Parole, Neighborhood and Reentry Outcomes: A Contextualized Analysis

Abstract

Compared to a large body of literature on the location-sensitivity of policing, relatively less effort has been made to examine whether parole practice is intertwined with the context of neighborhood. Based on longitudinal data of released prisoners, the current study examines the location contingency of parole efficacy in the context of reentry, focusing on the outcomes of recidivism and illicit drug use. Findings suggest that net of the effects of risk factors such as financial difficulty and insufficient family support, respondents who returned to less cohesive communities reported receiving a significantly lower level of support from parole officers. Moreover, parole officers’ support exhibited a significant protective effect against recidivism, and this protective effect was not universal but contextual: Parole officers’ support demonstrated a diminished protective effect for released prisoners who returned to disordered communities. Implications for correction practice and policymaking are presented.