Title:

Factors That Predict Successful Reintegration of Parolees

In response to the high rates of recidivism among released inmates, numerous prison programs, particularly substance abuse and mental health programs, have been implemented with an eye toward reducing inmates’ criminal ideation and behavior, while developing prosocial and adaptive life skills that help keep them out of prison once released (Bender, Cobbina & McGarrell, 2015; Moore, Freer & Samuel, 2015; Shand, 1996). At the time of parole in New Hampshire, the parolee must agree to comply with 13 standard conditions. The purpose of this study was to examine whether participation in prison programs while incarcerated reduced the likelihood that parolees would violate the parole conditions and/or engage in new criminal behavior. We focused on participation in various types of programs (i.e., substance abuse programs). In addition, we examined whether participation in two specific substance abuse programs utilized in New Hampshire in which inmates most commonly participate (i.e., Focus and Relapse Prevention) predicted violations of parole conditions. We also examined whether length of sanctions imposed on parolees for violations of parole conditions predicted recidivism. We also controlled for other factors that have been found to predict recidivism, such as gender, age, criminal history, and risk level in order to better understand the possible unique contribution of program participation and sanction length. In this study, we use a quantitative approach to determine if certain variables are predictors of violating the standard conditions of parole.

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