Year: 2014
Type: review
Study designs: Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis
Abstract: The number of former prisoners returning to society has increased dramatically in recent decades, with more than 700,000 prisoners released from incarceration yearly.Research has shown that ex-prisoners are faced with a multitude of issues that make their reintegration into the community challenging.To assist offenders in their transition to their communities, considerable state and federal funds have been allocated for the development of reentry programs and initiatives.Reentry programs are very diverse both in the types of services that they provide for ex-offenders, and the treatment modalities that they employ in delivering these services.Despite the considerable number of reentry programs, little is known about their effectiveness.Research on reentry programs has produced mixed results.Furthermore, only two comprehensive reviews of reentry programs have been conducted to date.Within this context, the current study focused on empirically answering two central questions regarding reentry program effectiveness: 1) Are reentry programs effective in reducing recidivism?, and 2) What factors are associated with reentry programs?This dissertation used a meta-analytic approach to answer these questions.A total of 53 studies resulted in the coding of 58 distinct effect sizes.The overall mean effect size, the weighted mean effect size, and the respective confidence intervals were calculated to determine the overall impact of reentry programs on recidivism.Additionally, the impact of several moderating variables was also measured.The categories included reentry program type, phases included in the program, treatment modality, duration of treatment, location of treatment, presence of aftercare, risk level of offender, type of treatment provider, and methodological quality of the study.The results indicate that on average, reentry programs reduce recidivism by six percent.Consistent with prior research, the results indicated that reentry programs that initiated treatment while the offenders were incarcerated and continued into the community had a greater impact on recidivism than programs that were limited to pre-or post-release.Programs that targeted high risk offenders, were offered by criminal justice agencies, adhered to a therapeutic community treatment model, and were at least 13 weeks in length were associated with a significant impact on recidivism.In terms of methodological quality, the findings were in line with previous studies that found smaller impacts on recidivism from more methodologically sound studies.Lastly, voluntary or mandatory program attendance and an aftercare component had no significant impacts on recidivism.v vi vii Lastly, none of this would have been possible without the support and encouragement of my family.Mom, Dad, and Olisa, thank you for letting me live the life that I wanted to live.You have supported me every step of the way, and you have always believed in me.I am forever grateful for all the sacrifices you have made.I know that it has not been easy at times, and I want to thank you for all the understanding that you have shown throughout the years.Faleminderit dhe ju dua shume.
Author: Mirlinda Ndrecka
Institution: University of Cincinnati
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2280973181