Once a Criminal Always a Criminal? A 15-Year Analysis of Recidivism Among Female Prisoners in Massachusetts

Abstract

<p>The study of prisoner recidivism has long captured the interest of criminal justice researchers. Recidivism studies attempt to answer a variety of questions ranging from what are the characteristics of those who reoffend, what factors predict offender recidivism, and how long does a recidivist remain in the community before finding themselves in conflict with the law again. Unlike many studies that examine recidivism over a relatively short term – three to five years, this study investigates recidivism over a 15-year period among a group of female offenders released from a Massachusetts prison in 1995. Findings point to three propositions moving forward. First, correctional programming geared specifically toward youthful offenders might be necessary to promote desistance over the life course. Second, offender monitoring and accountability up to 36 months after release from incarceration may reduce the risk of re-offending. Third, studies with a follow-up period of ten years would be a valuable addition to the recidivism literature to advance our understanding of chronic offending among women.</p>

“I am Stuck in the Crime Repetition and I don’t Wish this Life”: Exploring the Recidivism Factors of Homeless Recidivist Women in Jalan Chow Kit, Kuala Lumpur

“…However, it does not indicate that a specific study on women recidivism would be insignificant. Past studies that focus more on men recidivism in particular make this study very important to be conducted immediately (Mastrorilli et al, 2015). The need to explore the lives of homeless recidivists brings new discussions in the field of science.…”

“…From a gender point of view, according to Mastrorilli et al (2015), much of the literatures on recidivism has focused on men or compared recidivism between men and women (Cobbina, 2010;Deschenes et al, 2007). Research focusing on women tends to have smaller samples (Maruna, 2001) and is often based on in-depth qualitative analysis.…”

“…This situation makes this study appear so unique when making homeless recidivist women as the subject of study by studying from the perspective of feminism and gender-responsiveness. Indeed, it is known that the study of recidivist prisoners has long attracted the interest of criminal justice researchers (Mastrorilli et al, 2015).…”