NCJ Number
227207
Journal
Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 36 Issue: 5 Dated: May 2009 Pages: 494-512
Date Published
May 2009
Length
19 pages
Annotation
The primary goals of this research study were to determine whether poor planning for community reintegration was related to sex offender recidivism and to estimate the strength of the relationship between planning quality and reoffending.
Abstract
Consistent with the results of previous research the overall quality of reintegration planning was poorer for child molesters who were released from prisons and who subsequently reoffended, compared with a matched group who did not reoffend. In addition, planning for both employment and social support was significantly worse for recidivists. These differences in reintegration planning were not confounded with differences in static risk level or in dynamic risk as assessed by a psychometric battery. It was recommended that reintegration planning be a core component in treatment programs for sexual offenders because effective planning might contribute to reductions in recidivism. Prior research has documented the challenges that offenders face when reentering the community after release from prison. In particular, poor planning for reintegrating child molesters from prison to the community is a likely risk factor for sexual recidivism. This study measured the quality of reintegration planning for groups of recidivist and nonrecidivist child molesters who were individually matched on static risk level and time since release. Figure, tables, notes, and references