WASHINGTON, D.C., March 15, 2004—High hopes clash with grim reality when former Maryland prisoners try to jumpstart their lives in Baltimore, explains a new study from the nonpartisan Urban Institute. But clues from its latest research on prisoners reentering society point to some promising tools for successful reintegration.
Toward the top of the list, say the authors of "Baltimore Prisoners' Experiences Returning Home," are resources to strengthen family ties during and after imprisonment, expanded work release programs, and more services to counter drug and alcohol abuse. Because many former prisoners suffer from physical and mental health ailments and do not have health care coverage, the report also suggests improving coordination between prisons and community health services.
"Our analysis found that respondents with closer family relationships, stronger family support, and fewer negative dynamics in relationships with intimate partners were more likely to have worked after release and were less likely to have used drugs," researchers Christy Visher, Vera Kachnowski, Nancy La Vigne, and Jeremy Travis write. "It is evident that family support, when it exists, is a strong asset that can be brought to the table in the reentry planning process."
Those who found jobs after prison, the study notes, were more likely to have participated in work release programs while incarcerated than those who did not land employment. Expanding these kinds of programs could increase employment rates for former prisoners.
The Prisoners' Perspective on Reentry
The study breaks new ground by recording prisoners' perspectives on reentering society. With 9,448 men and women leaving Maryland prisons in 2001, this study used interviews with an initial pool of 324 prisoners returning to Baltimore, once before and twice after they were released, to describe various factors that affect postrelease success or failure:
Criminal history: Sixty-eight percent had served time in prison before. Forty percent had a family member serving a prison sentence at the same time they were.
Employment: At some point while in prison, 37 percent participated in employment readiness programs, 23 percent took part in job training, and 33 percent had a work release job. At the first postrelease interview, 44 percent were working at least 40 hours a week.
Finances: One to three months after release, 47 percent said it had been hard supporting themselves financially. Sixty-two percent were in debt for child support, supervision fees, or other costs. Before release, the largest share of respondents (54 percent) expected to rely on their jobs for financial support; after release, the largest share (51 percent) relied on their families.
Health: Forty percent reported at least one physical ailment, with asthma and high blood pressure the most common. Twenty-five percent reported serious anxiety and depression.
Family support: Forty-two percent expected some financial support from their families after release; 66 percent expected to live with them. Overall, 89 percent agreed or strongly agreed that their families had been as supportive as they had hoped after their release.
Community support: While 45 percent of those released used a community program or service, such as substance abuse treatment or adult education, 43 percent said no program, service, or support had been helpful to them.
Optimism Tempered by a History of Drug Use and Crime
On the eve of their release, 92 percent agreed they wanted to straighten out their lives. Most expected it to be easy to overcome reentry challenges, such as finding a job or avoiding returning to prison. At the same time, many wanted assistance dealing with their transition. For instance, 80 percent said they would need help getting more education, and of those who did not already have housing lined up, 73 percent said they would need help doing so.
Seventy-eight percent used drugs prior to prison and 61 percent consumed alcohol, with 41 percent reporting daily use of heroin in the six months before entering prison. Thirty percent used cocaine on a daily basis. However, only a fraction of those who needed treatment received assistance while in prison. Overall, 27 percent took part in a drug or alcohol treatment program in prison, and 46 percent attended Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous.
In spite of their considerable criminal histories, familial criminal involvement, and substance abuse problems, 78 percent expected it would be easy to stay out of prison. Despite this optimism, within six months of their release, 32 percent had been rearrested for new crimes, 10 percent were convicted of a new crime, and 16 percent were reconfined for the new crime conviction or technical violation. Drug charges accounted for 51 percent of the reconvictions.
"Those who were rearrested were younger, had more extensive criminal histories, and were more likely to engage in substance use before prison," the report states. "These data on recidivism underscore the overarching policy challenge of finding ways to slow down the revolving door of individuals cycling in and out of prison. One place to start is to focus squarely on the high levels of drug and alcohol use reported by prisoners themselves."
The research, says Aurie Hall, criminal justice program director at the Open Society Institute-Baltimore, "clearly shows that helping prisoners continue to work, receive treatment for substance abuse, and strengthen their family ties while they are incarcerated is crucial to making sure they successfully reintegrate back into the community after leaving prison. By prioritizing these programs, we can reduce both the societal and monetary cost of recidivism." OSI-Baltimore is one of the study's funders.
The "Returning Home" Project
In 2001, the Urban Institute launched a four-state, longitudinal study of prisoner reentry entitled "Returning Home: Understanding the Challenges of Prisoner Reentry." The initiative, which is documenting the critical stages of reintegration and the steps that can lead toward successful post-prison adjustment and lower recidivism, began with a pilot study in Maryland. Findings from the initial Maryland research are in "A Portrait of Prisoner Reentry in Maryland". Research is now under way in Illinois, Ohio, and Texas.
"Baltimore Prisoners' Experiences Returning Home," by Christy Visher, Vera Kachnowski, Nancy La Vigne, and Jeremy Travis, has been made possible by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Open Society Institute-Baltimore, Abell Foundation, Russell Sage Foundation, Maryland Governor's Office of Crime Control and Prevention, and John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The report is available at http://www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=310946.
"Baltimore Prisoners' Experiences Returning Home" is part of the Urban Institute's ongoing research on crime and justice issues. For more on this subject, go to http://urban.org/r/crime.cfm.
The Urban Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan policy research and educational organization that examines the social, economic, and governance challenges facing the nation.
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