Life after Prison: Tracking the Reentry of Male Prisoners Returning to Chicago, Cleveland, and Houston, an Urban Institute research brief, provides insight into the experiences of formerly incarcerated males returning to their communities.
The report, based on surveys issued to 652 males in a time period spanning incarceration through two- and seven-month intervals after release, depicts challenges facing the men, as well as triumphs, however small. The men were asked questions concerning their pre-incarceration lifestyles, how prepared they felt about successful reentry, what they anticipated upon release, reconnecting with family and friends, and the impact of positive and negative behaviors.
The demographics of the participants reflect the statistics of most prisoners in other states:
84 percent were people of color.
83 percent had at least one conviction, while 64 percent had two or more prior convictions.
68 percent were incarcerated at least once, 45 percent were incarcerated two or more times.
Prior to release:
72 percent took part in a prerelease program, 82 percent took part in other types of programs, such as educational, substance abuse, life skills, anger management, and employment training classes.
79 percent believed it would be relatively easy to find housing when released.
Post release:
Housing and Family
Two months after release, 45 percent believed they would be staying at their current address for two months or less, 25 percent expected to live there for under a year. However, seven months after release 48 percent wished to live at their current location for a year or more, and 52 percent preferred to move from their current location in less than a year.
Two months after release, most agreed that their living arrangements met, or exceeded their expectations, and felt that their neighborhood was a good area to find employment; after seven months of release that number fell to 37 percent.
56 percent were provided a space to stay on their first night of release. 22 percent spent their first night in their own home or apartment. Seven percent stayed at a half-way house, or at another transitional residence. Two percent stayed at a shelter, and another two percent stayed at a rooming house, motel, or hotel.
At two months 85 percent were living with family.
58 percent of those surveyed reported they had money provided by a family member upon release. After two months, 75 percent surveyed relied on family for some financial support.
Seven months after release, 84 percent were living with family, 92 percent received money from family, 83 were given food by family, 92 percent had offers of aid from family to find a place to live.
On a scale of one to four, the men rated family support and the quality of family relations at 3.4 at two months, and almost 3.4 at seven months.
65 percent had at least one relative convicted of a crime, and 64 percent had a relative who abused drugs or alcohol. While incarcerated, 32 percent had at least one relative also incarcerated at the same time.
Substance abuse
80 percent admitted to getting high or drunk within six months of being incarceration. 64 percent said they used drugs or alcohol more than once a week during that time.
Nearly 33 percent said they used drugs after release. Within two months of release, 20 percent claimed they had gotten high or drunk in the last 30 days. After seven months of release, that number was 27 percent, with 13 percent admitting to frequently using drugs or alcohol.
Reentry Barriers
Upon release only 41 percent had a photo ID. 55 percent of those photo identifications were prison issued. Only eight percent had a drivers license. At two months 24 percent obtained a driver’s license, and 65 percent received a state ID.
After two months of release 60 percent had a debt. At seven months 58 percent owed a debt.
71 percent claimed that having a criminal conviction was a barrier to employment, both at the two- and seven-month stage. However, at seven months, 46 percent had a job. 82 percent claimed their employer knew of their criminal history.
Recidivism:
At two months, four percent admitted to committing a crime. At seven months, that number increased to 17 percent. Crimes relating to drugs accounted for 40 percent of the criminal activities.
Within a year of release 22 percent of those surveyed were re-incarcerated.70 percent of those sent back to prison were charged with a probation violation, such a failed urine test, failure to report, or getting arrested.
Factors of Successful Reentry:
Those who obtained a GED in prison, had a pre-incarceration work history, held a job in prison, were given vocational/job training while still incarcerated, or were able to find steady employment quickly after release had less chance of recidivating .
Participation in a substance abuse program soon after release was also shown to help prevent individuals from going back to prison.
Family support is crucial to newly released prisoners. Men with a close bond with their children were more likely to seek employment and less likely to report a substance abuse problem. Married men were also found to be employed within eight months of release.
Those participating in substance abuse programs while in prison, or those who accessed programs soon after release also has a better chance of staying out of prison.
Supervised parole had little effect on self-reported crime, or re-arrest, after being released, but parole supervision was discovered to play a large part in re-incarceration due to technical parole.
To view the full report click here to go to website
|
|
|
|
