Prisoner Reentry in Massachusetts

• NCJ Number: 222757
• Author(s): Lisa E. Brooks; Amy L. Solomon; Sinead Keegan; Rhiana Kohl; Lori Lahue
• Date Published: March 2005
• Length: 78 pages
• Corporate Author: The Urban Institute
• Sale Source: The Urban Institute
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Downloaded May 18, 2008

Annotation

This report on prisoner reentry in Massachusetts examines trends in incarceration and prisoner releases, the characteristics of released adult and juvenile inmates, the geographic distribution of released inmates, and the social and economic conditions of the communities where the highest concentrations of released inmates live.

Abstract

Between 1980 and 1998, the per capita rate of imprisonment in Massachusetts increased from 56 to 174 per 100,000 State residents, an increase of nearly 311 percent. A total of 2,526 prisoners were released from Massachusetts prisons in 2002, more than double the number released in 1980 (1,015). In 2002, one-third of all returning prisoners were released to parole supervision. Of the remainder, just over 35 percent were under probation supervision. At least 10 percent were under both parole and probation supervision upon release. Just over one-third of adult prisoners released in 2002 returned to Suffolk and Worcester Counties. The highest number returned to Suffolk County, where the unemployment rates, poverty rate, and proportion of single-parent households are higher than State averages. Within Suffolk County released prisoners are most heavily concentrated in Boston, with nearly half of prisoners returning to Suffolk County being clustered in a few Boston neighborhoods. High levels of poverty and unemployment characterize most of these neighborhoods. The number of juveniles under Department of Youth Services (DYS) supervision increased through the 1990s, then decreased in recent years. Of the 1,842 juveniles released to the community in 2002, 86 percent were male, and 50 percent were White. The mean age at release was 16. Just over 40 percent had been incarcerated for offenses against persons. The average time served was 1.7 years. Nearly all juveniles remain in DYS custody and under supervision in the community after release. Forty percent of juveniles released in 2002 returned to Suffolk and Worcester Counties. Released juveniles were more heavily concentrated in a few Boston neighborhoods. 39 figures, 2 tables, and 16 maps