In 2002, over 600,000 individuals left state and federal prisons, four times as many as were rele... more In 2002, over 600,000 individuals left state and federal prisons, four times as many as were released in 1975. However, according to a national study, within 3 years, almost 7 in 10 will have been rearrested and half will be back in prison, either for a new crime or for violating conditions of their release. Clearly, an individual's transition from prison back into a home and into a community is difficult, and avoiding crime can be the least of his or her problems. Understanding these pathways and the reasons for and the dimensions of an individual's success or failure is the focus of recent scholarly attention to the problem of "prisoner reentry," the process of leaving prison and returning to free society. However, most of the existing research on prisoners' lives after release focuses solely on recidivism and ignores the reality that recidivism is directly affected by postprison reintegration and adjustment, which, in turn, depends on four sets of factors: personal and situational characteristics, including the individual's social environment of peers, family, community, and state-level policies. Moreover, individual transitions from prison to community are, we suggest, best understood in a longitudinal framework, taking into account an individual's circumstances before incarceration, experiences during incarceration, and the period after release-both the immediate experience and long-term situational circumstances. This review summarizes what we know about the four specified dimensions and how they affect an individual's transition from prison to community. The review concludes with a call to the research community for interdisciplinary, multilevel, longitudinal studies of the processes of reintegration for former prisoners. Such research may illuminate many dimensions of social life, including the effects of recent social policies.
With few exceptions, men and women who are incarcerated are eventually released. Reentry happens ... more With few exceptions, men and women who are incarcerated are eventually released. Reentry happens when incarceration ends. These individuals face daunting barriers to their successful reintegration and reconnection with society. Successful reentry requires strong family and community support networks and comprehensive services. Interventions that reflect these principles may hold the greatest promise for success.
As the United States enters a decarceration era, the factors predicting reentry success have rece... more As the United States enters a decarceration era, the factors predicting reentry success have received a rapidly growing body of research attention. Numerous studies expand beyond individual-level attributes to assess the contextual effect of neighborhoods to which released prisoners return. However, past studies predominantly used neighborhood structural/economic characteristics as the proxies of neighborhood context, leaving the roles of community cohesion and disorder understudied in the context of reentry. Using longitudinal data, this study examines the influence of neighborhood cohesion and disorder on reentry outcomes, represented by released prisoners’ determination to desist and social isolation. The results of linear regression analyses show that net of the effects of individual-level risk factors, released prisoners’ perception of neighborhood disorder exhibit profound influence on reentry outcomes. Implications for reentry programming and interventions are presented.
As part of the multi-state Returning Home project, researchers at the Urban Institute directed in... more As part of the multi-state Returning Home project, researchers at the Urban Institute directed interviews with 400 former prisoners before and after their release from Illinois prisons to examine their employment experiences prior to their incarceration and after their return to Chicago. Less than 30 percent were employed at six months after release and about half reported having worked at least one month since their release. Employment before prison, participation in job training during prison, strong family relationships, and an absence of health problems led to a greater likelihood of finding work after release.
Prior research indicates that strong family support can play an important role in helping men and... more Prior research indicates that strong family support can play an important role in helping men and women transition from prison to home and can actually reduce the likelihood of recidivism. Assuming traditional roles within a family, such as parent or spouse, can also aid in the reentry transition process and has been linked to positive outcomes after release. Using data from a longitudinal study of fathers returning to the community after a period of incarceration, this article examines how the relationship between fathers and their children may influence aspects of recently released fathers’ lives that are important to a successful reentry transition, such as employment, abstinence from substance abuse, and mental health. Analyses show that fathers who have regular contact with their children before release and report good family support overall are more likely to be attached to their children after release. Moreover, in the first few months after release, fathers who are more strongly attached to their children work more hours per week, have better mental health, and are less likely to commit crime, get arrested, or violate conditions of their supervision.
The article examines the production of crime and justice field experiments during the 1990s. Data... more The article examines the production of crime and justice field experiments during the 1990s. Data were collected on the characteristics of criminological experiments funded by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), the principal research agency of the U.S. Department of Justice, during the 10-year period from 1991 through 2000. The analyses find that, whereas the funds available for research and evaluation at the NIJ increased during this period, the number of projects and the amount of funds awarded supporting field experiments declined. The article describes the characteristics of the experiments funded and assesses the extent to which the reduced support can be attributed to the characteristics of NIJ research funding, research topics, researchers, or criminal justice operational agencies.
