The purpose of this research study was to address the gap in the research literature that existed concerning the absence of qualitative data addressing relapse and recidivism in Texas. Numerous quantitative studies dealt with these issues. However, gaps in the literature existed because accounts and opinions of specific participants regarding these conclusions were absent. Consequently, we lacked specific direction. The perspective of the individual, the insider, was missing. This study helped determine the meaning of "making it" for the parolee/addict attempting to assimilate into the general population and avoid relapse and recidivism. To achieve the research objectives, an ethnographic interview methodology was utilized. The population engaged in the study included male parolees who live in Harris County Texas. All men gained parole between 1992 and 1994, hold positions as professionals in substance abuse counseling, and reported ten years or more of drug free and crime free living. The literature review established the documented need and importance for a qualitative study. The literature defined recidivism according to Texas state officials. The literature considered achievement of parolees who attended the Windham School District. The final section of literature considered the development and operation of the In Prison Therapeutic Community (IPTC) program. The findings from the interviews determined that "making it" consisted of working the twelve-step program of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), meeting with parole officers, dealing with risky behaviors, and remaining committed to a drug free and crime free life. Study participants expressed that state record keeping appeared inaccurate and presented a false picture regarding the actual number of drug related arrests and the actual long-term recidivism rate. The participants noted that the Windham School District exhibited a major influence in making a conscious decision to turn toward positive outcomes. It was recommended that the role of the Windham School District be expanded due to the record of achievement. Other recommendations included the establishment of a longitudinal study of Texas parolees to exceed five years in duration to check long-term recidivism rates and an ethnographic study that focused on the members of the Winner's Circle.

Thesis (MTech (Information Technology))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2018. / The DCS invested in the ICT solution to drive their Enterprise Architectural strategic and objective goals. Government departments uses ICT on their day to day business activities and to pursue for competitive progression compare to other parts of the world. The challenges are entirely depending on the user adoption of new technology. Other challenges that might delay the progress in government department would be the financial constraints and the socio inequality among our community in the developing countries. Government has a growth in e-government ICT’s infrastructure used in everyday activities and online functionality. These emerge from private entities that the government does business with, to force them to move away from manual function to electronic function and processes. Electronic monitoring system has been there in some parts of the world. Hence the South African government has opt to make use of this tool as it has been have a success results in some parts of the world. Even though there are some challenge the department has decided to implement EM system for monitoring of parolees. This study explores the factors that influence the adoption of electronic monitoring systems of parolees in the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) in South Africa, which will assist the DCS to monitor parolees effectively under budgetary constraints. Also to overcome the challenges of overcrowding, saving more cost of building more new facilities.

Although criminality among mentally ill individuals is a well-documented phenomenon, limited research has focused on specific factors that need to be addressed to combat this issue. Utilizing the theoretical framework of Shaw and McKay’s (1942) Social Disorganization Theory, in conjunction with collective efficacy (Sampson et al., 1997) and social capital (Coleman, 1988), different factors were explored in an attempt to discover their relationship with recidivism. Using secondary data from Criminal Justice Drug Abuse Treatment Studies, variables such as homelessness, unemployment, and religious importance were analyzed in relation to rearrest rates from 889 parolees nine months post-release. Marriage, sex, and age were controlled for. A relationship was found between unemployment and rearrest; however, no relationship was found between rearrest and homelessness or religious importance among this sample. Results from this study could contribute to the future implementation of programs aimed at assisting mentally ill offenders who are being released from confinement.

A large portion of U.S. inmates and parolees experience co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders (COD). Offenders with COD exhibit significantly poorer outcomes than offenders who do not have COD, including less time to rearrest and reincarceration. Research shows that transition services for substance use and mental health disorders improve parolee outcomes, yet a majority of offenders with COD do not receive transition services prior to discharge or upon release from correctional facilities. Using a nationally representative sample of offenders with COD (secondary data from the CJ-DATS; N=811), this study analyzes the treatment effects of Transition Case Management (TCM) on parolees' drug use, rearrest, and reincarceration during the first nine months of parole, on a sample of offenders with COD. Results indicate there are no statistically significant differences between TCM treatment and control groups when predicting likelihood of rearrest, reincarceration, and drug use.

Previous research has shown there to be a relationship between criminal peers and an individual's antisocial behavior and attitudes. Social literature lacks however empirical support for social identity theory, which suggests social identity serves as a mediator in the development of attitudes. Rather than a direct relationship where criminal peers influences the presence of criminal attitudes, this research suggests that criminal peers actually influences a mediator (i.e. an individual's social identity), which in turn influences their criminal attitudes. Thus, this mediation serves to clarify the nature of the seemingly apparent relationship between peers and attitudes. The current study, then, attempts to test the relationship between an individual's criminal associations and their criminal attitudes by introducing the individual's social identity as a mediator among individuals currently on probation or parole participating in a reentry program. This is done through the application of a survey constructed of three previously validated measures, and analyzed in two steps: firstly at the measurement level through confirmatory factor analysis; and secondly at the structural level through structural equation modeling.

