing Recidivism for Juvenile Offenders With Disabilities Through Transition Planning

Youth with disabilities are dramatically overrepresented in the juvenile justice system. These individuals have poorer outcomes compared with their nondisabled peers regarding school graduation, employment, and recidivism. This discussion article explores issues related to transition and outlines research-based practices aimed at increasing postrelease community engagement and decreasing the likelihood of rearrest. Three phases of transition are identified as well as key components, practices, and personnel that can guide transition from initial intake through reentry.

The association between type of out-of-home mental health treatment and juvenile justice recidivism for youth with trauma exposure.

High rates of mental health disorders and exposure to trauma among the juvenile justice population highlight the importance of understanding whether and how mental health services can help prevent further justice system involvement as well as provide treatment. We had two principal questions: Is out-of-home mental health treatment after arrest associated with reduced recidivism among young people who have been exposed to trauma? Are particular types of out-of-home treatment associated with better outcomes? We hypothesised that type of residential setting would affect outcomes among those with histories of serious trauma. Primary data sources included Florida Juvenile Justice, Child Welfare and Medicaid data from July 2002 through June 2008. We identified all Florida Juvenile Justice cases with a record of 'severe emotional disturbance'. Two groups were identified - one for whom an arrest was followed within 90 days by out-of-home placement for mental health treatment and the other for whom there was some other out-of-home placement. Generalised estimating equations (GEE) were used to calculate associations with likelihood of re-arrest during a 12 month at risk period. Young people who had experienced severe trauma and were sent to out-of-home treatment settings after conviction for a criminal offence had lower recidivism rates when receiving treatment in foster care than other out-of-home placements, while those with less severe or no trauma histories had lower recidivism rates with any out-of-home placement. We believe that this is the first study to have considered how trauma histories may mediate outcomes for young people in out-of-home placements after arrest or conviction for a criminal offence. Findings suggest that case managers and clinicians should consider the trauma histories when making decisions about the appropriate treatment setting in these circumstances. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A Meta-Analytic Review of Pretrial Research: Risk Assessment, Bond Type, and Interventions

This study makes an attempt to aggregate what we currently know about pretrial decision making and jurisdictions’ responses to the pretrial population. This meta-analysis began with an exhaustive search for pretrial research which may have revealed the most prominent finding—that being a distinct lack of research that utilizes any amount of methodological rigor. The findings of this meta-analysis hold several policy implications for the field of pretrial research and practice. First, future research studies in the field of pretrial need to focus on methodological quality and rigor. Second, it appears that some conditions of release may be related to a defendant’s likelihood of failure to appear. Third, it appears that none of the conditions of release reviewed in this study are related to a defendant’s likelihood of re-arrest while on pretrial release. Finally, it is recommended that the field of pretrial develop a sound research agenda and execute that plan with rigor, transparency, and an approach that favors the continued cumulation of knowledge. Strong conclusions about the impact of pretrial release conditions cannot be made as the quality of the pretrial research, overall, is weak at best.

Indicators of rearrest among male court mandated substance use treatment patients

Purpose – Effective substance use treatment is a viable way to reduce criminal justice contact among drug-involved offenders, but there is still a lot to learn about which indicators have the greatest impact on treatment outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to determine which clinical indicators influenced the likelihood of rearrest among male drug-involved offenders. Design/methodology/approach – This prospective longitudinal study examined indicators of 12-month post-treatment rearrest for male criminal justice-involved substance use treatment patients. Multinomial logistic regression results drawn from a sample of 1,531 adult male patients who were mandated to substance use treatment indicated that there were different factors related to the likelihood of one as well as multiple post-treatment arrests. Findings – Demographic risk factors, such as age and unemployment, were associated with significant increases in the probability of experiencing an arrest within 12-months of treatment discharge. Substance use relapse was also a significant indicator of the likelihood of rearrest and contributed to an increase in the odds of one post-treatment rearrest as well as multiple rearrests. A drug dependence diagnosis, relative to a diagnosis for alcohol dependence, was associated with an increased likelihood of rearrest. Participation in outpatient treatment was associated with a lower likelihood of rearrest. Practical implications – These findings emphasize the need for treatment providers to concentrate heavily on demographic risk reduction to minimize the chance that male patients are rearrested after treatment. Relapse prevention, on the other hand, is critical in the effort to minimize the number of post-treatment rearrests in this population. Originality/value – The results from this study provide evidence to empirically support the refinement of substance treatment programs for male patients involved in the criminal justice system.

