Exploring the Needs and Risks of the Returning Prisoner Population

• NCJ Number: 207445
• Author(s): James Austin; Patricia Hardyman; John Irwin
• Date Published: January 2002
• Length: 23 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Health and Human Services
• Sale Source: The Urban Institute
• Publication Format: Document (Online)
• Publication Type: Conference Material
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Downloaded November 2, 2004; for related articles see NCJ-207444, NCJ-207446, and NCJ-207453.

Annotation

This paper is intended to provide a general discussion on the concepts of risk, needs, and stability at both the prisoner and community levels, as well as an examination of the unique situation faced by prisoners with children and the obstacles that must be overcome to maintain any type of parental relationship while incarcerated and after release.

Abstract

The paper begins with a discussion of the concepts of risk, needs, and stability from the prisoner’s point of view. The authors note that the concern over prisoner risk is grounded in often-cited high recidivism rates associated with prisoners and that this concern has been overstated. Several studies are examined that show data that indicate that such risk is relatively small expect in impoverished and isolated communities with large concentrations of offenders. The discussion next turns to the concepts of risk, needs, and stability as they relate to the communities to which the offenders will return upon release from prison. The research community needs to recognize that community attributes have at least an equal if not greater impact on prisoner recidivism and public safety in general than the characteristics of the individuals released from prison. Studies which have attempted to measure community risk and its changes over time are examined. This is followed by a discussion of the ramifications of the growing prison population on parents who are imprisoned, especially as they relate to women, whose rates of incarceration are increasing at a faster rate than men. A major issue is the obstacles faced by family members in their attempts to visit incarcerated mothers and fathers. Some of these obstacles include restrictive administrative policies, the often remote location of the prison, and the prison visit experience itself. Finally, the paper examines the plight of long-term offenders with children. A list of legislative reforms and programmatic initiatives that should be considered by State and Federal officials is presented. References and 11 tables