The Overall and Gendered Effects of Postrelease Supervision on Recidivism: A Propensity Score Analysis

Abstract

Although research recognizes gender differences in offending and interactions with the criminal justice system, few studies have explored the role of gender in the relationship between postrelease supervision and recidivism. Building on feminist criminological research, this study uses a feminist pathways theoretical framework to investigate the overall and gendered effects of postrelease supervision on multiple measures of recidivism. Using a large sample of offenders released from prisons in Florida ( N = 141,338) and propensity score matching techniques, this study uncovers that postrelease supervision is associated with a very small (4% to 4.5%) reduction in recidivism. Moreover, the effect sizes from the analyses also indicate that postrelease supervision plays a greater role in reducing recidivism among men, but the effects for women are much smaller. Based on this study’s findings, policymakers should consider the importance of gender in designing appropriate programming in prison and developing postrelease techniques in reducing recidivism.