In 2002, over 600,000 individuals left state and federal prisons, four times as many as were rele... more In 2002, over 600,000 individuals left state and federal prisons, four times as many as were released in 1975. However, according to a national study, within 3 years, almost 7 in 10 will have been rearrested and half will be back in prison, either for a new crime or for violating conditions of their release. Clearly, an individual's transition from prison back into a home and into a community is difficult, and avoiding crime can be the least of his or her problems. Understanding these pathways and the reasons for and the dimensions of an individual's success or failure is the focus of recent scholarly attention to the problem of "prisoner reentry," the process of leaving prison and returning to free society. However, most of the existing research on prisoners' lives after release focuses solely on recidivism and ignores the reality that recidivism is directly affected by postprison reintegration and adjustment, which, in turn, depends on four sets of factors: personal and situational characteristics, including the individual's social environment of peers, family, community, and state-level policies. Moreover, individual transitions from prison to community are, we suggest, best understood in a longitudinal framework, taking into account an individual's circumstances before incarceration, experiences during incarceration, and the period after release-both the immediate experience and long-term situational circumstances. This review summarizes what we know about the four specified dimensions and how they affect an individual's transition from prison to community. The review concludes with a call to the research community for interdisciplinary, multilevel, longitudinal studies of the processes of reintegration for former prisoners. Such research may illuminate many dimensions of social life, including the effects of recent social policies.
With few exceptions, men and women who are incarcerated are eventually released. Reentry happens ... more With few exceptions, men and women who are incarcerated are eventually released. Reentry happens when incarceration ends. These individuals face daunting barriers to their successful reintegration and reconnection with society. Successful reentry requires strong family and community support networks and comprehensive services. Interventions that reflect these principles may hold the greatest promise for success.
As the United States enters a decarceration era, the factors predicting reentry success have rece... more As the United States enters a decarceration era, the factors predicting reentry success have received a rapidly growing body of research attention. Numerous studies expand beyond individual-level attributes to assess the contextual effect of neighborhoods to which released prisoners return. However, past studies predominantly used neighborhood structural/economic characteristics as the proxies of neighborhood context, leaving the roles of community cohesion and disorder understudied in the context of reentry. Using longitudinal data, this study examines the influence of neighborhood cohesion and disorder on reentry outcomes, represented by released prisoners’ determination to desist and social isolation. The results of linear regression analyses show that net of the effects of individual-level risk factors, released prisoners’ perception of neighborhood disorder exhibit profound influence on reentry outcomes. Implications for reentry programming and interventions are presented.
As part of the multi-state Returning Home project, researchers at the Urban Institute directed in... more As part of the multi-state Returning Home project, researchers at the Urban Institute directed interviews with 400 former prisoners before and after their release from Illinois prisons to examine their employment experiences prior to their incarceration and after their return to Chicago. Less than 30 percent were employed at six months after release and about half reported having worked at least one month since their release. Employment before prison, participation in job training during prison, strong family relationships, and an absence of health problems led to a greater likelihood of finding work after release.
Prior research indicates that strong family support can play an important role in helping men and... more Prior research indicates that strong family support can play an important role in helping men and women transition from prison to home and can actually reduce the likelihood of recidivism. Assuming traditional roles within a family, such as parent or spouse, can also aid in the reentry transition process and has been linked to positive outcomes after release. Using data from a longitudinal study of fathers returning to the community after a period of incarceration, this article examines how the relationship between fathers and their children may influence aspects of recently released fathers’ lives that are important to a successful reentry transition, such as employment, abstinence from substance abuse, and mental health. Analyses show that fathers who have regular contact with their children before release and report good family support overall are more likely to be attached to their children after release. Moreover, in the first few months after release, fathers who are more strongly attached to their children work more hours per week, have better mental health, and are less likely to commit crime, get arrested, or violate conditions of their supervision.
The article examines the production of crime and justice field experiments during the 1990s. Data... more The article examines the production of crime and justice field experiments during the 1990s. Data were collected on the characteristics of criminological experiments funded by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), the principal research agency of the U.S. Department of Justice, during the 10-year period from 1991 through 2000. The analyses find that, whereas the funds available for research and evaluation at the NIJ increased during this period, the number of projects and the amount of funds awarded supporting field experiments declined. The article describes the characteristics of the experiments funded and assesses the extent to which the reduced support can be attributed to the characteristics of NIJ research funding, research topics, researchers, or criminal justice operational agencies.
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Papers by Christy Visher