Reentry Programming for High-Risk Offenders: Insights From Participants

• NCJ Number: 251968
• Journal: International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology Volume: 60 Issue: 13 Dated: 2016 Pages: 1479-1508
• Author(s): Kimberly A Bender; Jennifer E. Cobbina; Edmund F. McGarrell
• Date Published: 2016
• Length: 30 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2007-IJ-CX-0035
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Award: Evaluating the Impact of the Project Safe Neighborhoods Anti-Gang Initiative

Annotation

Building on the insights of previous research, the current study examined how high-risk offenders perceived a reentry program after release from prison.

Abstract

The mass increase in imprisonment of the last two decades has led to an increasing number of adults released from prison. Scholarly accounts of prisoner reentry have demonstrated that incarcerated individuals face barriers on release from prison and that intervention programs are necessary to assist their transition to the community. Using a qualitative approach, the current study found that procedural and substantive justice affected the satisfaction of high-risk offenders with post-release programming. This study highlights the importance of providing employment opportunities, social support, and fair and respectful delivery of services to assist incarcerated individuals transitioning to the community. (Publisher abstract modified)