The empirical relationship between inmates with and without tattoos upon post-release recidivism has been virtually ignored in modern criminological research. Only one published study has directly examined the relationship between inmate tattoos and recidivism (Putnins, 2002). This study tracked 898 released Australian juvenile offenders for a brief period and found support for a link between tattoos and violent recidivism. The purpose of the current study is to provide a rigorous empirical assessment of the consequence of inmate tattoos on the likelihood of recidivism among a large cohort of offenders released from prison. The study examines a cohort of 79,749 released inmates from Florida prisons from 1995 through 2001 and tracks them over a three year follow-up to assess the impact of several tattoo variables on recidivism. Findings reveal that released inmates with tattoos, particularly numerous and highly visible ones, are more likely to be reconvicted during the follow-up period. Further, the findings indicate that there are two distinct inmate profiles namely the younger novice to the corrections system and the older, longer-term prisoner that are distinguishable by the numbers of tattoo possessed that increase the odds of recidivism. The implications of the findings are discussed in terms of policy, theory, and future research. / A Dissertation submitted to the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of
Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2012. / April 2, 2012. / inmate, prisoner, recidivism, tattoo / Includes bibliographical references. / Thomas G. Blomberg, Professor Directing Dissertation; Joyce L. Carbonell, University Representative; William D. Bales, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_183180 |
| Contributors | Waters, Kevin (authoraut), Blomberg, Thomas G. (professor directing dissertation), Carbonell, Joyce L. (university representative), Bales, William D. (committee member), College of Criminology and Criminal Justice (degree granting department), Florida State University (degree granting institution) |
| Publisher | Florida State University, Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource, computer, application/pdf |
| Rights | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). The copyright in theses and dissertations completed at Florida State University is held by the students who author them. |
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