Prison program utilization and recidivism among female inmates in New Mexico
Files
Date
5/1/2015
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The University of New Mexico, Institute for Social Research
Abstract
This publication won the 2015 Douglas Yearwood Award for Research/Policy Analysis. This study examined the effectiveness of prison programming among women released from the ew Mexico Women’s Correctional Facility (NMWCF) in 2009. There were 436 women released in 2009, and this report includes data for 426 of these women. The authors focus on the 2009 release cohort tracked through December 2013 to ensure ample time to assess recidivism. While there have been some changes in programming over time at the NMWCF, these have been minor, particularly among programs that offer lump sum awards/earned credit.
To determine whether participation in prison programming is effective. Two aspects of in-prison programming are of particular interest. First, although there is an effort to ensure that prisoners are accessing programming that it appropriate for them, programming provided within the NMCD, including the NMWCF, is not matched to offenders’ risks and needs in a systematic way. Thus, the first question addressed by the authors is what is the relationship between the characteristics of women inmates and their program utilization? We explore which programs female inmates participate in, their completion rates, and which characteristics are associated with program utilization overall and by type of program. We were particularly interested in the relationship between identified criminogenic needs and measures of risk with program participation. Second, while there has been some assessment of recidivism for some programs offered within NMCD, this has been limited. Thus, the next question we address is what is the relationship between the types of in-prison programming and success post incarceration? Using various measures of recidivism, we examine the recidivism rates of women who participate in programming compared to those who do not. Further, we explore the characteristics associated with recidivism and assess whether program participation significantly deters reoffending.
Description
item.page.type
item.page.format
Keywords
Douglas Yearwood Award Winner, Reintegration, Women, Recidivism, prison programming