Award Date

August 2023

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Public Policy and Leadership

First Committee Member

Margaret Alexis Kennedy

Second Committee Member

Emily Troshynski

Third Committee Member

Jayce Farmer

Fourth Committee Member

Kimberly Barchard

Number of Pages

154

Abstract

Offender reintegration (reentry) depends on offender motivation, public policies, community efforts, and resources provided through government and nonprofit sectors. As individuals are released from incarceration and reintegrate into the community, they are often dependent on resources provided by different service providers and the community. The role of the community is crucial as resources are oftentimes not accessible. Lack of employment and housing, mental health issues, substance abuse, and the inability to reestablish personal relationships diminish the prospects of successful reintegration and increase the chances of reincarceration. Reentry capital delivered through community-based programs addresses the transitional issues justice-impacted individuals encounter post-incarceration. This dissertation explores the areas of reintegration, public policy, and social capital by focusing on reentry outcomes after previously incarcerated persons participated in a community-based reentry program (HOPE for Prisoners). To guide this research, I explored whether employment and participation in the program with a mentor affect reincarceration outcomes and whether individual characteristics and criminal history played a role. To determine whether or not individuals were reincarcerated after participating in a community-based reentry program, individual demographic information, reentry service provision and completion, and reincarceration data were collected at 2 intervals - 18 months and 5 years - post initial program participation. This quantitative analysis examined the program outcomes of employment and reincarceration (recidivism). Findings indicate that measures of program participation, employment attainment, and reincarceration rates were correlated. Also, there was a relationship between the outcome variables and race. This study shows that community support is associated with the trajectories of justice-impacted individuals. Because of the dynamic nature of reentry, it is important to assess how community resources and reentry iv capital converge to provide the necessary supportive mechanisms to enhance reentry efforts and create successful reintegration.

Keywords

Criminal Justice; Mass Incarceration; Recidivism; Reintegration/Reentry; Social Capital; Transitional Challenges

Disciplines

Criminology | Criminology and Criminal Justice | Public Policy

File Format

pdf

File Size

1180 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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