Relationship Between Gang Membership and Inmate Recidivism

• NCJ Number: 207649
• Author(s): David E. Olson Ph.D.; Brendan Dooley M.A.; Candice M. Kane Ph.D.
• Date Published: May 2004
• Length: 12 pages
• Grant Number(s): 95-JD-MU-K001
• Sponsoring Agency: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)
• Corporate Author: Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority
• Sale Source: NCJRS Photocopy Services; Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority Research Bulletin, Vol. 2, No. 12, May 2004.

Annotation

This report provides an overview of the findings from a study that examined the rates and patterns of rearrest and reincarceration among gang members released from Illinois prisons in November 2000 (n=2,534 inmates).

Abstract

The information on the inmates obtained from the Illinois Department of Corrections included demographic characteristics, marital and educational status, history of drug use, conviction offense, institutional data, and whether the inmate was considered to be an active gang member. Just over 26 percent of the sample were identified as current/active gang members. The Illinois State Police provided information on each inmate's criminal history, including arrests prior to and after their incarceration. Data were obtained on any arrests between an inmate's release data in November 2000 and January 2003. By the end of this period, 75 percent of the gang members had been rearrested for a new offense, compared with 63 percent of the nongang members. Gang members tended to be rearrested sooner after release than the nongang members. Fifty-five percent of the gang members were readmitted to prison within the follow-up period, compared to 46 percent of the nongang members. Most of the gang members were returned to prison for a new offense rather than a technical violation of parole. Gang membership continued to have an effect on recidivism when other risk factors were controlled. Recidivism was most likely to be associated with drug-related and violent offenses. One strategy for addressing this situation is to increase the focus of parole and law enforcement resources on gang members just released from prison. 1 table, 3 figures, and 34 references