Returning Home: Understanding the Challenges of Prisoner Reentry: Maryland Pilot Study: Findings from Baltimore

• NCJ Number: 222800
• Author(s): Christy Visher; Nancy LaVigne; Jeremy Travis
• Date Published: January 2004
• Length: 240 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Russell Sage Foundation; John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Annie E. Casey Foundation; Maryland Governor's Office of Crime Control and Prevention; Open Society Foundation; Abell Foundation, Inc
• Corporate Author: The Urban Institute
• Sale Source: The Urban Institute
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Downloaded May 22, 2008

Annotation

This pilot study examined the process of prisoner reintegration in Baltimore, MD, based on the experiences of a sample of 324 male and female prisoners over a period of 4 to 6 months after their release from prison, and it tested the pilot study's survey instruments and research design in preparation for implementing the full study in 3 sites.

Abstract

From a public safety perspective, the most significant finding was that one-third of the sample of released prisoners were rearrested within 6 months after their release. Those who were rearrested were younger, had more extensive criminal histories, and were more likely to be involved in substance use both prior to imprisonment and after release compared to those in the sample who were not rearrested within 6 months after their release. The findings emphasize the important roles that families, jobs, the community, and substance use play in the prisoner reentry experience. Families were a particularly important resource for housing, emotional support, financial resources, and general stability in the period immediately after release. The prisoners who became employed after release were helped in finding jobs by personal connections with family, friends, and former employers. This suggests that social connections maintained during incarceration can become important resources for positive adjustment in the community after release. Also, those who found jobs after their release were more likely to have participated in work-release programs while imprisoned compared to those in the sample who did not find jobs during the first 6 months after release. A significant portion of the sample resided in a few neighborhoods with high levels of social and economic disadvantage. Residents in two such neighborhoods mentioned parenting skills, education, more intensive policing, and a greater involvement of public agencies as important for successful reentry. 114 figures, 93 references, and appended supplementary methodological information