View Research by Author - Shannon M. E. Courtney

Citation URL: http://www.urban.org/ShannonMECourtney

This research brief presents findings from the Returning Home study in Cleveland, Ohio. Returning Home is a longitudinal study of prisoner reentry in Maryland, Illinois, Ohio, and Texas based on personal interviews with prisoners before and after their release from prison. Previous reports from the Ohio project examined prisoners' expectations for life after prison and their experiences in the first few months after release. This final report—"One Year Out: Experiences of Prisoners Returning to Cleveland"—describes the lives of nearly 300 former prisoners at least 12 months after release, including their ability to find stable housing and reunite with family, and identifies factors associated with getting a job, and avoiding substance use and return to prison (recidivism).

This research brief presents findings from the Returning Home study in Cleveland, Ohio. The first phase of the Urban Institute's Ohio study analyzed where former Ohio prisoners settle after release and found that many returned to a handful of hard-pressed Cleveland neighborhoods. The second phase focused on prisoners' expectations for life after prison and found that most were confident they would succeed. The third phase--"Cleveland Prisoners' Experiences Returning Home"--followed 424 men who returned to Cleveland in the first three months after their release, examining factors that may help or hinder successful reintegration, including employment, substance use, attitudes and beliefs, health status, criminal histories, and family and community contexts.

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