|
Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
|
Inmate Social Ties and the Transition to Society: Does Visitation Reduce Recidivism?
William D. Bales*
and
Daniel P. Mears
Florida State University
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: wbales{at}mailer.fsu.edu.
 |
Abstract |
|---|
Despite increased scholarly and policy attention to prisoner reentry, much remains unknown about the factors that contribute to a successful transition from prison to society. The authors focused on a neglected but potentially critical factor, inmate visitation, that may reduce recidivism. The expectation of such an effect stems from prominent crime theories and an increasing body of work that stresses the importance of social ties to the reentry process. Using data from the Florida Department of Corrections, the authors tested hypotheses about the effects of visitation on recidivism. The measures of visitation included whether any visits occurred, the frequency and recency of visitation, and the type of visitor received (e.g., family member, friend). The authors also examined whether visitation effects varied by age, sex, race, type of instant offense, and prior incarceration. The findings indicate that visitation reduces and delays recidivism. Their implications for theory, research, and policy are discussed.
First published on June 4, 2008, doi:10.1177/0022427808317574
Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency 2008;45:287.
A more recent version of this article appeared on August 1, 2008
 CiteULike  Complore  Connotea  Del.icio.us  Digg  Reddit  Technorati  Twitter What's this?
|
|
