A natural experiment of the consequences of concentrating former prisoners in the same neighborhoods

Abstract

More than 600,000 prisoners are released from incarceration each year in the United States, and most end up residing in metropolitan areas, clustered within a select few neighborhoods. Likely consequences of this concentration of returning prisoners include higher rates of subsequent crime and recidivism. In fact, one-half of released prisoners return to prison within only 3 y of release. The routine exposure to criminogenic influences and criminal opportunities portends a bleak future for individuals who reside in neighborhoods with numerous other ex-prisoners. Through a natural experiment focused on post-Hurricane Katrina Louisiana, I examine a counterfactual scenario: If instead of concentrating exprisoners in geographic space, what would happen to recidivism rates if ex-prisoners were dispersed across space? Findings reveal that a decrease in the concentration of parolees in a neighborhood leads to a significant decrease in the reincarceration rate of former prisoners.prisoners | recidivism | neighborhood effects | natural experiment |

The Ecology of Race and Punishment across Cities

“…Prior research indicates that durable neighborhood inequality produces large gaps in individual life chances (Peterson and Krivo ; Sampson ; Sharkey ), and that neighborhood context can significantly impact the trajectory of individuals throughout the criminal justice system (Kirk , ; Massoglia et al. ).…”

“…() examine how incarceration affects neighborhood attainment after prison, finding that whites experience an incarceration effect on neighborhood attainment, while nonwhites who come from highly disadvantaged neighborhoods see little change in neighborhood quality after a period of incarceration. Kirk (, ) examines the effect of neighborhood disadvantage in pre‐ and postprison residential locations, and in particular, the effect of neighborhood context on recidivism; Kirk finds across multiple studies that neighborhood disadvantage and returning to one's former neighborhood significantly increase the chance of future criminal activity and incarceration.…”

“…First, Massoglia et al (2013) examine how incarceration affects neighborhood attainment after prison, finding that whites experience an incarceration effect on neighborhood attainment, while nonwhites who come from highly disadvantaged neighborhoods see little change in neighborhood quality after a period of incarceration. Kirk (2009Kirk ( , 2015 examines the effect of neighborhood disadvantage in pre-and postprison residential locations, and in particular, the effect of neighborhood context on recidivism; Kirk finds across multiple studies that neighborhood disadvantage and returning to one's former neighborhood significantly increase the chance of future criminal activity and incarceration. The consequences of living in a disadvantaged neighborhood for life chances have been broadly examined in terms of economic outcomes (Besbris et al 2015;Sampson 2012), exposure to crime and violence (Peterson and Krivo 2010;Sharkey 2013), and the increased chance of recidivism (Kirk 2009).…”

“…Kirk (2009Kirk ( , 2015 examines the effect of neighborhood disadvantage in pre-and postprison residential locations, and in particular, the effect of neighborhood context on recidivism; Kirk finds across multiple studies that neighborhood disadvantage and returning to one's former neighborhood significantly increase the chance of future criminal activity and incarceration. The consequences of living in a disadvantaged neighborhood for life chances have been broadly examined in terms of economic outcomes (Besbris et al 2015;Sampson 2012), exposure to crime and violence (Peterson and Krivo 2010;Sharkey 2013), and the increased chance of recidivism (Kirk 2009). For example, Besbris et al (2015) find that individuals from disadvantaged neighborhoods bear a stigma that influences their prospects in economic exchanges, and that "residence in a disadvantaged neighborhood not only affects individuals through mechanisms involving economic resources, institutional quality, and social networks but also affects residents through the perceptions of others" (p. 4994).…”

Neighborhood isolation in Chicago: Violent crime effects on structural isolation and homophily in inter-neighborhood commuting networks

“…Second, housing and employment discrimination based on criminal record restricts ex-offenders to few residential options, leading many former prisoners to return to their previous neighborhoods of residence or to neighborhoods that are similarly disadvantaged and violent (Kirk 2009, LaVigne et al 2003). Moreover, high concentrations of ex-inmates increase recidivism (Kirk 2015) and violence (Clear et al 2003). …”