Criminology & Criminal Justice Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2758
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Item Framing Imprisonment as a Turning Point in the Lives of Criminally-Involved Adults(2018) Frisch, Nicole; McGloin, Jean M.; Criminology and Criminal Justice; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Turning points, or life events that trigger dramatic and sustained changes in behavior, are a central focus of life course criminology. Most empirical work in this domain focuses on positive turning points that decrease offending and promote desistance (e.g., marriage, employment, military service), yet there is good reason to suspect that offenders may also encounter negative turning points, which amplify rather than reduce offending. This possibility is worthy of consideration given that at least one potential negative turning point – imprisonment – is experienced by millions of offenders. This dissertation integrates the studies of imprisonment and the life course by critically assessing the joint experience of prison and parole (imprisonment) as a turning point in the criminal career, and unpacking heterogeneity in the extent to which imprisonment serves as either a positive or negative turning point. Using criminal records of adults released from Pennsylvania prisons, this work employs a dual trajectory model to assess whether, and to what degree, imprisonment is associated with a disruption in one’s offending pathway. This research also considers the life course principles of cumulative disadvantage and timing by assessing whether imprisonment functions as a different type of turning point for inmates of varying prison histories and ages. The results indicate that imprisonment may serve as a turning point in the criminal career. Evidence of discontinuity in pre- and post-prison criminal trajectories was observed in 49.03% of the full sample, 44.78% of first time prisoners, 75.48% of repeat prisoners. First-time imprisonment almost universally served as a positive turning point, while over one-third of repeat prisoners exhibited evidence of a negative turning point. Additionally, the number of prior prison terms significantly increased the odds of observing a negative turning point relative to a positive turning point or no turning point, suggesting that the criminogenic influence of imprisonment accumulates over time. The timing of imprisonment also matters. Older inmates were more likely to demonstrate discontinuity in offending consistent with a positive turning point, whereas younger inmates were more likely to exhibit evidence of a negative turning point. The theoretical and policy implications of these findings are discussed.Item SMART SENTENCING: A LOOK AT THE DIFFERENTIAL EFFECTS OF PRISONS AND JAILS(2018) Frey, Kathleen; Nakamura, Kiminori; Criminology and Criminal Justice; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Criminological research has long explored the impact of incarceration on recidivism. However this line of research typically combines jail and prison as a single type of incarceration sentence and does not distinguish between these two different sentences. Judges often can choose between a prison or jail sentence for certain categories of offenders, but little research offers any perspective on potentially differential impacts of the two types of sentences on recidivism. The lack of understanding about the consequences of prison and jail sentences hampers the efforts to improve the criminal justice system. Using data from Pennsylvania, the current study examines the impacts of prison and jail, as two separate types of sentences, on recidivism. Pennsylvania offers a unique sample of offenders where jail inmates may be serving up to five years’ incarceration and prison inmates may be serving a sentence shorter than 1 year , compared to most other states where jail is typically a 1-year sentence or less and prison serves for sentences longer than 1 year. Propensity score matching was utilized to compare those with jail and prison sentences who are otherwise comparable, thus allowing balance on observables. In particular, the sentencing guidelines were utilized to ensure the comparability of offenders regarding the seriousness of the current offense and the prior record and to focus on offenders who could have received either prison or jail sentence based on judicial discretion. Results from a statewide sample indicate that within a short follow-up period following release from incarceration, there is largely a null effect of prison on rearrest. However, given longer recidivism follow-up periods, prison is shown to increase the probability of rearrest compared to jail. Although, using a county sample reveals a negative effect of prison on rearrest within a year of release, once reincarceration is accounted for and longer follow-up periods are used, there is largely a null effect of prison on recidivism. Several subsamples were examined revealing largely null effects. Findings indicated racial differences in recidivism based on confinement in prisons and jail. Additional tests were conducted to attempt to understand the differences within facilities that could affect recidivism by comparing across jails, although the results were largely null. Findings from this study reveal key policy implications regarding judicial decision making. In the long-term, once reincarceration is taken into account, there is no strong evidence to suggest that a difference in recidivism exists between prison and jail, suggesting that judge sentencing decisions can be guided by budgetary concerns and facility capacity.Item Exploring the Role of Concentrated Reentry in the Relationship Between Halfway Houses and Recidivism(2016) Shukla, Rochisha; Nakamura, Kiminori; Criminology and Criminal Justice; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Despite their widespread use, research on the effectiveness of halfway houses has been largely mixed, with many studies indicating that halfway houses may actually increase likelihood of recidivating rather than reducing it. This study aims to shed light on the relationship between halfway houses and recidivism by focusing on the role of parolee concentration as a mediating factor. Results based on the analysis of all first time parolees released from Pennsylvania State Prisons (n=8,515) indicate that the likelihood of recidivism for parolees transitioning through halfway houses is higher than that for those paroled directly to the street. Analyses on a smaller sample of parolees with geocodable address information (n=5,708) indicate that parolee concentration significantly affects the association between halfway houses and rearrests, but not for reincarceration. Additional evidence points towards significant direct associations between parolee concentration and all recidivism outcomes, with higher parolee concentration within neighborhoods being associated with higher likelihood of recidivism. Interestingly, halfway house capacity (examined only for individuals paroled to halfway houses, n=3,796) was not significantly associated with any recidivism outcome except rearrests within one year of release, and in this case a higher capacity was associated with a lower likelihood of rearrest.Item Exploring the Nature and Success of an Embedded Criminologist Partnership(2015) Frisch, Nicole; Laub, John H; Criminology and Criminal Justice; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Embedded criminologist partnerships are one of the suggested vehicles toward translating scientific evidence into policy and practice. Previous empirical research on embedded criminologist partnerships consists of reflective accounts of researchers who have served the role, but has not systematically evaluated the utility of these collaborations. The present case study utilizes multiple data sources to systematically describe and evaluate a single embedded criminologist partnership between an academic researcher and a state corrections agency. Specific attention is given to the factors associated with success and the ways that research was translated into agency policies and practices. All parties deemed the collaborative effort successful and the majority of the initial goals were fully met. However, these successes are not surprising given the ideal circumstances under which the collaboration originated. Embedded criminologist partnerships formed under less favorable conditions may incur additional challenges that may marginalize the impact of these collaborations on a broader scale.Item The Impact of a Correctional Boot Camp on Social Bonds: A Randomized Comparison of a Therapeutic Boot Camp and a Traditional Prison(2007-05-17) Rocque, Michael Ansel; MacKenzie, Doris L; Criminology and Criminal Justice; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This paper examines the relationship between a correctional program and social bonds. Research in the field of criminology has demonstrated the importance of adult social bonds with regard to reductions in criminal behavior. However it is unclear if correctional policies can influence social bonds. This study conducts an evaluation of a correctional boot camp (CBC) in relation to its effect on commitment and attachment of incarcerated offenders, using data from the on-going Randomized Study of a Maryland boot camp. The findings show that the particular CBC studied has a weak effect on the measured social bonds. An age interaction is examined to determine if there is a greater treatment effect for older offenders. Results indicate a weak age interaction for one of the measured bonds. Overall correctional boot camps do not appear to help form or enhance social bonds. Implications and directions for future research are discussed in the conclusion.