A Meta-Analytic Review of Pretrial Research: Risk Assessment, Bond Type, and Interventions

This study makes an attempt to aggregate, via meta-analysis, what we currently know about pretrial decision making and jurisdictions’ responses to the pretrial population. This meta-analysis began with an exhaustive search for pretrial research which may have revealed the most prominent finding — that being a distinct lack of research that utilizes any amount of methodological rigor. We identified a large number of studies that met our most general criteria (i.e., research about pretrial decision making) but mainly dealt with legal and/or philosophical issues regarding pretrial detention and due process. Studies that utilized empirical data and strong methodological designs were distinctly lacking. Of the studies that could be included, effect sizes were generated that may show some promise for court notification programs, pretrial supervision practices, and the potential effect of restrictive bond schedules. However, strong conclusions cannot be made as the quality of the pretrial research, overall, is weak at best.The findings of this study hold several policy implications for the field of pretrial research and practice. First, future research studies in the field of pretrial need to focus on methodological quality and rigor. Second, it appears that some conditions of release may be related to a defendant’s likelihood of failure to appear. Third, it appears that none of the conditions of release reviewed in this study are related to a defendant’s likelihood of re-arrest while on pretrial release. Finally, it is recommended that the field of pretrial develop a sound research agenda and execute that plan with rigor, transparency, and an approach that favors the continued cumulation of knowledge.

Sentence Length and Recidivism Among Prisoners Released Across 30 States in 2005

Longer prison sentences correlate with lower recidivism. However, it is difficult to disentangle individual effects related to aging and prior criminal histories from state practices and policies that impact the likelihood of reoffending. This study examines a large, administrative data set containing the criminal histories of prisoners released in 2005 to investigate this problem. We used Cox models with a shared frailty framework to account for the latent, state-level correlations that have a multiplicative effect on the individual likelihood of rearrest. These models reveal that the state effects account for considerable variation in rearrests, while also clarifying the roles of sentence length and disparate criminal histories on recidivism.

Application of the Risk Principle to Female Offenders

Previous research has supported the significance of the principles of effective intervention in correctional treatment. The risk principle suggests that intensive correctional interventions be reserved for higher risk offenders. Increasingly, there is discussion about the application of the risk principle to specialized populations, such as female offenders. The purpose of this article is to test the risk principle on a sizeable sample of female offenders involved in community corrections in a midwestern state. Findings suggest that the risk principle is applicable to women as higher risk female offenders who participated in residential treatment showed lower probability of recidivism than a risk-controlled comparison group, while lower-risk women increased in likelihood of re-arrest after exposure to the same treatment. Results contribute to the growing literature on effective treatment interventions for female offenders.

Cost-Effectiveness of Connecticut's In-Prison Substance Abuse Treatment

Over the past two decades, the criminal justice population in the US has grown by over 200%, most of this due to an increase in drug-involved offenders. Although there is good evidence that prison-based substance abuse treatment programs can be effective in reducing rearrest, few cost-effectiveness studies have been conducted. Using data from the Connecticut Department of Correction and the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS), we compared the cost-effectiveness of four tiers (levels) of substance abuse treatment programs for a sample of 831 offenders who were released during FY1996-FY1997. Effectiveness, measured by reductions in the likelihood of rearrest within six months, one year and 18 months post-release, was compared for inmates who had received treatment while incarcerated (n = 358) and those who had not (n = 473). At all intervals, offenders who attended any of the higher tier programs (two, three and four) had significantly lower rates of rearrest when compared to offenders who attended Tier One only or who had attended no tier programs, even after controlling for background characteristics that may have differentiated the two groups. The benefits to the State of Connecticut correctional system alone, measured in terms of the costs of avoided re-incarcerations, were from 1.8 to 5.7 times the cost of implementing the programs, ranging from $20,098 (Tier Four) to $37,605 (Tier Two). Since society receives a favorable return on its investment in prison-based treatment programs, we should find ways to ensure that more drug-involved inmates receive treatment.

SPECIFIC DETERRENCE IN A SAMPLE OF OFFENDERS CONVICTED OF WHITE COLLAR CRIMES*

It is generally argued that white‐collar criminals will be particularly influenced by punishment policies. White‐collar crime is seen as a highly rational form of criminality, in which the risks and rewards are carefully evaluated by potential offenders, and white‐collar criminals are assumed to have much more to lose through sanctions than more common law violators. In this article we examine the impact of sanctions on the criminal careers of 742 offenders convicted of white‐collar crimes in seven US. district courts between fiscal years 1976 and 1978. Utilizing data on court‐imposed sanctions originally compiled by Wheeler et al. (1988b), as well as information on subsequent criminal behavior provided by the Identification Bureau of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, we assess the effect of imprisonment upon the oficial criminal records of people convicted of white‐collar crimes. Comparing prison and no‐prison groups that were matched in terms of factors that led to their receipt of a prison sanction, we find that prison does not have a specific deterrent impact upon the likelihood of rearrest over a 126‐month follow‐up period.