Theories of social bonding and social capital support the argument that positive family relationships are important for resilience in resettlement after release from prison. However, this topic has rarely been addressed in prospective longitudinal studies of resettlement processes. This study gathered interview data from 39 family pairs of British male prisoners and their (ex-)partners before and after release. Questions on the father's relationship, involvement and contact with the family were used as an index to predict seven resettlement outcomes. At the bivariate level and after control of pre-prison risk variables, family relationships predicted positive outcomes with finding accommodation, alcohol and drug use, the extent to which ex-prisoners felt they were coping with resettlement challenges and the quality of post-release family relations. In contrast, difficulties with employment and finance were neither related to previous family relations nor to the other resettlement outcomes. The findings suggest no general protective influence of family

The authors surveyed 267 first-time (n = 102) and recurrent (n = 165) adult male inmates from two medium-security prisons in England. The findings revealed significant differences between the two groups of inmates: A relatively higher proportion of recurrent inmates were enrolled in drug treatment programs; a relatively higher proportion of first-time inmates had given up smoking and drinking, whereas more recurrent inmates had given up drugs; recurrent inmates thought about sex significantly more often, whereas first-time inmates were more concerned about being attacked; and finally, the highest proportion of recurrent inmates cited "improved health" as the best thing about being in prison, compared to the highest proportion of first-time inmates who cited "opportunity for rehabilitation." Results were partially explained by differences in aspects of prisoners' lives before prison and their differential exposure to imprisonment, and not by prison security, prison regime, or sentence variables. The findings can inform the development of prison regimes and policies that facilitate adjustment to imprisonment.

Purpose. This study compared prisoners' and their (ex-)partners' forecasts and actual experiences of life after prison. The aims were to: (1) assess prisoners' self-expectancies of problems and actual resettlement experiences; (2) compare prisoners' post-release expectations and experiences to their partners' forecasts and valuations of these outcomes; (3) examine whether pre-prison factors have an effect on each partners' outlook of the future; (4) examine the predictive utility of each partners' expectations on the men's post-release outcomes; and (5) explore a range of resettlement issues which may play a vital role in pathways for reducing reoffending (i.e., family relationships, accommodation, finances, employment, alcohol use, and drug use).Method. We employed a prospective longitudinal design and used semi-structured interviews to gather quantitative and qualitative data from 39 male prisoners in England and their respective (ex-)partners.Results. The couples showed relatively strong agreement on the men's post-release difficulties compared to their earlier predictions; however, there was some variation in the 'realism' and 'optimism' of their outlooks. Their expectations were partially based on pre-prison factors: higher frequencies of pre-prison problems were positively associated with anticipated difficulties post-release. Pre-release expectations significantly predicted the men's post-release difficulties with substance use and relationship factors.

Les programmes de justice réparatrice (JR) axés sur la collectivité dépendent grandement des bénévoles pour accomplir différentes tâches, y compris animer les conférences de cas. Nous avons mené un sondage auprès de 76 bénévoles de 12 programmes de JR en Colombie-Britannique, au Canada, afin de :(1) définir les caractéristiques des bénévoles; (2) documenter leur participation à la JR; (3) mesurer les motivations qui les poussent à travailler bénévolement; (4) explorer les compétences qui, à leur avis, sont utiles; (5) documenter la formation qu'ils ont reue; et (6) déterminer les facteurs influant sur leur satisfaction quant aux rôles qu'ils jouent. L'étude a été guidée par un modèle conceptuel du processus de bénévolat en JR. Nous avons découvert que les bénévoles en JR sont surtout des femmes blanches d'un certain âge. Les bénévoles sont principalement recrutés par le bouche à oreille et sont motivés par leur poursuite des idéaux associés à la JR. Même s'ils possèdent de nombreuses compétences et qualités, les bénévoles ont reçu une formation leur permettant d'offrir un éventail de services. Enfin, les bénévoles sont en général satisfaits de leurs rôles dans les programmes de JR. Ces résultats ont des conséquences sur le recrutement des bénévoles, leur formation et le maintien de l'effectif.Mots clés: justice réparatrice, bénévolat, animateur en médiation Community-based restorative justice (RJ) programs rely heavily on volunteers to perform a range of duties, including facilitating case conferences. We surveyed 76 volunteers from 12 RJ programs throughout British Columbia, Canada, in order to (1) identify the characteristics of volunteers, (2) document their involvement in RJ, (3) measure their motivations to volunteer, (4) explore the skills they perceive to be useful, (5) document the training they receive, and (6) determine the factors that influence satisfaction with their roles. This study was guided by a conceptual model of the RJ volunteer process. We found that RJ volunteers comprise primarily older Caucasian women. Volunteers were mostly recruited by word of mouth and were motivated by their commitment to RJ ideals. Although they brought a wealth of skills and qualifications, volunteers were trained in order to provide a range of services to programs. Finally, volunteers were generally satisfied ß 2008 CJCCJ/RCCJP

This paper investigates the influence of children's contact with their father during his prison sentence on the father child relationship after his release. It is based on a mixed method prospective longitudinal study of 40 families in England where fathers had played an active role in their children's lives prior to his imprisonment. Drawing on an interactional perspective of relationships (Hinde, 1976) the study found that face to face contact and phone calls correlated significantly with the child father relationship after the father's release as reported by both parents. Written contact played less of a role.The longitudinal correlations remained significant after controlling for the level of the father's involvement with his children before imprisonment. The quantitative findings were supported by qualitative data from the mothers, fathers and children which illustrated how contact enabled the father-child relationship to continue through the facilitation of familiar interactions (physical comfort, emotional support, discipline, guidance) even if, if in a limited and altered form. These findings suggest that contact as a form of interaction between father and child is important for protecting the childfather relationship during and after the prison sentence.