The increasing recidivism rate for African American female offenders is exacerbated by postrelease job candidates' difficulties with interviewing for employment. The purpose of this hermeneutical, phenomenological study was to examine experiences from postrelease, African American, female, opioid offenders when interviewing with potential employers. Critical race Black feminist theory was used as the ontological lens for this research. Criterion sampling was used to recruit 12 female African American opioid female research participants. Data collection occurred via 12 semistructured, face-to-face interviewees. Thematic analysis was used to develop common emergent themes from the lived experiences of postrelease, African American, female, opioid offenders. Results showed that postrelease, African American, female offenders experienced emotional responses such as stress, nervousness, and anxiety during the interview process. In addition, they feared rejection when informing potential employers about their criminal background. The findings are significant in developing training programs for transition, human service, and criminal justice agencies that can increase the chances of postoffender, African American, female, opioid drug offender employment and decrease recidivism.

The phenomenon of youthful sexual offending has received increased attention in recent years in the state of Utah. As a result. programs have been developed to treat the sexual offender within residential treatment centers. However. the efficacy of these programs had not been examined prior to the initiation of this project. The success of the programs has been assessed by examining recidivistic activity as measured by post-treatment criminal histories. The results of this study indicate that the sample of clients departing from treatment in Utah in the year 1995 has a recidivism rate of93.2% for sexual criminal behavior, as of December 1996. Additionally, the recidivism rate of nonsexual criminal activity demonstrated by the sample was 63.6% at the same follow-up. This study demonstrates that those subjects who are able to successfully complete treatment before their departure from the programs have lower recidivism rates. Additionally, the participation by the family both during the treatment process. specifically their involvement in collateral therapy, and after treatment. by having the youth return to the family, correlated with subjects not relapsing into recidivistic activity. This information is important for treatment planning. for legislative planning. and for the continued study or the phenomenon of youthful sexual offending.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The United States of America incarcerates more of its citizens than any other industrialized nation. Moreover, African American males are disproportionately targeted for incarceration in a system reminiscent of the system of slavery abolished after the civil war. As the cycle of recidivism plays itself out in this nation, this research examines the experiences of Black males who have broken the cycle to reestablish themselves within society through educating themselves in our nation's colleges and universities. This work is a phenomenological multiple case study that examines the experiences of five men who were incarcerated for a felony offense and successfully obtained bachelor's degree upon release. This research asks the questions: what motivated the pursuit of a degree, how did they pay for it, what resources were utilized, what challenges were overcome, and what impact this achievement had on their lives? Additionally, this research examines current correctional and educational policies and their impact on the Black community and concludes by making recommendations grounded in the research on how the nation can reduce recidivism rates and better serve African American communities.

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Although studies examining juvenile recidivism have focused primarily on violent recidivism, the factors that predict recidivism likely differ by offense type. To examine general, property, and violent recidivism, this study combined individual-level data (i.e., offender and case characteristics) from the Mississippi Youth Court Information Data System (MYCIDS) for the years 2009-2011 and contextual-level data (i.e., county characteristics) from the 2010 U.S. Census and the 2010 Uniform Crime Reports (UCR). Results showed that offender characteristics predicted only general and property recidivism, but case characteristics mattered for all three types (i.e., general, violent, and property recidivism). Contextual characteristics (i.e., the percentage of the population that is male aged 15 to 24) also mattered, but only for property recidivism. These findings have implications for policies and programs related to the treatment of juvenile offenders.

Using data collected at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility, this research aimed to examine factors that affect the likelihood of re-offending by testing two models: a specific deterrence model and a proposed comparable capital model. Specifically, this research aimed to examine how economic, cultural, and social capital in the community, as well as in prison, affect self-reported likelihood of re-offending upon release, and to examine if these indicators are better suited for explaining offending as compared to those included in a deterrence model. By examining these effects, it was discovered that traditional deterrence and capital indicators alone do not provide a sufficient explanation of likelihood of re-offending. The proposed Capital and Punishment Model of Re-offending may provide a better way of conceptualizing offenders’ likelihood of re-offending upon release because it considers the effects of community and prison capital, while paying special attention to the effects of prior punishment.

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