Literature Review

Literature Review

Berg & Huebner (2011) employed an integrated conceptual framework in order to check the link between recidivism, familial ties and post-release employment. The sample for this study comprised of men who were involved in the criminal behavior for more than three years following their parole. The findings of this study indicate that for both job attainment and recidivism family ties have implications. The reentering offenders who develop social ties to their family member and engage in their job are less likely recidivate as compared to those offenders who fail to develop good ties with their family members (Berg & Huebner, 2011). Due to the strong family ties, the offender not only attains a good job but also his chances of recidivism lower down significantly (Berg & Huebner, 2011). The study of Bushway & Apel (2012) suggests that the employment programs that exist for the exiting prison are beneficial for the society even if they fail to control recidivism. With the help of the criminal history the future of behavior of the criminal can easily be predicted. However, most of the offenders with the passage of time abandon the offending behavior (Bushway & Apel, 2012). Most of the employment based reentry programs are developed in order to fasten the desistance programs associated with the individual offenders (Bushway & Apel, 2012). The provision of employment is very essential and serves as the starting point in the reentry process (Bushway & Apel, 2012).

Langan & Levin (2002) studied reconviction, re-arrest, re-incarceration of almost 272, 000 prisoners for a period of three years after their release in 1994. The researchers found out that within a short span of three years almost 62 per cent of the offenders who were sentenced for violence were arrested again for a new offence. Similarly, the study found out that almost 69 per cent of the males were rearrested as compared to 57 per cent of the females. It was founded by the authors that almost 8 per cent of the prisoners that were released were arrested again for their involvement in the nee crimes in another state (Langan & Levin, 2002). This shows that the criminals have the tendency to commit crimes even after their release. Due to the strict adherence to the offensive behavior most of the criminals commit crime even after their release for the first time (Langan & Levin, 2002). In this study, there was also no evidence which supports the positive relationship between recidivism and amount of time that the prisoner spends in the jail (Langan & Levin, 2002).

Lattimore, Steffey, & Christy (2010) in this study summarize the contemporary research on the prisoner reentry and conclude that it is more difficult to decrease recidivism in present times than it was imagined previously. During the first decade of the twenty first century the focus of the US government was on the rehabilitation of the prisoner (Lattimore, Steffey, & Christy, 2010). Almost $100 million were raised in funds which were given to the 49 ...