Longitudinal Associations Among Child Support Debt, Employment, and Recidivism after Prison

• NCJ Number: 252308
• Journal: Sociological Quarterly Volume: 58 Issue: 1 Dated: 2017 Pages: 140-160
• Author(s): Nathan W. Link; Caterina G. Roman
• Date Published: 2017
• Length: 21 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2012-IJ-CX-0012
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Award: Debt and Prisoner Reentry

Annotation

Since recently released prisoners in the United States are increasingly facing the burden of financial debt associated with correctional supervision, but little research has examined howtheoretically or empiricallythe burden of debt might affect life after prison, this study addressed this research gap by using life course and strain perspectives, along with path analysis to examine the impact of child-support debt on employment and recidivism, using longitudinal data from an evaluation of a prisoner reentry program known as the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative.

Abstract

The study's findings indicate that having more debt had no effect on recidivism; however, more debt was significantly associated with a decrease in later legitimate employment. Implications for community reintegration and justice processing are discussed within the framework of past and emerging work on legal financial obligations, employment, and desistance from crime after prison. (Publisher abstract modified)