Benjamin Meade

Estimating a Dose–Response Relationship Between Time Served in Prison and Recidivism:

Objectives: Estimate the dose–response relationship between time served in prison and offenders’ odds of recidivism. Methods: Using a large, representative sample of adult offenders released from prison under postrelease supervision in the state of Ohio, we examine the relationship between the length of time these offenders served in prison and their odds of recidivism during the year following their release. Multivariate logistic regression and analyses involving propensity score matching for ordered doses are both used to estimate the time served–recidivism relationship. Results: Analyses of these data revealed that offenders confined for longer periods of time had lower odds of recidivism, but these odds were only substantively lower for those offenders who served the longest periods of time in prison. Findings suggest the inverse effect of time served was not realized until after offenders have been confined for at least five years. Conclusion: Study findings indicate that the specific deterrent effect of prison sentences may be limited, and sentences less than five years may be reduced in order to save costs without a substantial threat to public safety.

Examining the Effects of Community-Based Sanctions on Offender Recidivism

Offenders who violate their conditions of release (parole violators) pose a threat to public safety and a unique challenge for parole officials. Historically, parole officers have simply revoked the parole of these offenders and returned them to prison; however, increases in state correctional populations have forced many jurisdictions to experiment with sanctions administered by parole officers in the community. Community‐based sanctions are sanctions administered by parole officers as consequences for noncompliance with release conditions that are ultimately intended to reduce parole violators’ odds of recidivism. Yet, the effects of these types of sanctions are still relatively unknown. Drawing from perspectives on formal and informal social control, this study involved an examination of the effect of community‐based sanctions on parole violators’ odds of recidivism. Findings revealed that formal controls such as community‐based sanctions that were applied with certainty, severity, and in a swift manner along with informal controls such as measures of offenders’ stake in conformity had effects on parole violators’ odds of recidivism and time to recidivism.

The Effects of Exposure to Violence on Inmate Maladjustment

Offenders are exposed to violence at higher rates than the general population. Yet little is known about whether exposure to violence affects offenders’ adjustment to incarceration. Using a nationally representative sample of inmates housed in secure confinement facilities, we examine the relative effects of exposure to different types of violence prior to incarceration (e.g., physical assault, sexual assault, child abuse) on inmate maladjustment. Results indicate that exposure to violence prior to incarceration influences individuals’ odds of maladjustment during imprisonment, and that abuse as a child and physical victimization by a nonstranger as an adult are particularly robust predictors of maladjustment. Implications of these findings for future research and correctional practice are discussed.

Assessing the Link Between Exposure to a Violent Prison Context and Inmate Maladjustment

The importance of prison safety has generated a number of studies of the correlates to inmate maladjustment, and researchers have found that both individual and environmental characteristics impact the level of maladjustment across prisons. However, no studies have examined the impact of exposure to a violent prison context on maladjustment. We hypothesize that exposure to a violent prison context directly increases maladjustment among the inmate population. We also expect that exposure to a violent prison context moderates the relationships between individual-level risk and protective factors and maladjustment. Analyses of data collected from a national sample of inmates confined in state prisons revealed that exposure to violent prison contexts is associated with higher rates of inmate maladjustment. We also found that exposure to a violent prison context moderates the relationships between individual-level risk and protective factors and some indicators of maladjustment

The effect of police use of force on mental health problems of prisoners

Police officers have the capacity to use legitimate force to attain compliance, and the gravity associated with officers’ decisions to use force has generated a number of studies of the influences on these decisions. Very few studies, however, have focused on the consequences that exposure to police use of force has on suspects. In this study, we use data collected from a nationally representative sample of prison inmates to examine whether exposure to police use of force during their arrest contributes to mental health problems among these inmates, after controlling for relevant covariates including pre-existing mental illness. Findings indicate inmates who were exposed to police use of force during their arrest experienced a greater number of manic and depressive symptoms than inmates who were not exposed to police use of force. The implications of our findings for correctional policy include a consideration of police use of force in needs assessment and recognition of the potential treatment needs of inmates exposed to police use of force during their arrest.

Assessing the Relationship Between Police Use of Force and Inmate Offending (Rule Violations)

We assess the effects of exposure to police use of force on inmates’ odds of offending in prison using survey data collected from a national sample of inmates. We found, net of relevant controls, prisoners subjected to police violence were more likely to engage in assaultive and other rule violating behavior, especially those who did not resist police authority. Consistent with the cycle of violence hypothesis, our findings suggest violence perpetrated by legal authorities produces similar effects to exposure to violence in general. Moreover, the consequences of police use of force are especially problematic when the recipient fails to perceive his or her treatment was fair, which supports the theoretical perspective on procedural fairness and legitimacy. Policy implications are discussed.

Nonstranger Victimization and Inmate Maladjustment Is the Relationship Gendered

Scholars have hypothesized that victimization elicits distinctive effects on women’s pathways to prison and subsequent prison maladjustment, but few researchers have investigated gender differences in this relationship. Using nationally representative samples of men and women housed in state prisons, we examine gender differences in the effects of experiencing different types of nonstranger victimization prior to prison on inmate maladjustment. Results indicate that pre-prison nonstranger victimization affects men’s and women’s maladjustment similarly, with some gender differences—specifically, the effect of being physically assaulted by a nonstranger as an adult on violent misconduct was stronger among men, as was the effect of child abuse on men’s depressive symptoms. Our findings suggest the effects of experiencing nonstranger victimization prior to incarceration on prison maladjustment may be gender-neutral more so than gender-specific. Based on our findings, nonstranger victimization should be deemed important in theories of men’s maladjustment as well as in theories of women’s maladjustment.

Untangling the Dynamics of Judicial Decision Making and Inmates’ Free Exercise Claims

The federal courts have played a central role in establishing important rights for inmates, including the Free Exercise of religion. However, there is little empirical research on the nexus between court decision making, inmates’ Free Exercise claims, and correctional policies/practices. This research is an attempt to understand this decision-making dynamic by using a sample of 330 federal cases from 2000 to 2007 to examine legal and nonlegal factors that are suspected to affect Free Exercise claims. Importantly, security concerns and legal precedents are among the strongest predictors of whether courts will find in favor of inmates who make Free Exercise claims.