Thesis (M.A.), Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2000. / Restricted until June 2001. Bibliography: leaves 165-183.

Each year 700,000 to 800,000 parolees are released prison and are returned to the community (Durose, Cooper, & Snyder 2014; Porter, 2011; West, Sabol, Greenman, 2010), of whom approximately two-thirds will be reincarcerated within the three years following their releases (Durose et al., 2014). Although, scholars have pointed to parolees’ needs of services and resources (Hipp, Petersilia, & Turner, 2010), the majority of the literature has been limited to the examination of individual-level predictors of parolee outcomes. The current study aims to extend the parolee literature by identifying whether or not neighborhood disadvantage, mobility, and local institutions (i.e., churches, service providers) have an effect on parolee outcomes. To examine these effects, data on 3,077 parolees living within 209 Census block groups across Philadelphia, Pennsylvania were obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (PA DOC) and the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole (PBPP). Furthermore, parolee outcome data were disaggregated by the behavior resulting in reincarceration [i.e., the commission of a new crime (CPV), technical parole violation (TPV)], as well as the length of time between release from prison and reincarceration. A series of multilevel models (HLM) were conducted to examine the effects of neighborhood-level and individual-level predictors of parolee reincarceration, as well as how these effects differed for CPVs versus TPVs, and varied across time. Based on results from the analyses, parolee outcomes were to some extent effected by neighborhood context and institutions (i.e., Evangelical Protestant churches, service providers). Additionally, neighborhood-level and individual-level effects varied based on the reason for reincarceration, and the amount of time that passed between release from prison and reincarceration. Lastly, although DOC referred service providers did not have a direct effect on parolee reincarceration, there were significant interaction effects with disadvantage, such that the effects of DOC service providers decreased the odds of reincarceration in more disadvantaged neighborhoods. The conditional effects of DOC service providers by level of neighborhood disadvantage highlights the need for service providers within such communities. Further investigation of neighborhood context, and the placement of much needed resources in communities where parolees reside, may be advantageous in increasing success amongst parolees.

Thesis (doctoral)--Universiẗat, Giessen, 2003.

Studien syftar till att undersöka hur frivården i Sverige arbetar för villkorligt frigivnas återanpassning till samhället. Med återanpassning menas att individen efter att ha avtjänat av fängelsestraffet ska återgå till en icke-kriminell livsstil. Detta delas i studien upp i strukturella, sociala och individuella faktorer som kan påverka återanpassningen. Sex kvalitativa, semistrukturerade intervjuer med frivårdshandläggare, tillsammans med tidigare forskning om ämnet, ligger till grund för studien. En viktig del som lyfts upp i resultatet är att frivårdens egentliga huvudmål är att arbeta med att minska risken för återfall i brott, inte den enskildes återanpassning till samhället. Resultatet analyseras sedan i relation till tidigare forskning och Bronfenbrenners systemteori, Goldbergs avvikelsespiral samt Goffmans teori om stigmatisering. Detta eftersom tidigare forskning indikerar att personer som blivit dömda i hög grad riskerar att utsättas för både stämpling och stigmatisering. Slutsatsen som dras i studien är att även om frivården inte uttalat arbetar för individers återanpassning till samhället efter villkorlig frigivning så har de många insatser och program som kan främja en lyckad återanpassningsprocess. / The aim of the study is to examine and analyse how the probation offices in Sweden is working for the reintegration into society for conditionally released prisoners. In the studyreintegration means that the individual, after serving a prison sentence, should return to a non-criminal lifestyle. The factors which can affect the reintegration process is divided into structural, social and individual factors. In the study, six qualitative, semi-structured interviews with probation officers, together with previous research on the subject, form the basis of the study. An important part that is highlighted in the result is that the main purpose of the probation offices is to reduce the risk of relapse in crime, not the individual's reintegration into society. The result is then analysed in relation to the previous research, as well as Bronfenbrenner's system theory, Goldberg’s deviation spiral and Goffman's theory of stigmatization. This is because previous research indicates that people who have been convicted are at high risk of being both labelled and stigmatized. The conclusion drawn in the study is that although the probation officers do not expressly work for individuals' reintegration to society after conditional release, they have many alternatives of both interventions and programs that can promote a successful reintegration process.

Thesis (doctoral)--Bayrische Julius-Maximilians-Universität, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 199-216).