Value Conflict and Public Opinion Toward Prisoner Reentry Initiatives

Garland, Brett; Wodahl, Eric J.; Schuhmann, Robert A.

doi:10.1177/0887403411424081

Cited by 47 publications

(75 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Reevaluations of the importance of prisoner reentry initiatives are likely driven in part by lackluster economic realities which are affecting funding and resource allocation (B. Garland et al, 2013). In addition, while the new prisoner reentry movement started with a flurry of ideas and signs of success, the impact of reentry programming is now being questioned (B.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A study on public opinion and prisoner reentry in Missouri similarly found support for fundamental components of reentry (B. Garland, Wodahl, & Schuhmann, 2013). For example, 89% of Missouri residents believe it is a good idea to help people coming out of prison get services, 76% felt that employment-based reentry programs should strive to get prisoners earning enough money to make a stable living, and roughly 9 out of 10 Missourians favor substance abuse and mental health programs for recently released prisoners.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…B. Garland et al (2013) noted that support for reentry-related substance abuse, mental health, and general health care services dropped by half when the prospect of paying higher taxes for funding costs was considered.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Measuring Public Support for Prisoner Reentry Options

Garland

Wodahl

Cota

2015

Int J Offender Ther Comp Criminol

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Few topics have been discussed more extensively or feverishly within correctional academic and professional circles in the past few decades than prisoner reentry. Although program and policy evaluations have been conducted, a lack of public support for prisoner reentry initiatives could undermine the sustainability of prisoner reentry as a large-scale movement. Interestingly, no multivariate, explanatory analyses of the correlates of support for prisoner reentry policies could be found in the literature. This omission is due in part to the absence of clear psychometric measures to assess support. The current study examines the data obtained from a sample of residents in a Midwestern state to determine the dimensionality of support for prisoner reentry interventions using both exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and ordinary least squares (OLS) regression. Specifically, our expectation is that the following three-factor structure will be identified: (a) support for transitional programs aimed at building skills and knowledge to handle the obstacles of the prison-to-community transitional process, (b) support for post-release transitional housing units, and (c) opposition to denying offenders housing opportunities. Our results support a three-factor model. The implications of these findings for future research are discussed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Measuring Public Support for Prisoner Reentry Options

Garland

Wodahl

Cota

2015

Int J Offender Ther Comp Criminol

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“…For example, citizen opposition has frequently forced sex offenders (SOs) to live in neighborhoods considered to be socially disorganized and with few social supports (e.g., Hughes and Burchfield, ; Hughes and Kadleck, ; Socia and Stamatel, ; Tewksbury and Mustaine, , ). Researchers have found that citizens also strongly oppose housing drug and violent offenders in their cities and neighborhoods (Garland, Wodahl, and Schuhmann, ). Furthermore, landlords are hesitant to rent to those with criminal records (Israelsen‐Hartley, ).…”

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confidence: 99%

Public Support for Emergency Shelter Housing Interventions Concerning Stigmatized Populations

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Socia

Rydberg

2017

Criminology & Public Policy

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Research Summary We examine citizen decision‐making in the context of providing access to safe housing to different noncriminal and criminal populations. More than 4,000 national online survey respondents considered different “emergency housing policy” scenarios that would affect the housing conditions of one of five randomly assigned populations of varying stigma (three noncriminal, two criminal). We find that the criminal populations had the least support for helpful housing policies and the most support for harmful housing policies. Furthermore, compared with a “no cost” policy, average support levels decreased when it increased taxes for the respondent. Policy Implications Citizens seem more willing to subject criminal populations to poor and unsafe housing conditions compared with noncriminal populations. Thus, citizen support may be higher when policies are pitched in ways that do not imply specifically helping ex‐offenders, when they do not involve a personal sacrifice through increased taxes, and when they do not involve “in‐my‐backyard” proposals. For example, a housing policy pitched as aiding the area's homeless (ex‐offenders included) would likely see more support than one that identifies ex‐offenders (and particularly sex offenders) as the population being targeted for help, or that identifies a specific neighborhood as a potential housing facility location.

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“…However, this global support should not be seen as a blank check. Thus, in their Missouri survey, Garland, Wodahl, and Schuhmann (2013) found that support for reentry programs diminished when the respondents were asked to raise taxes to pay for them or to give ex-offenders preference for services over nonoffenders. These data should not be taken as evidence that the public's endorsement of reentry is soft.…”

Section: A Decade Latermentioning

confidence: 93%