Community Reintegration of Prison Releases - Results of the Massachusetts Experience

• NCJ Number: 76177
• Author(s): D P LeClair
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 22 pages
• Corporate Author: Massachusetts Dept of Correction
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Paper was originally presented to the Massachusetts Association for the Professional Treatment of Offenders, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, January 7, 1981.

Annotation

The effects of community reintegration programs (such as furlough plans, prerelease programs, and movement from maximum to minimum security facilities) were evaluated in this study of Massachusetts recidivism rates.

Abstract

The recidivism rates over a 1-year period for prisoners participating in furlough, prerelease, or movement to lower security facility programs were compared to those of prisoners not involved in these reintegration projects. Inmates who received furloughs had an average recidivism rate of 16 percent, compared to 25 percent for prisoners who did not receive furloughs. Calculations using an expectancy table indicated that this reduction was not due to criteria used for selecting prisoners for furloughs. Prisoners participating in a prerelease program also exhibited a lower recidivism rate than those who did not; inmates participating in both furlough and prerelease programs had the lowest recidivism rate of all these groups. Expectancy table analysis indicated that selection criteria were not the cause of recidivism differences among this group. Movement of prisoners to progressively less secure institutions as their release date approaches also led to a reduction in recidivism. These programs reduce the probability of reincarceration by assisting inmates in becoming reacclimated to life in normal society before they are immersed in it upon full release. Tabular data and a 13-item bibliography are included.