The Response of the Criminal Justice System to Prison Overcrowding

Recidivism Patterns Among Four Successive Parolee Cohorts

Bibliographic Data

ID7328471
AuthorsWilliam R Kelly (0000-0001-8249-4419), Sheldon Ekland-Olson
Year1991
Volume25
Issue3
Pages601-620
Publication date1991-01-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueLaw & Society Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0023-9216 • E-ISSN: 1540-5893
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.2307/3053728
OpenAlexW2088545686
LanguageEN
Citations received8
References cited7

Over the past decade crowded prison conditions became the subject for lawsuits across the country, resulting in restrictions on the “capacity” of prison systems in a number of states. These restrictions produced pressures throughout the criminal justice system, from arrest to release on parole. The question addressed in this research is whether these restrictions and pressures affected the probability and pattern of return to prison among parolees. Data were collected at yearly intervals from four successive cohorts of parolees in Texas. Each cohort was followed for thirty-six months to determine the pattern and probability of returning to prison. Four alternative explanations for shifts in recidivism probabilities are explored using “survival analysis” techniques. Evidence is found for reduced deterrence in addition to effects from cohort composition and administrative discretion

Criminal justice · Criminology · Economic Justice · Overcrowding · Political science · Prison · Sociology · Crime Patterns and Interventions · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Homelessness and Social Issues · Law · Psychology

Tools

Open DOISci-Hub